Ben Affleck is a $150 million Net Worth American actor, playwright, producer, and director. He is best known for creating and starring in “Good Will Hunting,” as well as directing and starring in “Argo.” For “Good Will Hunting,” he and Matt Damon won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. “Argo” earned Ben an Academy Award for Best Picture. Ben has made hundreds of millions of dollars in pay throughout the course of his career. Coincidentally, one of his biggest acting paychecks (before backend bonuses) was $15 million from the 2003 film “Paycheck.”
- Earned $300,000 for the “Goodwill Hunting” screenplay
- Has gone one to earn hundreds of millions from acting salaries alone
- At his peak was earning $15-20m per movie with backend
- Paid $18m for a house in LA in 2018
Early Life
Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt was born in Berkeley, California on August 15, 1972, to Chris and Tim Affleck. Ben’s mother was a schoolteacher, while his father was an aspiring playwright who supported himself by working as an electrician, janitor, carpenter, and bookie. When Ben was three years old, his family relocated to Falmouth, Massachusetts, where his younger brother, Casey, was born. They then moved to Cambridge, where his parents later divorced.
Ben’s family was active in the arts in Cambridge. Ben and his brother grew up going to theatrical shows and hanging out with individuals who worked in the arts. His mother knew a local casting agent who set up auditions for both Affleck sons. Although she encouraged Ben to act, his mother never pushed him to pursue acting as a career; she rather that he become a teacher.
Ben Affleck met Matt Damon, who was two years his senior, when he was eight years old. The lads clicked right away and became lifelong friends. They took acting classes together and went on to have successful Hollywood careers.
Professional Career
When Affleck was seven years old, he landed his first professional acting role in a local independent film. Ben appeared in the PBS children’s shows “Voyage of the Mimi” and “Second Voyage of the Mimi” from the ages of 8 to 15, working in both Cambridge and Mexico. At the ages of 14 and 15, he participated in the ABC after-school special “Wanted: A Perfect Man” and the television film “Hands of a Stranger.”
Ben appeared in many films after graduating from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in 1990, including Daddy (1991), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), and School Ties (1993). (1992). Because of his size, he was frequently cast as a bully or jock. In both the NBC series “Against the Grain” and the HBO drama “Body to Die For: The Aaron Henry Story,” he played a football player. Ben went on to play a high school bully in Richard Linklater’s now-legendary film “Dazed and Confused.” He also appeared in the 1995 drama “School Ties” as a supporting actor.
“Good Will Hunting”
“Good Will Hunting,” which he co-wrote and acted in with close buddy Matt Damon, was the film that really launched Affleck’s career. The script began as a 40-page assignment for Damon’s Harvard University playwriting class; later, while the two lived together in Los Angeles, they collaborated to turn it into a screenplay. They were both fed up with the minor supporting and background roles they’d been assigned up to that point, so they wanted to work on a project where they could make the key decisions.
The finished script was given to Affleck and Damon’s agent, who shopped it around to other studios. Castle Rock approved it in 1994, but they refused to give Ben and Matt the creative authority they desired. The men presented the screenplay to Miramax, where they were given more creative license.
“Good Will Hunting” was released in 1997 and received widespread critical acclaim for both the screenplay and the acting. Because of their outstanding performances in the film, Affleck and Damon became overnight celebrities and were soon cast in larger roles.
Collaboration with Matt Damon
Ben and Matt, childhood friends, understood they wanted to be actors from a young age and worked together to attain that objective. When they first started out in the industry, they shared a bank account into which they deposited all of their acting earnings. They utilized the money to acquire train or plane tickets to auditions.
Pearl Street Films, their production firm, was founded in 1998. Later, they would start LivePlanet, another production firm. The documentary TV series “Project Greenlight” was LivePlanet’s biggest win. The series was designed to provide novice filmmakers a platform to direct their debut feature film.
Collaboration with Kevin Smith
Affleck has collaborated with director Kevin Smith on numerous occasions. Their friendship and professional relationship began in 1995, when Ben appeared in Smith’s film “Mallrats.” Smith cast Affleck in the starring role in his next film, “Chasing Amy.” Since then, Ben has appeared in every Kevin Smith View Askewniverse film, including “Dogma,” “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” “Clerks II,” and “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.”
A Rising Star
Affleck was able to chose bigger and better parts after the success of “Good Will Hunting.” “Armageddon,” in which he played a blue-collar guy sent into space to stop an asteroid from hitting Earth, was one of his first huge successes. The film was a box office smash, cementing Ben’s reputation as an up-and-coming leading man.
Other films with similar success followed, including “Shakespeare in Love,” “Pearl Harbor,” “The Sum of All Fears,” and “Changing Lanes.” However, they were not all home runs; numerous of Affleck’s films failed at the box office. One such flop was “Daredevil” (2003), which the actor later admitted was the only film he regretted making.
Personal Life
Affleck has been romantically linked to a number of prominent Hollywood figures. He notably dated singer Jennifer Lopez from 2002 to 2004, and he quickly became a tabloid favorite. The press couldn’t get enough of “Bennifer,” and paparazzi followed the couple everywhere they went. While both Ben and Jennifer had previously been in the tabloids, Ben was not used to the continual limelight and scrutiny. Affleck and Lopez got engaged in 2002 but postponed their wedding to 2003 owing to heavy media attention. They split the following year.
Ben married Jennifer Garner in 2005, and the couple has three children. They separated in 2015, and their divorce was finalized in late 2018.
Ben went to residential treatment for alcoholism in 2001. He came back in 2017 and again in 2018. After a year of sobriety, he had a public slip-up in 2019, but vowed not to let it derail his progress.
Ben and Jennifer Lopez will marry in Las Vegas, Nevada in July 2022.
Directing
Ben had an interest in directing early in his career and absorbed everything he could from the directors with whom he worked. “Gone Baby Gone,” his first film, was released in 2007. He went on to write, produce, and direct “The Town” (2010). He produced, directed, and starred in the commercial and acclaimed triumph “Argo” (2012).
Awards and Honors
Affleck has received Academy Award nominations for “Good Will Hunting” (best original screenplay, co-written with Matt Damon) and “Argo” (best picture). He has virtually entirely won BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild honors for those two films.
Major Paydays
Ben Affleck has been collecting hefty paychecks as a leading actor throughout his early career. He and Matt Damon each received $300,000 for the sale of the screenplay for “Good Will Hunting.” The actor got $6 million for “Reindeer Games,” but only $250,000 for “Pearl Harbor.” He made a cool $10 million for “Changing Lanes” and “The Sum of All Fears.” Affleck earned $11.5 million and $12.5 million from the films “Daredevil” and “Gigli,” neither of which was very popular.
Charity and Philanthropy
Ben Affleck has donated to numerous worthy charities, including Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Eastern Congo Initiative, the A-T Children’s Project, and Feeding America.
Real Estate
Jen and Ben paid $17.55 million for a property in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades district in 2009. Brian Grazer, the seller, was a producer. Jennifer stayed at this residence till late 2018. That’s because Ben and Jen sold this mansion to Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine for $32 million in December 2018:
After only three years in the above property, Adam Levine and his wife Behati Prinsloo offered it for sale for $57.5 million.
Jennifer paid $8 million for a new home in Los Angeles’ Brentwood Park neighborhood the same month.
Ben purchased a $19 million property in the Pacific Palisades in April 2018. The 13,450-square-foot house, constructed in 2017, features 7 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms, as well as a large grass and pool area in the backyard. Ben advertised this home for $29.995 million in August 2022. He sold the house in two weeks for the asking price.
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