A Boston boy through and through. Ben Affleck has been a Hollywood A-lister for more than two decades, but he’s never forgotten his New England roots (or his love of Dunkin’ coffee).
Born in Berkeley, California, the avid Red Sox fan moved to Massachusetts with his family when he was just 3 years old. He got his first professional acting gig at 7, and by the time he was in high school, he was ready to start pursuing it as a career along with his friend and fellow student Matt Damon.
“Before Matt, I was by myself,” the Deep Water star told Parade in 2007. “Acting was a solo activity where I’d just go off and do something, act in a little TV show or something, and no one understood it. None of the other kids knew what it was I did, how it worked, or anything. All of a sudden, I had this friend, Matt, and he gets it and wants to do it and thinks it’s interesting and wants to talk about it.”
Though he starred in a handful of cult classics in the early to mid-’90s, Affleck’s big break came in 1997, when he and Damon cowrote the screenplay for Good Will Hunting. The movie was a critical and commercial success, and the following year, it earned the childhood pals an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
After that, Affleck continued his rise to stardom as he landed roles in several blockbusters, including Shakespeare in Love, Armageddon and Pearl Harbor. He still maintained his interest in smaller films, starring in Dogma, 200 Cigarettes and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
In 2002, however, he experienced a new kind of fame when his personal life became as exciting as his professional achievements. While working on the notorious box-office bomb Gigli, he met Jennifer Lopez, who was already a superstar.
The pair quickly sparked a whirlwind romance, with Affleck starring in the Bronx-born singer’s “Jenny From the Block” video. They got engaged in November 2002, but when their planned wedding date arrived the following year, they called it off before ending their relationship entirely months later.
The Way Back actor went on to date his Daredevil costar Jennifer Garner, whom he married in June 2005. Their daughter Violet arrived in December 2005, followed by second daughter Seraphina in January 2009 and son Samuel in February 2012.
In 2017, they jointly filed for divorce, which was finalized in 2018. After relationships with Lindsay Shookus and Ana de Armas, Affleck eventually moved on with someone from his past: Lopez, whom he started dating again in 2021 after her split from Alex Rodriguez. But their fairy tale wasn’t built to last as they split in 2024.
Keep scrolling for a look at Affleck through the years:
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