Birthdate: August 16, 1972
Hometown: Berkeley, California
Ben Affleck's Boston Beginnings
Although Benjamin Geza Affleck was born in Berkeley, California, he moved to Boston, Massachusetts at a young age. While growing up in Boston, Ben Affleck became good friends with a kid who lived only a few blocks away, Matt Damon. One of the things Ban Affleck and Matt Damon had in common was their interest in acting.
Ben Affleck: Actor for Hire
After high school, buddy Matt Damon headed off to Harvard and Ben Affleck decided to skip college and do the auditioning thing. At this point, Ben Affleck had already landed some acting gigs, like a part in the sci-fi TV show The Voyage of the Mimi. At 19 Affleck scored a role in the TV movie Daddy. Following a tiny role in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie, Ben Affleck scored another good role alongside Brendan Fraser, Chris O'Donnell, and his buddy Matt Damon in the 1992 movie School Ties.
Ben Affleck is the Indie King:
Matt Damon's career got more coverage than Ben Affleck's after School Ties, but Ben didn't give up. Affleck started doing smaller budget flicks, like Dazed and Confused, Mallrats, Glory Daze and Chasing Amy. During this time Ben Affleck became friends with the super-popular indie director, Kevin Smith. Kevin decided to help Ben with a little project he was working on - a little screenplay Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were writing called Good Will Hunting.
Ben Affleck's Good Will
Good Will Hunting was a major success. The two childhood buddies from Boston won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for their movie. Ben Affleck then starred in the blockbuster hit Pearl Harbor, as well as Daredevil and Gigli, where Affleck met his fiance, Jennifer Lopez.
Ben Affleck - Did U Know?
- Ben Affleck proposed to J.Lo at his childhood home in Boston. He gave Lopez a HUGE pink diamond engagement ring.
- Ben and J-Lo broke up in 2004.
- Ben Affleck used to date actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
- Ben's only sibling, younger brother Casey Affleck, is also a successful actor.
- Ben Affleck admitted himself into a rehab program for alcohol abuse in 2001.
- Ben Affleck married Jennier Garner in June 2005
- Ben and Jennifer Garner have 2 daughers, Violet Affleck and Seraphina Rose Elizabeth Affleck.
Ben Affleck Says...
"I feel like fame is wasted on me."
