Biography of Actor Ben Affleck

Actor Benjamin Geza Affleck was born on August 15, 1972 in Berkeley, California. Ben was the first child of former actor-turned-social worker Tim Affleck and schoolteacher Chris Affleck. Soon after Ben's birth, the family moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, an affluent Boston suburb, where Ben and his brother Casey grew up.

As a tyke, Ben acted in fast food commercial and had occasional bit parts in television and film. At the tender age of eight, Ben acquired a part on The Voyages of the Mimi, a PBS TV series. At the same age, he met another youngster by the name of Matt Damon. The pair played baseball on the same Little League team and, in time, went to high school, took drama classes, and worked together.

When Mimi ended, Affleck proceeded to act in several made-for-TV movies. Ben went on to attend Occidental College in LA and the University of Vermont. However, it was not until 1993's Dazed and Confused that Ben appeared in a feature film. Next, Ben was cast in School Ties along with other up-and-comers including buddy Matt Damon, Brendan Fraser, and Chris O'Donnell.

Taking a step that some might see as unconventional, Affleck went the route of independent films in his search for stardom. Ben's Indie debut was in Mark Pellington's Going All the Way, which was unveiled at 1997's Sundance Film Festival. His next Indie role was in the cult favorites Mallrats and Chasing Amy, both directed by critically acclaimed Kevin Smith.

Following a parallel dry spell, where both actors were reading scripts that a handful of other actors had already turned down, roommates Ben Affleck and Matt Damon decided to take matters into their own hands. With a story that Damon had started while studying at Harvard as its base, the duo typed up ideas and ultimately produced a script. They showed the screenplay to anyone who would look at it, but had difficulty finding a production company that would allow Ben and Matt to star in the film.

Ben finally found help in Kevin Smith. Smith, loving the piece, presented it to Miramax's Harvey Weinstein. Before Affleck and Damon knew what hit them, Good Will Hunting was a go. By jumping on board, Robin Williams gave clout to the film and Ben and Matt received Oscars for their work. Before Good Will Hunting was even in theaters, Ben earned a part in the acclaimed Armageddon.

Almost instantly, Ben Affleck became a household name. He worked with Kevin Smith again in the cult classic Dogma. His credits include Shakespeare in Love, The Boiler Room, Reindeer Games, and the epic Pearl Harbor.

Ben's private life has not been terribly private. He had a brief relationship with Gwyneth Paltrow following her split with Brad Pitt in 1998. Following their work together on the ill-received movie Gigli, Affleck began dating Jennifer Lopez in 2002. The couple became favored fodder of tabloids, who christened the pair "Bennifer," and nary a week went by without the twosome's faces appearing in the grocery checkout lineup. Lopez and Affleck split it 2004, stating the media attention was just too much. In 2004, Ben began dating another Jennifer - Jennifer Garner, whom he met on the set of their movie, Daredevil. After nine months of dating, the couple announced their engagement. On June 29, 2005 Ben and Jennifer exchanged vows at the Parrot Cay resort, in the Caribbean. On December 1, 2005 their daughter Violet Anne Affleck was born.

The 6'3" actor is an avid poker player, frequently entering events including the 2004 World Poker Tour. He loves motorcycles, smokes Camel Lights, and is a political activist. In fact, Affleck has stated an interest in running for Congress one day.