Benjamin Géza Affleck was born in California on August 15, 1972, to an Irish mother and Scottish father. Winner of an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Saturn Award, Affleck shot to fame after the film Good Will Hunting, when he won the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award. He wrote the screenplay with childhood friend Matt Damon.
Affleck always wanted to be an actor and his first on-screen experience was when he shot an advert for Burger King as a child. His teenage years were spent struggling with small TV roles and hanging around with his childhood friend Matt Damon who was also struggling to become a star.
His performances in Dazed and Confused (1993), Mallrats (1995) and Chasing Army (1997) won him recognition at the Sundance Film Festival, but he was unable to break into the big league. While sharing an apartment with his brother Casey and friend Damon, the two dejected friends decided to write their own script. After completing the script of Good Will Hunting they were struggling to keep control of the project. However, friend Kevin Smith stepped in and got the film approved on their terms with Miramax. Released in 1997, Good Will Hunting was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won two – for Best Original Screenplay. The film opened many doors for Affleck, who went on to star in other blockbusters like Armageddon, Shakespeare in Love (both 1998) and Pearl Harbor (2001).
Besides acting, Affleck, Damon and two other friends formed the production company LivePlanet, which produced the award-winning documentary series Project Greenlight. The series was nominated three times for an Emmy for Outstanding Reality Programme.
Affleck was again at a low point in his career following some forgettable roles. However, in 2007, he made his directorial debut with the film Gone, Baby, Gone. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the film which critics hailed as brilliant. One critic wrote, “Ben Affleck has come of age as a director.”
In his personal life, Affleck had a series of high-profile romances that didn’t work out (with actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez), but in 2005 he married his Daredevil co-star Jennifer Garner and the couple now have a daughter, Violet.
Affleck is an avid poker player and even won the California State Poker Championship in 2004. He speaks French and Spanish, and has been learning Arabic.
After a long struggle, Affleck succeeded in making it as an actor, writer and director. He is a true example of the ”never say die” spirit.
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