_______________________________________________________________________________

Ben Affleck. Actor. Screenwriter. Producer. Director. Loyal friend. Son. Brother. Husband. Father. Humanitarian. Entrepreneur. Young Politician. Heartthrob. Oscar Winner. Human. These are the words used to describe one of the most intelligent and often one of the most talked about men in Hollywood.

Benjamin Geza Affleck was born on August 15, 1972 in Berkeley, California, to parents Tim Affleck, a social worker/actor, and Chris, a school teacher. Within a short time they relocated to Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a bright young Ben in hand and his new little brother Casey. A rambunctious youth, it wasn’t too long before Ben developed an urge to act. With the help of his father, he began working in commercials, most notably ads for Burger King. It was during that time that he met another boy that frequented the Cambridge neighborhood and forged a friendship that would last into adulthood. That name of the young boy was Matt Damon. Damon, older by 2 years, became a fixture in Ben’s life, as his parents’ marriage fell apart, due in large part to Tim’s dependency on alcohol. Matt and Ben did everything together. From little league baseball, to cheering on the Red Sox, to even acting, they made sure to do things together.

As tough as things were, Ben also landed his first big break, as he played a young, and cute, C.T. Granville in the PBS mini-series, “The Voyage of the Mimi”. Ben spent the next 4 years doing a couple TV movies, a second “Voyage of the Mimi”, and going to Rindge And Latin High School with Damon. Both were very active in the drama/theatre department, winning awards, learning, and ultimately forging a passion for the craft that would propel them into stardom. Ben and Matt both ultimately wanted to go to Harvard, but Ben barely missed the cut, and enrolled in the University of Vermont instead. It didn’t take long until Ben felt compelled to pursue his passion in Los Angeles and Hollywood. With approval from his mom, a driving force in his life, he went to LA in search of work. Studying a year at Occidential College in Middle Eastern Studies, and landing some small time TV gigs, such as a TV Movie called “Daddy” and “Against the Grain” a short-lived television series. He landed some small parts in 1992’s original “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “School Ties,” the latter of which reunited him with his buddy Matt. Still Ben was hard-pressed to find decent work in the bustling metropolis, and in between playing the bully in “Dazed and Confused” and playing the lead in another television project in “The Aaron Henry Story” about a steroid using football player, Ben and Matt, who had joined him in Los Angeles in pursuit of work, started to work on a story that Matt had brought back with him from Harvard.

Ben and Matt felt that if they couldn’t find any decent work, then they were going to surely try to make something for themselves with the story. With their quick dialogue, amazing Boston characterizations, and general personal experiences, Ben and Matt crafted an intelligent and witty script with a big future ahead of it. As they worked on bettering the script and positioning it to be sold, a very complex task, Ben kept working on various projects. He started finding work in some independent, small budget features, “Glory Daze” and “Mallrats”. “Mallrats” director Kevin Smith was fresh off of gaining popularity for writing and directing “Clerks,” and cast Ben as a store manager in the flick. It wasn’t too long after that Ben made a big impression with Kevin, who asked him to look into starring in another Smith flick, “Chasing Amy”. As Kevin and Ben became friends, Kevin read Matt and Ben’s script. He was so impressed by the script, and loved it so much; that he promptly sent it to Miramax president, Harvey Weinstein and within days the ball began rolling in making the script, “Good Will Hunting” into a full-length movie. Robin Williams, an acclaimed actor jumped on board. A huge director in Gus Van Sant was sent the script and promptly signed on. Ben and Matt had successfully sold their script to Miramax for $600,000. Amazing money, considering that they were living from, paycheck to paycheck, just months earlier. As filming came to a close, everyone felt that they had something special in the film, that they were witnessing something special. They were correct.

Before the premiere of the film that would soon change Ben’s life, Ben took some more roles in independent movies, one being opposite Peter O’Toole in the horror “Phantoms” and a smaller film, starring alongside a young Rachel Weisz, in “Going All the Way”. Plus with the added buzz Ben landed a role in his first epic movie, the Michael Bay helmed and Bruce Willis starring “Armageddon”. “Good Will Hunting” soon premiered as a critical and commercial hit. The added story of Ben and Matt’s rags-to-riches story and the amazing feat of writing a movie that would gross $130 million domestically, Ben and Matt soon became the premiere “It” boys of the industry. “Good Will Hunting” was the feel good story of 1997, and began racking up numerous awards, from Golden Globes, to even an Oscar for Ben and Matt for writing the screenplay, a true accomplishment for two Cambridge boys under the age of 30. Ben used this to his advantage. Matt and Ben opened up a restaurant that served Italian and Japanese cuisine called, “The Continental.” Plus they ventured into starting a production company with friends Sean Bailey and Chris Moore called, LivePlanet. LivePlanet, would soon have a cult hit in “Project Greenlight”, a contest for up and coming filmmakers to have a chance at a big screen adaptation of their stories. Much like a young Ben and Matt did.

Ben got a small role in another Oscar nominated movie in “Shakespeare in Love” with a young actress in Gwyneth Paltrow. During filming, Ben started dating his “Shakespeare In Love” co-star Gwyneth, setting off a media buzz surrounding the two for months, and evidently ending before he worked with her again on “Bounce.” He then starred with Matt again in another Kevin Smith venture in “Dogma”, worked alongside Giovanni Ribisi in “Boiler Room”, starred with Gary Sinese in “Reindeer Games”, took a small role in Billy Bob Thornton’s “Daddy and Them” and then signed on to one of his biggest roles yet in, “Pearl Harbor”. Throughout 2001 and 2002, Ben worked on a lot of films, “Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back”, yet another Kevin Smith collaboration; “The Sum of All Fears” a Jack Ryan prequel of sorts, “Changing Lanes” with Samuel Jackson; a superhero film, based on one of Ben’s favorite comics as a child, “Daredevil” with Jennifer Garner; and “Gigli”, with Jennifer Lopez.

It was a time of mixed fortune. Ben had to work through some issues as he checked into Promises rehab center, because he felt that his alcohol consumption was becoming far too common and he didn’t want it to get worse. After he was out of rehab, it was then that he met Jennifer Lopez and fell in love with her. It was supposed to be a wonderful time in his life but it became nothing short of a media frenzy surrounding the couple, as no matter what they did, it would make all the news. From Ben taking her to Savannah, to him buying her an engagement ring, everything was so clustered with media attention that by the time that “Gigli” opened, there was so much overexposure of the couple that their movie flopped and became the brunt of many jokes as the year went on. Soon their relationship crumbled as well.

Nevertheless, Ben moved on, concentrating on his new films in “Paycheck” and “Jersey Girl” feeling ever so slightly the after-effect of overexposure. His movies now only had modest success, a far cry from the year before when he was opening blockbusters. Ben decided to take some time off, to take control of his career again, and take some time to re-evaluate his life. Throughout 2004 he campaigned with the democrats, as well as becoming an avid poker player, to the point that he won the California State Poker Championship and a $356,000 prize that went with it. As the year wore on Ben ventured to Vancouver to meet up with an old friend, his “Daredevil” co-star Jennifer Garner, as she filmed her spin-off movie “Elektra”. He was to do a cameo for the movie, which was later edited out, but Ben and Jen renewed their friendship and then started dating. 2004 also brought a renewed sense of happiness to his world. Boston Red Sox finally won the World Series and Ben returned to his roots in an independent feature from Mike Binder called “Man About Town”. He then got roles in upcoming movies, “Smoking Aces” and a much buzzed about movie “Hollywoodland”, where he portrays the first actor to play Superman, George Reeves.

As 2005 rolled upon him, Ben became a married man when he wed Garner in a small ceremony in June, and became a father for the first time in December with the birth of their baby daughter, Violet. With renewed spirit of his life and career, Ben soon began work as a first time director and screenwriter, adapting the author Dennis Lehane’s work for the upcoming feature “Gone Baby Gone,” starring his little brother Casey, Ed Harris, and Morgan Freeman that is due sometime in 2007. With hopes of continued success, we are sure to have Ben somewhere in our world for years to come.

-written by Rashael

Back | Home
________________