Born: 15 August 1972 (Age: 38)
Where: Berkeley, California, USA
Height: 6' 2"
Awards: Won 1 Oscar and 1 Golden Globe
Biography:
Ben Affleck's story is, without doubt, one of the great rags-to-riches tales in recent cinema history. Along with his childhood buddy, Matt Damon, he was a struggling actor, in the final stages of being consigned to Hollywood's dustpile. But together they fought back. Bucking the system, they wrote their own screenplay, attracted their own finance, and produced and starred in their own movie. Within a year, Good Will Hunting had taken off, in 1998 earning them both an Oscar and propelling them into major roles in such mega-blockbusters as Armageddon and Saving Private Ryan. Or so the story went. In fact, the saga stretched back a good twenty years. What really made Affleck's tale fascinating came later when, having squired pop star actress Jennifer Lopez and hit the absolute heights of tabloid fame, his offscreen life took centre stage, his career collapsed in ruins, and a second struggle for success was necessary. And this time he was on his own. This was why the awards and critical plaudits drawn by his performance in 2006's Hollywoodland were so very satisfying. He'd made it to the top twice.
