Benjamin Géza Affleck

Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup.

Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educational series ''The Voyage of the Mimi'' (1984, 1988). He later appeared in the independent coming-of-age comedy '' Dazed and Confused'' (1993) and various Kevin Smith films. Affleck gained wider recognition when he and Matt Damon won the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for writing ''Good Will Hunting'' (1997), which they also starred in. He then established himself as a leading man in studio films, including the disaster film ''Armageddon'' (1998), the war drama ''Pearl Harbor'' (2001), and the thrillers '' The Sum of All Fears'' and ''Changing Lanes'' (both 2002).

After a career downturn, Affleck made a comeback by portraying George Reeves in the biopic ''Hollywoodland'' (2006), winning the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. His directorial debut, ''Gone Baby Gone'' (2007), which he also co-wrote, was well received. He then directed, co-wrote and starred in the crime drama '' The Town'' (2010) and directed and starred in the political thriller ''Argo'' (2012); both were critical and commercial successes. For the latter, Affleck won the Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Director, and the Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Academy Award for Best Picture.

Affleck then starred in the psychological thriller '' Gone Girl'' (2014) and played the superhero Batman in the DC Extended Universe, beginning with '' Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'' (2016). After a starring role in the thriller '' The Accountant'' (2016), Affleck played supporting roles in the family drama '' The Tender Bar'' and the historical drama '' The Last Duel'' (both 2021).

Affleck is the co-founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative, a grantmaking and advocacy-based nonprofit organization. He is also a stalwart supporter of the Democratic Party. Affleck and Damon are co-owners of the production company Artists Equity and were also co-owners of Pearl Street Films.

Early life

Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt was born on August 15, 1972 in Berkeley, California. His family moved to Massachusetts when he was three, living in Falmouth, where his brother Casey was born, before settling in Cambridge. His mother, Christopher Anne "Chris" Boldt, was a Harvard-educated elementary school teacher. His father, Timothy Byers Affleck, was an aspiring playwright who was "mostly unemployed." He worked sporadically as a carpenter, auto mechanic, bookie, electrician, bartender, and janitor at Harvard. In the mid-1960s, he had been an actor and stage manager with the Theater Company of Boston.

During Affleck's childhood, his father had a self-described "severe, chronic problem with alcoholism", and Affleck has recalled him drinking "all day ... every day". His father was "very difficult" , and Affleck felt a sense of "relief" at the age of 11 when his parents divorced, and his father exited the family home. His father continued to drink heavily and eventually became homeless, spending two years living on the streets of Cambridge. When Affleck was 16, his father entered a rehabilitation facility in Indio, California. He lived at the facility for twelve years to maintain his sobriety and worked there as an addiction counselor.

Affleck was raised in a politically active, liberal household. He and his brother, Casey, were surrounded by people who worked in the arts; the boys regularly attended theater performances with their mother and were encouraged to make their own home movies. David Wheeler, a family friend, later remembered Affleck as a "very bright and intensely curious" child. The brothers auditioned for roles in local commercials and film productions because of their mother's friendship with a Cambridge-area casting director, and Affleck first acted professionally at the age of seven. His mother saved his wages in a college trust fund and hoped her son would ultimately become a teacher, worrying that acting was an insecure and "frivolous" profession. When Affleck was 13, he filmed a children's television program in Mexico. He learned to speak Spanish during a year spent travelling around the country with his mother and brother.

As a Cambridge Rindge and Latin high school student, Affleck acted in theater productions and was inspired by drama teacher Gerry Speca. He became close friends with fellow student Matt Damon, whom he had known since the age of eight. Although Damon was two years older, the pair had "identical interests" and both wanted to pursue acting careers. They traveled to New York together for acting auditions and saved money for train and airline tickets in a joint bank account. While Affleck had high SAT scores, he was largely an unfocused student with poor attendance. He spent a few months studying Spanish at the University of Vermont, chosen because of its proximity to his then-girlfriend, but he left after fracturing his hip while playing basketball. At 18, Affleck moved to Los Angeles, studying Middle Eastern affairs at Occidental College for a year and a half.

Career

1981–1997: Child acting and ''Good Will Hunting''

Affleck acted professionally throughout his childhood but, in his own words, "not in the sense that I had a mom that wanted to take me to Hollywood or a family that wanted to make money from me ... I kind of chanced into something." He first appeared, at the age of seven, in an independent film, ''The Dark End of the Street'' (1981), directed by a family friend, Jan Egleson. His biggest success as a child actor was as the star of the PBS children's series ''The Voyage of the Mimi'' (1984) and ''The Second Voyage of the Mimi'' (1988), produced for sixth-grade science classes. Affleck worked "sporadically" on ''Mimi'' from the age of eight to fifteen in both Massachusetts and Mexico. As a teenager, he appeared in the ABC after school special ''Wanted: A Perfect Man'' (1986), the television film ''Hands of a Stranger'' (1987), and a 1989 Burger King commercial.

After high school, Affleck moved briefly to New York in search of acting work. Later, while studying at Occidental College in Los Angeles, Affleck directed student films. As an actor, he had a series of "knock-around parts, one to the next". He played Patrick Duffy's son in the television film ''Daddy'' (1991), made an uncredited appearance as a basketball player in the ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' film (1992), and had a supporting role as a prep school student in ''School Ties'' (1992). He played a high school quarterback in the NBC television series '' Against the Grain'' (1993), and a steroid-abusing high school football player in '' ''Body to Die For: The Aaron Henry Story'''' (1994). Affleck's most notable role during this period was as a high school bully in Richard Linklater's cult classic '' Dazed and Confused'' (1993). Linklater wanted a likeable actor for the villainous role, and, while Affleck was "big and imposing," he was "so smart and full of life ... I just liked him." Affleck later said Linklater was instrumental in demystifying the filmmaking process for him.

Affleck's first starring film role was as an aimless art student in the college drama '' Glory Daze'' (1995), with Stephen Holden of ''The New York Times'' remarking that his "affably mopey performance finds just the right balance between obnoxious and sad sack". He then played a bully in filmmaker Kevin Smith's comedy ''Mallrats'' (1995) and became friends with Smith during the filming. Affleck had begun to worry that he would be relegated to a career of "throwing people into their lockers", but Smith wrote him a lead role in the romantic comedy ''Chasing Amy'' (1997). The film was Affleck's breakthrough. Janet Maslin of ''The New York Times'' praised Affleck's "wonderful ease" playing the role, combining "suave good looks with cool comic timing". Owen Gleiberman of ''Entertainment Weekly'' described it as a "wholesome and quick-witted" performance. When Affleck starred as a recently returned Korean War veteran in the coming-of-age drama ''Going All the Way'' (1997), Todd McCarthy of ''Variety'' found him "excellent", while Janet Maslin of ''The New York Times'' noted that his "flair for comic self-doubt made a strong impression."

The success of 1997's ''Good Will Hunting'', which Affleck co-wrote and acted in, marked a turning point in his career. The screenplay originated in 1992 when Damon wrote a 40-page script for a playwriting class at Harvard University. He asked Affleck to act out the scenes with him in front of the class and, when Damon later moved into Affleck's Los Angeles apartment, they began working on the script in earnest. The film, which they wrote mainly during improvisation sessions, was set partly in their hometown of Cambridge and drew from their own experiences. They sold the screenplay to Castle Rock in 1994 when Affleck was 22 years old. During the development process, they received notes from industry figures, including Rob Reiner and William Goldman. Following a lengthy dispute with Castle Rock about a suitable director, Affleck and Damon persuaded Miramax to purchase the screenplay. The two friends moved back to Boston for a year before the film finally went into production, directed by Gus Van Sant, and co-starring Damon, Affleck, Minnie Driver, and Robin Williams. On its release, Janet Maslin of ''The New York Times'' praised the "smart and touching screenplay", while Emanuel Levy of ''Variety'' found it "funny, nonchalant, moving and angry". Jay Carr of ''The Boston Globe'' wrote that Affleck brought "a beautifully nuanced tenderness" to his role as the working-class friend of Damon's mathematical prodigy character. Affleck and Damon eventually won both the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Affleck has described this period of his life as "dreamlike": "It was like one of those scenes in an old movie when a newspaper comes spinning out of the black on to the screen. You know, '$100 Million Box Office! Awards!' " He remains the youngest writer (at age 25) ever to win an Oscar for screenwriting.

1998–2002: Leading man status

''Armageddon'', released in 1998, established Affleck as a viable leading man for Hollywood studio films. ''Good Will Hunting'' had not yet been released during the casting process and, after Affleck's screen test, director Michael Bay dismissed him as "a geek". Producer Jerry Bruckheimer convinced him that Affleck would be a star, but he was required to lose weight, become tanned, and get his teeth capped before filming began. The film, where he starred opposite Bruce Willis as a blue-collar driller tasked by NASA with stopping an asteroid from colliding with Earth, was a box office success. Daphne Merkin of ''The New Yorker'' remarked: "Affleck demonstrates a sexy Paul Newmanish charm and is clearly bound for stardom." Later in 1998, Affleck had a supporting role as an arrogant English actor in the period romantic comedy ''Shakespeare in Love'', starring his then-girlfriend Gwyneth Paltrow. Lael Loewenstein of ''Variety'' remarked that Affleck "does some of his very best work, suggesting that comedy may be his true calling," while Janet Maslin of ''The New York Times'' found him "very funny". ''Shakespeare in Love'' won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, while the cast won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast. Affleck then appeared as a small-town sheriff in the supernatural horror film '' Phantoms''. Stephen Holden of ''The New York Times'' wondered why actors like Affleck and Peter O'Toole had agreed to appear in the "junky" film: "Affleck's thudding performance suggests he is reading his dialogue for the first time, directly from cue cards."

Affleck and Damon had an on-screen reunion in Kevin Smith's religious satire ''Dogma'' (after having appeared in Smith's previous films, ''Mallrats'' and ''Chasing Amy''), which premiered at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. Janet Maslin of ''The New York Times'' remarked that the pair, playing fallen angels, "bring great, understandable enthusiasm to Mr. Smith's smart talk and wild imaginings". Affleck starred opposite Sandra Bullock in the romantic comedy '' Forces of Nature'' (1999), playing a groom whose attempts to get to his wedding are complicated by his free-spirited traveling companion. Owen Gleiberman of ''Entertainment Weekly'' remarked that Affleck "has the fast-break charm you want in a screwball hero," while Joe Leydon of ''Variety'' praised "his winning ability to play against his good looks in a self-effacing comic turn". Affleck then appeared opposite Courtney Love in the little-seen ensemble comedy ''200 Cigarettes'' (1999).

Interested in a directorial career, Affleck shadowed John Frankenheimer throughout pre-production of the action thriller ''Reindeer Games'' (2000). Frankenheimer, directing his last feature film, described Affleck as having "a very winning, likable quality about him. I've been doing this for a long time and he's really one of the nicest." He starred opposite Charlize Theron as a hardened criminal, with Elvis Mitchell of ''The New York Times'' enjoying the unexpected casting choice: "Affleck often suggests one of the Kennedys playing Clark Kent ... He looks as if he has never missed a party or a night's sleep. He's game, though, and his slight dislocation works to the advantage of ''Reindeer Games''." He then had a supporting role as a ruthless stockbroker in the crime drama '' Boiler Room'' (2000). A.O. Scott of ''The New York Times'' felt Affleck had "traced over" Alec Baldwin's performance in ''Glengarry Glen Ross'', while Peter Rainer of ''New York Magazine'' said he "does a series of riffs on Baldwin's aria, and each one is funnier and crueler than the next". He then provided the voice of Joseph in the animated '' Joseph: King of Dreams''. In his last film role of 2000, Affleck starred opposite his girlfriend Paltrow in the romantic drama ''Bounce''. Stephen Holden of ''The New York Times'' praised the "understated intensity and exquisite detail" of his performance: "His portrait of a young, sarcastically self-defined 'people person' who isn't half as confident as he would like to appear is close to definitive."

Affleck reunited with director Michael Bay for the critically derided war drama ''Pearl Harbor'' (2001). A.O. Scott of ''The New York Times'' felt Affleck and Kate Beckinsale "do what they can with their lines, and glow with the satiny shine of real movie stars". However, Todd McCarthy of ''Variety'' wrote "the blandly handsome Affleck couldn't convince that he'd ever so much as been turned down for a date, much less lost the love of his life to his best friend". Affleck then parodied ''Good Will Hunting'' with Damon and Van Sant in Kevin Smith's ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' (2001), made a cameo in the comedy ''Daddy and Them'' (2001), and had a supporting role in the little-seen '' The Third Wheel'' (2002). He portrayed the CIA analyst Jack Ryan in the thriller '' The Sum of All Fears'' (2002). Stephen Holden of ''The New York Times'' felt he was miscast in a role previously played by both Harrison Ford and Alec Baldwin: "Although Mr. Affleck can be appealing when playing earnest young men groping toward maturity, he simply lacks the gravitas for the role." Affleck had an "amazing experience" making the thriller ''Changing Lanes'' (2002), and later cited Roger Michell as someone he learned from as a director. Robert Koehler of ''Variety'' described it as one of his "most thoroughly wrought" performances: "The journey into a moral fog compels him to play more inwardly and thoughtfully than he ever has before."

Affleck became more involved with television and film production in the early 2000s. He and Damon had set up Pearl Street Films in 1998, named after the street that ran between their childhood homes. Their next production company LivePlanet, co-founded in 2000 with Sean Bailey and Chris Moore, sought to integrate the Internet into mainstream television and film production. LivePlanet's biggest success was the documentary series ''Project Greenlight'', aired on HBO and later Bravo, which focused on first-time filmmakers being given the chance to direct a feature film. ''Project Greenlight'' was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program in 2002, 2004 and 2005. ''Push, Nevada'' (2002), created, written and produced by Affleck and Bailey, was an ABC mystery drama series that placed a viewer-participation game within the frame of the show. Caryn James of ''The New York Times'' praised the show's "nerve, imagination and clever writing", but Robert Bianco of ''USA Today'' described it as a "knock-off" of ''Twin Peaks''. The show was cancelled by ABC after seven episodes due to low ratings. Over time, LivePlanet's focus shifted from multimedia projects to more traditional film production. Affleck and his partners signed a film production deal with Disney in 2002; it expired in 2007.

2003–2005: Career downturn and tabloid notoriety

While Affleck had been a tabloid figure for much of his career, he was the subject of increased media attention in 2003 because of his relationship with Jennifer Lopez. By the end of the year, Affleck had become, in the words of ''GQ'', the "world's most over-exposed actor". His tabloid fame coincided with a series of poorly received films.

The first of these was ''Daredevil'' (2003), in which Affleck starred as the blind superhero. Affleck was a longtime comic book fan, and, in 1999, had written a foreword for Kevin Smith's ''Guardian Devil'' about his love for the character of Daredevil. The film was a commercial success, but received a mixed response from critics. Elvis Mitchell of ''The New York Times'' said Affleck was "lost" in the role: "A big man, Mr. Affleck is shriveled by the one-dimensional role ... nly his scenes with Jon Favreau have">Jon_Favreau.html" ;"title="nly his scenes with Jon Favreau">nly his scenes with Jon Favreau havea playful side that allows Mr. Affleck to show his generosity as an actor." In 2014, Affleck described ''Daredevil'' as the only film he regretted making. He next appeared as a low-ranking mobster in the romantic comedy ''Gigli (film)">Gigli