Ben Affleck
Benjamin Geza Affleck (born August 15, 1972), is an American actor.
Acting
Born in Berkeley, California, he grew up in the Boston, Massachusetts area. He currently lives in Santa Monica, California. He was a child actor, having roles on television series and made-for-television movies when young. He came to national attention when he and good friend Matt Damon wrote the screenplay for Good Will Hunting (1997), for which they won an Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.
He is also known for his roles in many of Kevin Smith's films - all of them, in fact, except for Clerks.
Along with Matt Damon and producer Chris Moore, Affleck founded the production company LivePlanet, through which the three friends created the documentary series Project Greenlight.
Although Affleck's most recent films, including Paycheck, have been rather unsuccessful, it is not possible at this time to measure the actual damage to his career.
Romance
In 2002 it was announced that he was engaged to actress/singer Jennifer Lopez, and the relationship between the two received an extremely ham-handed treatment by the entertainment media. Both subsequently lost fans and credibility, probably due in part to the saturation of Affleck/Lopez interviews and projects, and especially after the notorious failure of Gigli. They broke up in 2004. He also had a high-profile romance with actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
Poker playing
Affleck is also an avid poker player, regularly entering local events. He has been tutored by poker professionals Amir Vahedi and Annie Duke. He won the California State Poker Championship on June 20 2004, taking home the first prize of $356,000, and qualifying him for the 2004 World Poker Tour final tournament.
Political activism
In 2004, Affleck actively campaigned for Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry. During the first day of the Democratic Convention, Affleck was featured on Larry King Live with Tucker Carlson and Al Sharpton. Larry King asked Affleck if he would consider running for office, and Affleck admitted to contemplating the proposition. He noted that the line between politics and entertainment is becoming increasingly blurry, as Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill O'Reilly, and Rush Limbaugh all came from the entertainment business.
Filmography
