Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck as he appeared quite a few years ago. 

Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt (born August 15, 1972), better known as Ben Affleck, is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. He first came to attention for his performances in Kevin Smith's films such as Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), and Dogma (1999). In 1997, Affleck gained recognition as a writer when he won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting (1997), which he co-wrote and in which he co-starred with actor Matt Damon. He later achieved international recognition for starring in films such as Armageddon (1998), Pearl Harbor (2001), Changing Lanes (2002), The Sum of All Fears (2002), Daredevil (2003), Hollywoodland (2007), State of Play (2009), and The Town (2010).

Affleck is a critically acclaimed film director. He gained recognition as a director for his directorial debut Gone Baby Gone (2007) for which he won the National Board of Review Award for Best Directorial Debut. He then directed and starred in The Town (2010) and Argo (2012), which won him the Golden Globe Award, BAFTA, and Directors Guild Award for Best Director, and the Golden Globe Award, BAFTA, the Producers Guild Award, and the Academy Award for Best Picture. He will continue his directorial career when he adapts Dennis Lehane's 2012 novel Live by Night for a 2015 theatrical release.

In addition to film work, Affleck has been actively involved in politics and charitable causes. He and Matt Damon founded the production company LivePlanet in 2000, and Pearl Street Films in 2012. He is scheduled to portray Nick Dunne in the 2014 feature film adaptation of Gillian Flynn's 2012 best-selling novel Gone Girl, and will portray Bruce Wayne/Batman in the 2015 sequel to the 2013 film Man of Steel currently called Batman vs. Superman.

Affleck has a younger brother, actor Casey Affleck, whom he has worked with on several films, including Good Will Hunting and Gone Baby Gone. He has been married to Jennifer Garner since June 2005, and they have two daughters and a son. Affleck previously dated Gwyneth Paltrow in 1998, and his relationship with actress/singer Jennifer Lopez, in which they were dubbed "Bennifer", attracted worldwide media attention before it ended in 2004.