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Ben Affleck

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For the American cement businessman, see B. F. Affleck.
Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in 2003
Born
Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt
Years active1984 – present
Spouse(s)Jennifer Garner
(2005 – present)
AwardsSaturn Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
2006 Hollywoodland
Volpi Cup for Best Actor
2006 Hollywoodland

Ben Affleck (born Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt;[1] August 15 1972) is an American film screenwriter, director and actor and older brother of Casey Affleck. He became known in the mid 1990s, after his involvement in the film Mallrats, and has since become an Academy Award-winner for his screenplay in Good Will Hunting in 1997. He has established himself as a Hollywood leading man, having starred in several big budget films, such as Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, Changing Lanes, The Sum of All Fears and Daredevil.

After high profile relationships with actress Gwyneth Paltrow in 1998, his relationship with actress/singer Jennifer Lopez attracted worldwide media attention in which Affleck and Lopez were dubbed as "Bennifer." Following their breakup in 2004, he began dating Jennifer Garner. The two married in June 2005 and welcomed their first child, Violet Anne Affleck, in December 2005.

Affleck has been actively involved in politics, along with a non-profit organization called the A-T Children's Project. Along with childhood friend, Matt Damon, they founded the production company LivePlanet.

Early life

Affleck was born in Berkeley, California, the son of Chris Ann (née Boldt), a school district employee and teacher, and Timothy Affleck, a drug counselor, social worker, janitor, auto mechanic, bar tender, and former actor with the Theater Company of Boston.[2][3] Affleck's mother attended Harvard University and currently teaches in Cambridge Public Schools. His younger brother is actor Casey Affleck.[4] Affleck has Irish ancestry.[5] His family moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts when he was very young and his parents divorced in 1984. At the age of eight, Affleck met ten-year-old Matt Damon, who lived two blocks away.[4][6] The two would later attend Cambridge Rindge and Latin School together, although they were in different year groups.[4][6] Affleck attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, as well as the University of Vermont.[4]

Career

Affleck worked as a child actor, appearing on the PBS kids' series The Voyage of the Mimi as well as in several made-for-television movies.[6] Throughout the 1990s, he had a role in LifeStories: Families in Crisis as a steroid abusing athlete as well as several notable films, including 1992's School Ties (with Matt Damon and Brendan Fraser), 1993's Dazed and Confused, 1995's Mallrats and 1997's Chasing Amy.[7] Mallrats and Amy marked the beginning of his collaboration with writer/director Kevin Smith. He has appeared in every film Kevin Smith has made with the exception of Smith's first film Clerks.[7]

Affleck had a one-line speaking role as a high school basketball player in the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie.[7] He came to national attention working with childhood friend, Matt Damon, in Good Will Hunting in 1997.[7] They shared credit and both received the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.[4] Along with Damon and producers Chris Moore and Sean Bailey, Affleck founded the production company LivePlanet, through which the four created the documentary series Project Greenlight, as well as the failed mystery-hybrid series Push, Nevada amongst other projects.[8] Project Greenlight was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Reality Program in 2002, 2004 and 2005.[9][10]

Following Good Will Hunting, Affleck had starring roles in many successful movies, including Armageddon, Forces of Nature, Pearl Harbor, Changing Lanes, The Sum of All Fears and Daredevil, establishing himself as a Hollywood leading man throughout the early 2000s.[7] The release, however, of several critically panned, box office flops, including Gigli and Surviving Christmas, Affleck's career waned considerably. He did not appear in any films until 2006 when he appeared in Clerks II.[11] In addition to being a fan of the Daredevil comics (Frank Miller's run specifically),[12] he wrote the introduction to the trade paperback Daredevil: Guardian Devil which reprints Daredevil (Volume 2) #1 – 8 (written by Kevin Smith).[13]

Affleck made what can be considered a comeback with the September 2006 release of the critically acclaimed George Reeves biopic-noir Hollywoodland, directed by HBO TV-series veteran Allen Coulter.[14] His performance was impressive enough that he was awarded the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival and has also won the Supporting Actor of the Year award at the Hollywood Film Festival[15] and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture.[16] Affleck had his directorial debut with Gone, Baby, Gone, for which he also co-wrote the screenplay, about two Boston area detectives investigating a little girl's kidnapping and how it affects their lives.[17] Based on the book by Dennis Lehane, it opened to rave reviews in October, 2007.[7][14]

Personal life

Affleck had a high-profile romance with actress Gwyneth Paltrow in 1998, following her breakup with actor Brad Pitt.[4] In 2002, he began dating actress/singer Jennifer Lopez, whom he had met prior to filming Gigli.[14] The same year, his engagement to Lopez was announced, and the relationship between the two received a lot of attention by the entertainment media who dubbed the couple "Bennifer."[14] The couple broke up in 2004 while they were due to get married on September 14 of that year, both blaming the media attention - including an alleged incident in which Affleck partied with Christian Slater and some lap dancers in Vancouver.[18] This negative publicity and media attention was also brought along to the 2003 film Gigli, which also was a box office failure.[19][20]

He subsequently dated his Daredevil co-star, actress Jennifer Garner, and the two were engaged after nine months of seeing each other.[14] In May 2005, it was announced that Garner was pregnant and the couple were married on June 29 2005 on the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos.[21] Garner gave birth to a daughter, Violet Anne Affleck, on December 1 2005 in Los Angeles, California.[22] He has a holiday home in Savannah, Georgia. The family was in Cambridge for the summer while Affleck was directing Gone, Baby, Gone.[23]

An avid poker player, Affleck has regularly entered local events. He has been tutored by poker professionals Amir Vahedi and Annie Duke, and won the California State Poker Championship on June 20 2004, taking home the first prize of $356,000, which qualified him for the 2004 World Poker Tour final tournament.[24] He is a fan of the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots and Boston Celtics.[25][26]

Affleck got his first tattoo when he was sixteen. He now has about a half-dozen including a tattoo of a dolphin that was used to cover up a tattoo of his high school sweetheart's name. The tattoos have been done by numerous artists including Paul Timman.[27]

He quit smoking after starring in the 2007 film Smokin' Aces, in which he was required to smoke heavily, and lost his taste for it after a week of chain-smoking for his role.[28]

Affleck supports a non-profit organization called the A-T Children's Project.[29] He started supporting the A-TCP after meeting Joe Kindregan when filming Forces of Nature.[4][14] Kindregan, who was then 9 years old, has a rare disease called ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T).[4][14] He has attended benefits and spoken to Congress to advocate for the A-T Children's Project.[4][14] The disease, described as like having muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, immune deficiency and cancer all at once, is progressive; children with A-T usually do not live beyond their late teens.[4][14] In 2007, he was the keynote speaker at the Graduation Ceremony for Falls Church High School at the GMU Patriot Center. Of his best friend and graduating senior Joe Kindregan, Affleck mentions that though Kindregan is bound to a wheelchair, through his perseverance he has taught Affleck, "How to stand."[30]

Political activism

In the final weeks of the 2000 Presidential campaign, Affleck promoted the Democratic ticket, supporting Al Gore and repeatedly delivering a get-out-the-vote plea: "It's very important to vote. The president will appoint three or four Supreme Court justices."[31][32]

During the final week of the race, Affleck spoke on behalf of Gore in California, Florida, and Pennsylvania.[31] During a stop in Pittsburgh, he — along with Helen Hunt, Martin Sheen, Rob Reiner and other actors — spent an hour at a phone bank calling registered Democrats.[33] "People in my generation have a low voter turnout. One of the reasons that I'm here is to demonstrate that no matter who you are going to vote for... I think it's important to get involved and get out and vote," he told reporters. "But I'm going to tell people to vote for Gore."[31]

On October 28 2000, Affleck flew with Hillary Clinton, who was running for a Senate seat, to Ithaca, New York, where he introduced her at a Cornell University rally. He told the college crowd that Clinton had been advocating for women and working families since "Rick Lazio was running around the frat house in his underwear". Lazio, then a Long Island congressman, was Clinton's Republican opponent.[34]

On November 6 2000, the final day of the campaign, he was one of several high-profile celebrities summoned to Miami Beach by Miramax Films boss Harvey Weinstein for a late-night Gore rally, just hours before polls opened nationwide.[31] The Gore campaign's last event, a final effort to energize South Beach voters, did not end until about 1:00 a.m., but Affleck flew back to New York that morning and made a surprise live appearance on The Rosie O'Donnell Show. It was 10:15 a.m. when he made his final public pitch from a Rockefeller Center studio, noting that he was "a little bit tired... I've been out getting involved, doing stuff and trying to get people to vote. And that's why I came by here". Also, "Today is the get-out-the-vote day and...I think this is the time to get involved, especially the young folks who are here ... I'm about to go vote," He then said, "I am personally gonna vote for Al Gore".[31][35]

As votes were tallied that night, Affleck told Salon.com's Amy Reiter, "I'm nervous this evening, but one of the things that's exciting to me is the number of people who voted. No matter who wins, I think it's a healthy thing for our country that so many voters have come out and participated in the process. Either way, I think the most important number will be the turnout".[32] The Smoking Gun, however, later discovered that he had not voted that day.[32]

In the May 2001 issue of GQ, Affleck said, "My fantasy is that someday I'm independently wealthy enough that I'm not beholden to anybody, so I can run for Congress on the grounds that everyday people should be in government".[36]

In 2004, Affleck actively campaigned for Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.[37] During the first day of the Democratic Convention, he was featured on Larry King Live with Tucker Carlson and Al Sharpton.[38] Larry King asked if he would consider running for office, and Affleck admitted to contemplating the proposition. Specific attention focused on whether he would run for Kerry's open Senate seat (as Affleck was from Massachusetts). He noted that the line between politics and entertainment is becoming increasingly blurred, as political figures Ronald Reagan, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, both came from the entertainment business, although both were members of the Republican Party. During the campaign, Affleck remained diplomatic, saying, "I had the pleasure of and the honor of meeting the President of the United States at the Daytona 500. I found him to be a collegial, affable, kind guy."[39] He went on to say Bush "is a patriot and he's a man who believes in the country. He's trying to further an agenda he believes in. I happen to disagree with most of his policies, but I respect the man."[40]

He appeared in a print ad with his openly gay cousin, Jason, in support of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.[41] Though usually associated with the Democratic Party, Affleck dissents with the party line on regulation of firearms and does not support increased gun control.[42]

Notable events

Affleck appeared in Jimmy Kimmel's video 'I'm Fucking Ben Affleck'; a response to Kimmel's girlfriend, Sarah Silverman's, video 'I'm Fucking Matt Damon'.[43][44] Many other celebrities appeared in the video including Good Charlotte's Joel and Benji Madden, Macy Gray, Dominic Monaghan, Lance Bass, Josh Groban, Don Cheadle, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, Robin Williams, Harrison Ford, Huey Lewis, Joan Jett, Pete Wentz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Meat Loaf, Dicky Barrett and many more.[44]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1984 The Voyage of the Mimi C.T. Granville
1992 School Ties Chesty Smith
1993 Dazed and Confused Fred O'Bannion
I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meat Hook,
and Now I Have a Three-Picture Deal at Disney		 Director
1995 Mallrats Shannon Hamilton
1996 Glory Daze Jack
1997 Good Will Hunting Chuckie Sullivan also Writer
Chasing Amy Holden McNeil
Going All the Way Tom "Gunner" Casselman
1998 Shakespeare in Love Ned Alleyn
Armageddon A.J. Frost
Phantoms Sheriff Bryce Hammond
1999 Dogma Bartleby
Forces of Nature Ben Holmes
200 Cigarettes Bartender
2000 Bounce Buddy Amaral
Reindeer Games Rudy Duncan
Boiler Room Jim Young
2001 Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back Holden McNeil/Himself
Pearl Harbor Army Air Corps Pilot Rafe McCawley
2002 The Sum of All Fears Jack Ryan
Changing Lanes Gavin Banek
2003 Paycheck Michael Jennings
Gigli Larry Gigli
Daredevil Matt Murdock/Daredevil
2004 Surviving Christmas Drew Latham
Jersey Girl Ollie Trinke
2005 Elektra Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Scene Cut)
2006 Clerks II Gawking Guy
Hollywoodland George Reeves
Man About Town Jack Giamoro
2007 Gone Baby Gone Director
Smokin' Aces Jack Dupree
2008 He's Just Not That Into You Neil post-production
2009 State of Play Stephen Collins post-production

References

  1. ^ He is listed as "Benjamin G. Affleckbold"; born on August 15, 1972 in Alameda County according to the State of California. California Birth Index, 1905–1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com
  2. ^ Ben Affleck Biography (1972-)
  3. ^ Casey Affleck Biography (1975-)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Ben Affleck Biography". People. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  5. ^ "Film Interview – Ben Affleck / 'Hollywoodland'". Event Guide. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
  6. ^ a b c "Hello Magazine Profile - Ben Affleck". Hello Magazine. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Hello Magazine Filmography - Ben Affleck". Hello Magazine. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  8. ^ Johnson, Malcolm (2002-06-18). "Affleck, Damon: True friends in false world". In-Forum. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  9. ^ "Matt Damon biography". Tiscali.ca. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
  10. ^ Barile, Louise A. (2002-08-21). "Ben & Matt To Give Second 'Greenlight'". People. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  11. ^ Clerks II (DVD). Paramount Pictures. 2006.
  12. ^ "Ben Affleck on movies and marriage". AP. CNN. 2003-02-17. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  13. ^ "FLP - Catalog Record: Daredevil: Guardian Devil". Free Library. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Ben Affleck Biography - Page 2". People. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  15. ^ Dave McNary (October 3, 2006). "H'wood fest lauds Affleck". Variety. Retrieved 2007-09-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "HFPA - Awards Search". Golden Globes. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  17. ^ "Ben Affleck Makes Directorial Debut with 'Gone Baby Gone'". VOA News. 22 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  18. ^ "Affleck's sex accuser speaks". contactmusic.com. 2003-10-08. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
  19. ^ "Affleck: "It Didn't Work."". Studio Briefing. IMDB.com. 2003-08-05. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  20. ^ ""I Survived Gigli" Boston Bash Planned". Wenn.com. IMDB.com. 2003-08-13. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  21. ^ "Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner Wed". People. 2005-06-30. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  22. ^ "Jen & Ben's Baby Girl Arrives". People. 2005-12-01. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  23. ^ Stephen M. Silverman (May 30, 2006). "Ben Affleck Rushed to E.R. for Migraine". People magazine. Retrieved 2007-09-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ Macura, Rene (2004-06-22). "Ben Affleck wins $356, 400 at poker". AP. USA Today. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  25. ^ "Red Sox Players Slam Ben Affleck". News Net 5. 2002-05-30. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  26. ^ Benet, Lorenzo (2008-06-13). "Justin Timberlake Leads All-Star Lakers Fans". People. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  27. ^ ""Tattoo Artists whove inked celebrities"". Kidz World. 2004-01-01. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  28. ^ Ben Affleck News | Smokin' Aces convinces Affleck to quit cigarettes
  29. ^ Update (PDF), AT Children's Project, 1999, p. 10, retrieved 2007-09-22 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  30. ^ "Ben Affleck pays tribute to teen friend at high school graduation". International Herald Tribune. 2007-06-01. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  31. ^ a b c d e Simon, Roger (2000-11-12). "A Long, Strange Journey". US News. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  32. ^ a b c "Ben Affleck, hollywood hypocrite". The Smoking Gun. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
  33. ^ Simpson, Monique (2000-11-01). "Gore rallies supporters in Westwood". Daily Bruin Report. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  34. ^ Heyman, J.D. (2001-06-15). "The Bachelor: Ben Affleck". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  35. ^ "Get-out-the-vote Actor Didn't Get Out To Vote, Says Web Site". IMDB.com. Studio Briefing. Retrieved 2008-06-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ "Ben Affleck Wants Political Post". Wenn.com. IMDB.com. 2001-04-16. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  37. ^ Hulse, Carl (2004-07-26). "Ben Affleck Plays Himself at Convention". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  38. ^ Corliss, Richard (2004-03-29). "The Trial of Ben Affable". Time. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  39. ^ "Ben Affleck cheered at Daytona 500". USA Today. 2004-02-16. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  40. ^ The O'Reilly Factor. 2004-07-27. 60 minutes in. Fox News Channel. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |episodelink= and |serieslink= (help)
  41. ^ "Ben Affleck & his cousin Jason". stayclose.org. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
  42. ^ Rosin, Hanna (2004-07-28). "From Beantown to Bentown". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  43. ^ Snierson, Dan. "Ben Affleck: Making the 'F---ing Video'". EW. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  44. ^ a b "Affleck-Kimmel Video a Web Sensation". Fox News. 2008-02-28. Retrieved 2008-06-10.

Further reading

  • Brashares, Ben. Ben Affleck. Aladdin Paperbacks Publishing Staff, 1999. ISBN 0689825471
  • Wukovits, John F. Ben Affleck. Lucent Books, 2004. ISBN 1590183231
  • Wellman, Sam. Ben Affleck. Facts on File, Inc., 1999. ISBN 0791053318
Wikiquote has quotations related to Ben Affleck.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ben Affleck.
Template:S-awards
Honorary titles
Preceded by People's Sexiest Man Alive
2002
 Succeeded by
Academy Award
Preceded by Best Original Screenplay
1997
for Good Will Hunting
(shared with Matt Damon) 		Succeeded by
Golden Globe Award
Preceded by Best Screenplay
1997
for Good Will Hunting
(shared with Matt Damon) 		Succeeded by
Marc Norman,
Tom Stoppard
for Shakespeare in Love
Screen Actors Guild Award
Preceded by Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1998
for Shakespeare in Love
(shared with , Simon Callow, Jim Carter, Martin Clunes, Judi Dench, Joseph Fiennes, Colin Firth, Gwyneth Paltrow, Geoffrey Rush, Antony Sher, Imelda Staunton, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Williams) 		Succeeded by
Venice Film Festival
Preceded by Best Actor
2006
for Hollywoodland 		Succeeded by
Saturn Award
Preceded by Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
2006
for Hollywoodland 		Succeeded by
TBD
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award
Preceded by Best Screenplay, Original
1997
for Good Will Hunting 		Succeeded by
Marc Norman,
Tom Stoppard
for Shakespeare in Love

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| #default = 1972 births

}}]] {{subst:#switch:{{subst:uc:LIVING}} 

|| LIVING  = 
| MISSING  = 
| UNKNOWN  = 
| #default =

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