Ben Affleck Facts – # 100 Fun Facts

Ben Affleck Facts – Biography

Ben Affleck Date of Birth

1) 15th August 1974- Ben Affleck was born

Benjamin Geza Affleck Boldt or commonly known as Ben Affleck was born on 15th August, 1974 in Berkley California to a school teacher, Christine Affleck and a social worker Timothy Affleck.

Ben has an interesting ancestry, having ties with the English, Scottish, German and Irish.

2) Benjamin Geza Affleck-Boldt, Many Personas In One

Ben Affleck has proved to be a man with varied interests.

Just as his name represents his ancestral heritage, Ben’s personality is an all-in-one; actor, director,screenwriter and producer! And interestingly so he has managed to excel at everything he put his mind to.

Ben Affleck Family

3) Acting is in Ben’s blood

Even though Ben’s parents belonged to humble backgrounds, it is safe to say that the art of acting has always been in his blood.

Ben’s father had been a director and actor with the Theater Company of Boston because of his interest in the field, however, Tim was often too occupied with other jobs like social work and drug counseling.

4) Family troubles at a young age

Soon after moving to Chicago, Ben’s parents got divorced and the 10 year old Ben looked to make friends elsewhere.

With a childhood life that was mostly spent with neighborhood friends, Ben Affleck developed in him a streak for thinking and penning down his thoughts.

5) Ben and Casey Affleck- brother to brother

Casey Affleck is Ben’s only sibling and younger brother.

Ben and Casey have partnered in several filming and production ventures, some of which have turned out to be major hits.

One of the best movies that the pair worked on together has been Good Will Hunting.

Ben Affleck Education

6) Ben’s early education

Ben Affleck got his early education from the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and later joined the Occidental College in Los Angeles, which was a prominent liberal arts education center of its time.

Even though Ben joined the University of Vermont to major in Middle Eastern Affairs, he soon dropped out to follow his passion for acting.

7) Ben as a child actor

Even as a child, Ben was seen on some popular TV shows.

One of the most remembered ones is The Voyage of the Mimi featured on PBS.

8) The Burger King commercial- one of Ben’s first appearances

While he was still with the ‘Voyage of the Mimi’, Ben was spotted in a Burger King Commercial, which was one of his first appearances.

After this experience, his teen years mostly consisted of independent films like Hands of a Stranger and Dazed and Confused.

9) Ben and Matt Damon- Inseparable!

Not only does Ben get along well with Matt Damon as a fellow actor and director, both boys practically grew up next to each other in the same neighborhood! The childhood friendship cultivated a winning team when Ben and Matt starting producing films together.

Ben Affleck Early Work

10) Ben did some recognizable work in the 1990s

During the 1990s, after his acting as a child, Ben starred in a number of Television movies.

Some of the major ones include; Life Stories: Families in Crisis, School Ties, Dazed and Confused, Mallrats and Chasing Amy.

11) Progress of Ben Affleck’s career

It was during the time when Ben shot for Mallrats and Chasing Amy that his acting skills came in the limelight.

With these movies, Ben cemented his ties with the popular writer and director Kevin Smith who proved to be a great asset as the latter kick started his movie career.

12) Debut as a director

Unlike most actors who start writing and director after their acting days are over, Ben Affleck had a natural flare for direction ever since the beginning.

He made his debut with a short comedy called ‘I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meat Hook, and Now I Have a Three-Picture Deal at Disney’, in 1993.

His 16-minute piece was well received and set the stage for future projects.

Ben Affleck: Rise to Fame!

13) The turn from unknown to celebrity

The turning point for Ben Affleck came in the form of yet another experimental venture for screen writing.

While he worked on Good Willing Hunting, an excellent film known for its drama and storyline, Ben’s acting and writing talent was caught by the mainstream media, making him an instant hit in Hollywood.

14) Good Will Hunting brings success for Ben

Good Will Hunting was received so well by the masses that it won Ben his very first award.

At the 1997 Oscars, he won an award for Best Original Screenplay for this movie.

Later he won the Golden Globe Award for the same category that he shared with co-author Matt Damon.

15) The inspiration for Good Will Hunting

Good Will Hunting was a team project between Ben and Matt.

Early on in their careers when both were facing trouble landing solid roles, the duo decided to write a script themselves.

It was then that Good Will hunting was written, with Ben’s father’s janitorial job at Harvard being the inspiration for Hunting’s job at MIT.

Ben Affleck Career

16) Ben goes into production

In 2000, Ben partnered with Matt Damon, Chris Moore and Sean Bailey to create LivePlanet, a production house that featured successive films and short plays produced by him.

Two of LivePlanet’s most famous productions are the Project Greenlight, which is a documentary series and Push, Nevada- a mystery series that was dropped after a few episodes.

17) LivePlanet’s success

LivePlanet’s efforts as a production house and Ben’s skills for producing documentaries were applauded when Project GreenLight was nominated for Outstanding Reality Program in the Emmy Awards three times in 2002, 2004 and 2005.

18) Ben is an actor who likes challenge and diversity

The late 1990s until the turn of the century, Ben starred in a number of movies with famous actors.

Some of the famous names movies are Changing Lanes with Samuel L. Jackson, Forces of Nature with Sandra Bullock and The Sum of All Fears with Morgan Freeman.

These movies are testimonials for Ben’s ability to take on challenging and diverse roles.

19) Starring in Box Office hits

Ben’s work in Armageddon with Bruce Will in 1998 earned him his first Box office hit.

The movie earned a total of $553 million around the world.

Following this success, the young actor worked alongside Michael Bay for Pearl Harbor, which was again a major hit, earning $449 million worldwide.

20) Living a childhood dream with DareDevil

Affleck got to play Daredevil in 2003.

Because DareDevil was his favorite comic book as a child, for Ben the part was a dream come true.

He said, “Everybody has that one thing from childhood that they remember and that sticks with them.

This story was that for me.”

21) Ben was just right for DareDevil, or he thought so!

The making of DareDevil was touché for Ben.

“I didn’t want someone else to do it, because I was afraid that they would go out and do it different from the comic and screw it up,” he said in an interview.

No doubt, his acting led to the overall success of the movie made it earn $ 179 million worldwide.

22) How observers see Ben Affleck

Being in showbiz from an early age definitely shapes up an actor.

This was no different for Ben.

For his part in ‘Hollywoodland’, Rolling Stone, an acclaimed magazine wrote, “The irony is that Affleck’s battering at the hands of fame has prepped him beautifully to play Reeves.

He knows this character from the inside: the surface charm, the hidden vulnerability, the ache of watching a career becomes a joke and being helpless to stop it.”

23) The Hollywoodland success

Hollywoodland gave Ben remarkable fame.

Not only was he recognized as a top of the line actor, he was nominated for a number of awards as well.

Being ranked as a strong performer, he received the Volpi Cup in the Venice Film Festival for Best Actor, won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the Hollywood Film Festival and even got a nomination for Golden Globe Best Supporting Actor.

24) The not-so-hit ‘Smokin Aces’

After the tremendous success of Hollywoodland and the subsequent fame that Ben received, he starred in the movie ‘Smokin Aces’, a powerful thriller.

However, the film failed to hit the highs in the box office and was marked as a failed venture in Ben’s career.

25) Quitting smoking after ‘Smokin Aces’

It is common news that after Ben Affleck’s part in the ‘Smokin Aces’, the actor quit habitual smoking.

According to him, after smoking heavily for the role, he did not feel thrilled with the act and soon this habit wore off.

So ‘Smokin Aces’ did yield something positive in return!

26) Gone Baby Gone- a directorial success for Ben

In 2007, good news came for Ben Affleck in the form of his first directorial movie debut.

Gone baby Gone, an action movie, had a very strong plot derived from a book by Dennis Lehane.

Being his first ever direction, the movie and everything about it held special importance for the actor cum director.

27) An all-Ben touch for Gone Baby Gone

Ben also co-authored the project to bring it in sync with how he wanted to see the roles come to life on screen.

His brother Casey played one of the major roles in the movie.

Therefore, as a director he made sure that his vision for the story comes through.

28) Receiving recognition after Gone Baby Gone

Being one of his early projects, the success of Gone Baby Gone was prolonged for Ben as industry observers gauged the director’s potential.

This venture won three of the most prestigious awards of the year namely; Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Filmmaker, Hollywood Film Festival Award for Breakthrough Director of the Year, National Board of Review Award for Best Directorial Debut.

29) Being a director is a special feeling

For Ben, a directorial venture was a revelation.

When inquired about the project he said, “Directing a movie was really instructive for me.

I think I learned a lot about writing, and a lot about acting, and I learned how all the pieces fit together from the inside.

That was really valuable. It was a good thing.”

30) Appearance with Jimmy Kimmel

Soon after Gone Baby Gone hit the market, Ben got in touch with the renowned Jimmy Kimmel.

Kimmel starred Ben in his video “I’m Fucking Ben Affleck” in 2008 as a response to a movie made by his girlfriend.

A comedy onslaught, the video was not only well received; it topped its competition by miles.

31) Ben’s focus and commitment

Even though “I’m Fucking Ben Affleck” required a major personality drift for the actor where he had to pose as Jimmy’s lover, Ben’s commitment to his projects is a rule-setting example.

Talking to People Magazine Jimmy said, “Ben could not have been more sporting.

He told us ‘Listen, if we’re going to do this we’ve got to do it right.

I don’t want you guys to worry about my image.”

32) Comeback to acting

After spending time in the director’s chair, Ben reverted to acting.

He acted in a major film, “He’s Just Not That Into You” with famous actors like Jennifer Aniston and Drew Barrymore.

The film was eventually a success when it earned $165 million worldwide, gaining the actor further recognition for being multi-talented.

33) A Dean, a bartender and a best friend

Ben Affleck’s true strength as an actor was seen in the comedy Extract where he played the role of a Dean, a bartender and a friend.

The Pittsburg Post-Gazette reported, “Affleck is a hoot as a long-haired fount of bad advice and drugs he keeps in a little tin behind the bar.

After playing a square-jawed crime fighter, an actor turned Superman and a congressman; he is actually loose and funny.”

34) The Town- Ben’s second try at direction

In 2010, Ben directed his second movie The Town, which was adapted from a novel, Prince of Thieves.

This movie was a commercial success, again consolidating his name as a talented and prized director.

Ben co-wrote the script and was part of the cast.

35) Trouble with Argo

Even though, Argo revolved around a strong plot that hit home with its audience and told a story of the past, the portrayal of the New Zealand diplomats in the movie caught some negative publicity for Ben.

In 2013, the New Zealand parliament censured Ben Affleck for this false portrayal.

36) Handpicked for ‘The Stand’

Soon after Argo, Ben was chosen by Warner Bros to replace the previously selected director of The Stand, a movie made from the adaptation of Stephen King’s novel.

A direction project from a company as big as the Warner Bros was definitely well deserved for the skillful director.

37) Directing the Justice League

Getting media attention from his past directing projects was a big thing for Ben Affleck.

Soon the watchful Warner Bros. chose the talented director to lead an action film based on the fictional characters of the Justice League.

However, already under the burden with acting and production responsibilities, Ben passed on the offer.

Accolades Ben Affleck

38) The Best writer’s Award for Good Will Hunting

Receiving the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Writer was a golden feather in his cap.

Now not only was Ben an excellent actor, his writing skills were acknowledged in the industry as well.

For the same movie, he also received awards such as The Humanitas Prize (Feature Film Category), National Board of Review Special Achievement in Filmmaking and Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay.

39) Nomination for the Best Screenplay

Not only did The Town establish him as a visionary director, it also recognized his efforts at bringing an interesting story to life.

Ben received several nominations for his creative script writing for The Town, some of them being; Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay, Satellite Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

40) Ben received the Chairman’s Award  at the Palms Spring Film Festival

Because of his acting and directing, Ben Affleck was acknowledged at the 2011 Palms Spring Film Festival, which attracts tremendous international attention to cinema and films and has a premier guest list.

He was the recipient of the Chairman’s Award at this ceremony.

41) Argo- An Award winning direction

Teaming with award winning producer, George Clooney and Grant Heslov, Ben went on to direct his third movie, Argo.

Again revolving around a very strong plot about American diplomats and a lifesaving chase, Ben is known to have done a fantastic job at the task.

42) Directing his way to big awards

In 2013, Ben Affleck won prestigious awards for his brainchild, Argo.

He was given the Best Directing Award in the Golden Globe and at the Directors Guild of America.

Not only this, in the BAFTA and the Critic’s Choice Awards, Ben won for Best Director too.

43) Argo- The Best Picture

Ben’s skills at writing a screenplay received tremendous praise after he co-authored Argo.

Not only was he nominated as the Best Director, the movie was named the Best Picture of the year by organizations as prestigious as the Producers Guild.

44) Armegeddon’s award nominations for Ben

Ben’s acclaimed performance in Armegeddon won him several nominations in various awards.

The movie being a box office hit, gave Ben a chance to amaze the audience with his acting.

He was nominated for MTV Movie Award for Best Performance Male, MTV Movie Award for Best On-screen Duo and Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor.

45) One of the ‘Spectacular Seven’

With the credentials of a successful actor, writer and director, Ben Affleck is not only famous in the industry he works in; he is also known for his alluring charm and striking personality.

He was selected as one of the Sexiest Men Alive in 2002 out of a group of seven men; Ben made it to the cover of People Magazine following this title.

46) One of three recipients of the Directors Guild Award

Interesting, Ben Affleck is one of three directors (the other two being Ron Howard and Steven Spielberg), who have won the Director’s Guild Awards for their films but were not nominated by the Academy Awards for the same.

47) Breaking records with Good Will Hunting

After the release of Ben’s first co-authored movie, Good Will Hunting, the actor cum director broke the record for being the first ever director, aged 25, to receive an Oscar for Best Screenplay!

Social Work

48) Meeting Joe Kindregan

During the shooting of Forces of Nature, Ben met nine-year-old Joe Kindregan, who was under the care of the A-T Children’s Project.

Joe’s condition, which is a rare disease of “ataxia-telangiectasia”, touched Ben’s heart and since then he has been a strong supporter and donator to the group.

49) Ben supports the A-T Children’s Project

The A-T Children’s Project organization is a regular recipient of donations from Ben Affleck.

This organization is a protector and caretaker of children who are victims of multiple progressive diseases.

While Ben supports this organization personally, he also speaks about it on forums and conventions to impart the importance of the support needed for continuous research and help for children suffering from this condition.

50) Ben Affleck- The Philanthropist

One of the most admirable qualities of Ben’s personality is his love for humanity.

He is one of those few celebrities who go support victims in person in areas such as the Congo, where there is extreme hunger and poverty.

Ben attends a variety of benefits and meets congressmen to advocate for charitable causes nationwide and outside the country to underdeveloped parts of the world.

51) Ben’s take on charity

Being very active in charitable causes and conventions, Ben’s take on this topic is rather heartwarming.

Appearing on ABC News in 2008 Ben Affleck said, “I think the more painful something is, the more you want to distance yourself from it.

I think the hard part is actually to let some of that go and to realize that when you see some of these images of people suffering in some way or another, to kind of remember that these are people who are in fact just in different circumstances than you are, but that are kind of dealing with [those circumstances] in a pretty brave and enduring way.”

52) Teaming up with the United Nations

Following up on his tour of the Congo, Ben collaborated with the United Nations to televise a documentary that aimed at creating awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Africa.

The documentary was received well and the actor cum director made a great contribution towards rendering a helping hand for refugees.

53) Eastern Congo Initiative

In 2008, Ben travelled to Africa and personally visited Congo to help spread awareness in the developed world about the humanitarian crisis underway there.

Upon his return, he put together the Eastern Congo Initiative, which is “the first U.S.-based advocacy and grant-making initiative wholly focused on working with and for the people of eastern Congo.”

54) A fifth grade cancer student touched his heart

Ben is a regular philanthropist and believes that participating in charity is the kind of thing that really matters.

After meeting Molly Hanna, a cancer patient in his Mother’s fifth grade class, Ben was inspired to contribute to the Bogart Memorial Fund, which supports cancer research.

Political Views

55) Ben Affleck believes in political activism

For Ben, playing a part for the betterment of the nation is a very big contribution.

During the 2000 Presidential Campaign he told reporters, “People in my generation have a low voter turnout.

One of the reasons that I’m here is to demonstrate that no matter who you are going to vote for …I think it’s important to get involved and get out and vote.”

56) Campaigning with Hillary Clinton

Ben’s political activism caught sight of many politicians.

On 28th October 2000, he joined Hillary Clinton in New York to create awareness of the efforts put in by Clinton for women’s rights and for advocating for working families.

He visited and addressed people at the Cornell University during the trip.

57) Being the voice for change

Not only has Ben done his part in the film industry, he has also spent a great deal of time to advocate for freedom, liberty and constituency rights.

At the time of the 2000 elections, Ben said “I’m nervous this evening, but one of the things that’s exciting to me is the number of people who voted.

No matter who wins, I think it’s a healthy thing for our country that so many voters have come out and participated in the process.

Either way, I think the most important number will be the turnout.”

58) Ben Affleck’s interests go beyond making movies

In an interview with the famous GQ, Ben said the following in reference to his active participation during the elections, “My fantasy is that someday I’m independently wealthy enough that I’m not beholden to anybody, so I can run for Congress on the grounds that everyday people should be in government.”

59) Ben’s idea of freedom extends to same-gender issues as well.

In support of the Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gay Organization, Ben has appeared in print advertisements to show his support.

He believes, “I don’t think the government should be involved in any way in people’s bedrooms or lives.

With so much hatred and unpleasantness in the world, why would you want to get in the way of people who love each other marrying each other? Anybody who wants to be able to get married to anybody else should be able to.

It’s not my business.”

60) Difference of opinion is healthy, according to Ben.

Ben Affleck’s loyalties and views regarding politics are tied to his own belief set.

Despite the difference of opinion he has with people, respecting them is essential for him.

In an interview he said, “I had the pleasure of and the honor of meeting the President of the United States at the Daytona 500.

I found him to be a collegial, affable, kind guy.”

He went on to say Bush “is a patriot and he’s a man who believes in the country.

He’s trying to further an agenda he believes in.

I happen to disagree with most of his policies, but I respect the man.”

61) Raising his voice against income disparity

Ben Affleck is a patriot and humanitarian through and through.

He is a staunch believer of the idea of equal employment and fair pay scales so that inequality in the world can be controlled.

He said back in 2010 that, “CEOs’ pay shouldn’t be 200 times the average worker.

It used to be nine times.”

Ben Affleck Personal Interests

62) The Best hand at Poker

Ben Affleck is notorious for his hand at poker.

The actor/director has been trained by the best of professionals like Amir Vahedi and Annie Duke.

Not only has he played for leisure and fun, Ben has participated in various local and state poker championships and won them a number of times.

63) Winning the California State Poker Championship

After being trained by notable people, Ben won the California State Poker Championship, winning a sum of $356000, which was a big feat for him in 2004.

This win made him eligible for the World Poker Final Tournament, a session that is entered by expert poker players from around the world.

Ben Affleck Personal Life

64) Regrets over alcohol use

Like most famous celebrities, one of Ben’s regrets revolves around over-consumption of alcohol.

The actor attended alcohol rehab in 2001 after which he valued life and understood its importance.

65) A heated relationship with Jennifer Lopez

In 2002, Ben and Jennifer became a famous couple, who were to get married in September 2004.

However, due to a number of events and misunderstandings, the wedding was called off after two years of media attention.

66) One of the Most Wanted Men?

With great looks and a successful and exciting career ahead of him, Ben Affleck was named the Most Eligible Bachelor by People Magazine in 2002.

67) ‘Dear Ben’

During the time that Lopez and Affleck swamped the media with their love, Lopez wrote a song ‘Dear Ben’ for her fiancé.

Even though, the wedding was called off, the two were famous for being very friendly to each other.

68) Ben’s personal life bore down on the fate of Gigli

After the intense media coverage of his relationship with Lopez, the negative publicity that followed the breakup proved to be too much for Gigli, a film in which Lopez and Affleck had acted together.

According to the news, the sourness of the break up seeped to the launch of the movie, causing it to be a box office flop.

69) Unfortunate with ‘Gigli’

Apart from the various box office hits that Ben was a part of, his role in ‘Gigli’ received a lot of critique.

The film was not at par with the standard thatBen had set for himself and his role in it got him a nomination for the Worst Actor Award by Golden Raspberry.

70) Recovering after the setback with Gigli

Dealing with a failed movie and a broken relationship came at a bad time in Ben’s career.

When questioned on how he was faring after these circumstances he responded, “Unfortunately there’s an aspect of (press coverage) that’s like one of those fights you see on YouTube where one of them falls down and then a bunch of people, who were standing around, come over to kick the person.

They don’t know them, they have no involvement in the fight, but they recognize a moment that they can get a free shot in.

And for some people it’s just too much to resist.

And that was definitely me at that point.

I was the guy.

I was the designated person to loathe.”

71) Settling down with Jennifer Garner

Ben Affleck finally settled down with Jennifer Garner, his Dare Devil co-star.

The couple dated for nine months and were married in 2005.

With three children, Violet Anne Affleck, Seraphina Rose Elizabeth Affleck and Samuel Garner Affleck, the couple is seen around many of the vacation homes that they own.

Ben Affleck Personality

72) Honesty and Integrity- two valuables for Ben

While he promotes his beliefs about equality, justice and fair play; Ben reflects the same qualities in his character as well.

At a casino is 2010, Ben was applauded for his gesture of returning a huge check of $250,000 that was addressed to him but he claimed it was a mistake.

73) What’s Ben’s idea of fun after an award ceremony?

After the thrill of award ceremonies and the red carpet, Ben likes some quite time with his wife and three kids.

For him a fun time is when he can, “Just sit back and take it in, not do anything, eat ice cream on the couch.”

74) The Affleck Trademark

If you are a Ben Affleck fan, you would have noticed some very common idiosyncrasies about Ben’s movies.

Observers have noticed that the director usually starts his pictures with narrations and title cards and he himself loves to appear in macho and ruthless characters.

Also, most of his pictures are shot in his hometown Boston.

75) Ben is a People Magazine favorite!

With his ‘boy next door’ looks, Ben has often been counted as one of the most handsome men in Hollywood.

In 1999 and 2000, he was chosen by the magazine as one of 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.

76) Ranked for a powerful personality

Having a strong personality and a charismatic character, in 2002, Ben was ranked at #77 in Premier’s list of 100 Most Powerful.

This ranking climbs up to #41 by 2003 when he was again mentioned in the magazine’s hit list.

77) Beware of Ben’s impressionist acts!

Ben is known as an excellent impersonator.

During shoots and filming scenes, he loves to observe his co-stars’ behaviors and actions and then mimics them, spot on! During the shooting of The Sum of All Fears, Ben mimicked Morgan Freeman who was so surprised to see the accuracy of the mimicry that he said, “You ever do that again, I’ll kill you”.

78) A man of surprises

Ben Affleck is an ambitious person.

He believes in giving a 100% to every role, responsibility or interest he puts his mind to.

Not only has the actor been seen filming for three movies simultaneously, he has a surprisingly avid interest in learning languages.

Ben speaks English, French, Spanish and Arabic, for which he took special classes.

79) Being the ‘Daredevil’ that he is

During the shooting for DareDevil, a movie which holds special importance for Ben because it was his favorite childhood comic, Ben performed most of the stunts himself.

Even thought he had four stuntmen, all with different specialties, Ben preferred to add as much originality to the character as possible.

80) Ben Affleck is a very frank and casual person

Answering a question about his frank personality Ben says, “I have definitely noticed that I care less about certain things. Other actors are like, “You can’t do that”, or “You can’t do this.

This will position you in the wrong way.”

That’s not my thing.

And obviously so, because you can see I don’t craft or cultivate my career.

I’ve finally learnt how to say, “No comment”.

To appear in the tabloids is a real learning curve and a steep one at that.

You had better learn quick or you get burnt.”

81) A definite risk taker!

Ben is an adventurous person.

He loves challenges and likes the rewards reaped out of it.

He says, “I’ve always believed in taking risks and I’ve always been kind of comfortable with risks – maybe too comfortable.

But I felt like, if you’re not taking a risk, if you’re not taking a big swing, you’re never going to do anything really interesting.

You can sort of be conservative and get by and try to hit singles, or bunts, or whatever, but I’ve always wanted to try to like, take a big swing.”

Inspirational

82) Ben Affleck- A Renaissance Man

Harold Mazer, Chairman of the Palms Spring Film Festival 2011 commented about Ben’s talent in the following words, “If there is truly a Renaissance man in today’s cinema, it’s Ben Affleck.

He has distinguished himself as a premier writer and director, as well as an actor with a broad-ranging and impressive filmography.

In his latest work, The Town, Affleck once again puts his acting, writing and directorial skills to work, in a stinging portrait of a New England town and the grip it has on generation after generation, who find it impossible to leave.”

83) He loves the work he does

In a TV appearance for the promotion of a movie, Ben expresses his satisfaction over the way he works.

He said, “I really like my job that I have now.

Plus, unlike in Hollywood where you need one director to hire you, in politics you have to have a lot of people to vote for you.

I think it’s harder work.

I really am happy with what I’m doing now.

In fact I’ve never been at a place where I’ve felt better about going to work every day.

I’m more engaged and very, very happy.”

84) Supporting the Invisible Children

In 2012, Ben wrote in favor of the Kony 2012 and expressed great concern and support for the child soldiers of Africa.

The Kony 2012 is a film made by the Invisible Children Inc. to spread awareness about the militia in Africa and the unfairness and injustice imposed by it.

His heart reaching out to those inflicted unfairly, Ben said, “Westerners are not and will never be the ‘saviors’ of Africa.”

85) Turning down the offer for directing Superman: Man of Steel

When inquired as to why Ben turned down the direction offer for such a huge movie, he said, “The one benefit of having done all kinds of movies as an actor is, you learn the pros and cons of being tempted to do a really big movie because it costs a lot of money.

With “Superman”, I think they’re going to do a great version.

Christopher Nolan is brilliant and they’ve got a great director for it. … Also there are a lot of guys ahead of me on the list to do epic effects movies.”

86) Climbing from nothing to something

Ben started his career in acting in pursuit of a dream.

While he stumbled upon several hurdles, he rose to the top as an Oscar winning actor, director and screenwriter.

From earning a mere $30 for his part in Field of Dreams in 1989, he went on to earn big bucks in big movies ($11,500,000 for DareDevil).

87) Commitment and Perseverance got him through tough times

Even though Ben has wanted to act in films for as long as he can remember, he recalls being extremely put off with grueling auditions and short roles that didn’t challenge him.

Living in a small apartment with his brother and friend, Matt Damon, Ben’s perseverance soon paid off as he took matters into his own hands with ‘Good Will Hunting.’

88) Ben Affleck is very close to his children

During the filming of Argo in Turkey and Ontario, Ben said, “It’s very stressful to not see your children.

You know, my wife is quite understanding.

It’s nice to have someone who is in the same business and who has the same stuff … It’s not great, you know one has to work at one’s marriage and be with one’s spouse, but with the children, it’s particularly hard because they don’t get why you’re leaving, and I have movies and I have family life, and I have this philanthropic stuff that I’ve been doing.”

89) For Ben, making a movie is like figuring a puzzle

When inquired about the way he sees filmmaking, Ben responded, “I do very much like arranging puzzles and figuring out logic, and I approach movies that way.

Some people just have an instinct and think, ‘Okay, let’s do this, let’s go over here,’ whereas I try to figure out how it’s going to work together.

I think that’s why I like editing the most. There are a lot of different approaches, but that’s mine.”

Interesting Facts about Ben Affleck

90) Doing commercials for L’Oreal

In 2003, because of Ben’s acting skills and his good looks (of course!), he was offered to do commercials for the beauty giant L’Oreal.

Being an ambassador for the shampoo, he made a whopping $1.5 million from the ads alone.

91) Reminiscing over his first directed short film “I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meat Hook, and Now I Have a Three-Picture Deal at Disney.”

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ben recalled his first directing venture, a short film with a weird name.

Following this film, the director got his hands on some top of the line projects that cemented his career in filmmaking.

He said that the “absurdly titled film, is not one of his best works and it still ‘haunts’ him to this day.”

92) Did you know Affleck and his crew were arrested while filming Gone Baby Gone?

To shoot scenes for his movie, Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck and his team took to the rough parts of Boston.

While in a bar, the police arrested every member of the crew on charges of buying drugs! However, soon Ben’s identity came in notice and they were released.

93) All eyes and ears for Argo

Being his direction, Ben was so focused and committed to making Argo a success that he lived each scene from it, literally.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter he said, “There is this underlying anxiety about getting the movie done but getting it done really well.

It keeps my head spinning-even when I am giving the kids a bath.

I can be giving them a bath or feeding them, and sometimes they say, ‘Dad, pay attention!”

94) Ben does not want to act all his life.

For him, acting is a small part of his life.

He loves doing it but the actor sees his family and his role behind the cameras as a bigger priority.

He said, “I kinda’ see my current position like this.

Here’s your five minutes in the toy store, so you gotta’ do all the good movies you can before Chuck Woolery rings the bell.”

95) Ben Affleck Appearing on Saturday Night Live

Ben Affleck appeared on Saturday night Live as an impersonation of Keith Olbermann.

The actor, appearing as a comedian, got the laughs rolling and observers said that he would do well in comedy roles.

Ben’s mimicry of the on screen anchor was truly flawless.

96) A Bentley fan

Ben is a diehard Bentley fan.

He owns three of these exotic cars, which sum up to a grand total of $167,000! He is often seen driving them around town with his family.

97) Pearl Street Films

In 2007, Matt and Ben ended their alliance with the LivePlanet production house and in 2012 the pair co-founded Pearl Street Films, a motion picture production company.

The third partner in this company is Jennifer Todd.

98) Negative criticism for Paycheck, Surviving Christmas and Jersey Girl

Even though Ben has a number of projects to boast about, the three films that received collective criticism were Paycheck, Surviving Christmas and Jersey Girl.

Ben even won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor in Paycheck.

One reason may be that they came out after the box office failure, Gigli.

99) Ben’s intention behind Argo

Even though Argo revolved around a revolutionary story that happened some 30 years ago, in Ben’s opinion the story holds immense importance in today’s world politics.

After its release he said, “While the movie is 30 years old, it is still relevant.

Both in the sense that it’s about the unintended consequences of revolution and in the sense that we’re dealing with exactly the same issues now that we were then.”

100) Red Sox Fan

Ben Affleck is a diehard Red Sox fan and is often seen at big games with his family, as part of spending time with them.