Biography
Actor, writer and director Ben Affleck hit the Hollywood radar in 1997 as the co-writer and co-star of "Good Will Hunting," earning an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay along with childhood best friend Matt Damon. In fact, the seemingly overnight ascent to stardom in tandem with Damon became one of the great "Hollywood" stories" of all time - rivaling Lana Turner being discovered at Schwab's Drugstore. Flying past the more understated Damon …
Ben Affleck SlideShow
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Career Milestones
| Raised in Cambridge, MA | ||
1984 | Appeared in PBS documentary series "The Voyage of the Mimi" | |
1986 | Made network TV debut on "Wanted: The Perfect Guy," an "ABC Afterschool Special"; played Madeline Kahn's son | |
1987 | TV miniseries debut, "Hands of a Stranger" (NBC) | |
1992 | Feature film debut, "School Ties"; also co-starred with childhood pal Matt Damon | |
1993 | Cast in regular role on the short-lived NBC series "Against the Grain" | |
1995 | Directed short film "I Murdered My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meathook and Now I Have a Three-Picture Deal at Disney" | |
1996 | Sold his script "Good Will Hunting" to Miramax; co-written with Matt Damon; filmed and released in 1997 with both co-starring | |
1997 | Charmed critics and audiences as a comic book artist who falls for a bisexual woman in Kevin Smith's "Chasing Amy" | |
1998 | Appeared opposite Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes in the Academy Award-winning "Shakespeare in Love" | |
1998 | Co-starred in the Michael Bay blockbuster "Armageddon" | |
1998 | Formed Pearl Street Productions with Matt Damon | |
1999 | Played a bartender in the ensemble comedy-drama "200 Cigarettes" | |
1999 | Re-teamed with director Kevin Smith for "Dogma"; also re-teamed with Damon to play a pair of renegade angels | |
2000 | Joined ensemble cast of "The Boiler Room," a drama about Wall Street brokers | |
2000 | Re-teamed with Gwyneth Paltrow for "Bounce" | |
2000 | With Damon and backed by HBO and Miramax, sponsored Project Greenlight, a screenwriting competition that would result in a produced motion picture | |
2001 | Made a brief appearance in Kevin Smith's "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back"; reprised role of Holden from "Chasing Amy" as well as appeared as himself | |
2001 | Played leading role in WWII-era drama "Pearl Harbor" | |
2001 | With Damon, co-executive produced and acted in "The Third Wheel" (filmed in 1999), scripted by buddy Jay Lacopo | |
2002 | Assumed the role of Jack Ryan (previously played by Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford) in "The Sum of All Fears" | |
2002 | Co-created (with Sean Bailey) and executive produced (with Matt Damon) short-lived ABC drama "Push, Nevada" | |
2002 | Executive produced and appeared in the HBO series "Project Greenlight" about the script writing contest he co-sponsored | |
2002 | Served as an executive producer on "Stolen Summer"; winner of the Project Greenlight competition | |
2003 | Cast as Matt Murdock/Daredevil in the blockbuster "Daredevil," based on the Marvel comic book character | |
2003 | Co-starred with Jennifer Lopez in box office flop "Gigli" | |
2003 | Played the lead in the John Woo thriller "Paycheck" | |
2004 | Re-teamed with director Kevin Smith for the romantic comedy "Jersey Girl" | |
2004 | Starred as a lonely guy who rents himself a family for the holidays in the comedy "Surviving Christmas" | |
2006 | Executive produced horror film "Feast," a result of the third season of the Project Greenlight contest | |
2006 | Portrayed the 1950s "Superman" TV star George Reeves in "Hollywoodland"; received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role | |
2007 | Directorial and writing debut, the feature adaptation of "Gone, Baby, Gone"; film based on the book by Mystic River author Dennis Lehane and starring his brother Casey Affleck | |
2009 | Played Jason Bateman's best friend in Mike Judge's "Extract" | |
2009 | Played a congressman opposite Russell Crowe in the thriller "State of Play" | |
2010 | Directed, wrote, and starred in "The Town," a crime drama based on Chuck Hogan's novel Prince of Thieves | |
2010 | Played a white-collar corporate employee who loses his job in John Wells' directing debut "The Company Men" | |
2012 | Directed, produced, and co-starred in political thriller "Argo" | |
Awards
1997 | Academy Award for Writing (Screenplay Written Directly For the Screen) in Good Will Hunting |
1997 | Critics' Choice Award for Best Original Screenplay in Good Will Hunting |
1997 | National Board of Review Award for Special Filmmaking Achievement in Good Will Hunting |
1998 | MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo in Good Will Hunting |
1998 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in Good Will Hunting |
1999 | MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance in Armageddon |
1999 | MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo in Armageddon |
1999 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in Shakespeare in Love |
2001 | MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss in Bounce |
2002 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Non-Fiction Program (Reality) in Project Greenlight |
2003 | MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss in Daredevil |
2004 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program in Project Greenlight |
2005 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program in Project Greenlight |
2006 | Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor in Hollywoodland |
2006 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture in Hollywoodland |
2006 | Venice International Film Festival for Volpi Cup for Best Actor in Hollywoodland |
2007 | Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best New Filmmaker in Gone Baby Gone |
2007 | National Board of Review Award for Best Directorial Debut in Gone Baby Gone |
2010 | Critics' Choice Award for Best Screenplay Adaptation in The Town |
2012 | Critics' Choice Award for Best Director in Argo |
2012 | Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Motion Picture in Argo |
2012 | National Board of Review Award for Special Filmmaking Achievement in Argo |
2012 | Producers Guild of America Award for Theatrical Motion Pictures in Argo |
2012 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in Argo |