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Pop Culture

Ben Affleck

From acting in “Good Will Hunting” to doing good works as an activist — and finding happiness as a husband and father.

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'Gone Girl'

Image: Opening Night Gala Presentation And World Premiere Of \"Gone Girl\" -Arrivals - 52nd New York Film Festival

Present and accounted for

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 26: Actors Rosamund Pike (L) and Ben Affleck attend the Opening Night Gala Presentation and World Premiere of \"Gone Girl\" during the 52nd New York Film Festival at Alice Tully Hall on September 26, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images North America
2014 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Graydon Carter - Arrivals

Star power

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - MARCH 02: Actors Ben Affleck (L) and Jennifer Garner attend the 2014 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter on March 2, 2014 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images North America
US-DRC-POLITICS-KERRY

Up on The Hill

Oscar-winning actor Ben Affleck(L) and former Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold(C), now a Special Envoy to DRC, meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry on the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC), February 26, 2014, at Secretary Kerry's office at the State Department in Washington,DC. AFP PHOTO/Paul J. Richards (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)
Paul J. Richards / AFP
Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck and Gemma Arterton in 20th Century Fox's Runner, Runner (2013)

'Runner, Runner'

Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck and Gemma Arterton in 20th Century Fox's Runner, Runner (2013)
Image: BESTPIX - Premiere Of Twentieth Century Fox And New Regency's \"Runner Runner\" - Red Carpet

Men of the moment

LAS VEGAS, NV - SEPTEMBER 18: Actor/director Ben Affleck (L) and singer/actor Justin Timberlake arrive at the world premiere of Twentieth Century Fox and New Regency's film \"Runner Runner\" at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on September 18, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Ethan Miller / Getty Images North America
Image:

'Argo'

Claire Folger / Warner Bros.
Image: 85th Annual Academy Awards - Press Room

Very best

HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 24: Actor-producer-director Ben Affleck, winner of the Best Picture award for \"Argo,\" poses in the press room during the Oscars held at Loews Hollywood Hotel on February 24, 2013 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Jason Merritt / Getty Images North America
Image: Ben Affleck accepts the award for outstanding cast in a motion picture for \"Argo\" at the 19th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles

Group effort

Ben Affleck accepts the award for outstanding cast in a motion picture for \"Argo\" at the 19th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, California January 27, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) (SAGAWARDS-SHOW)
Lucy Nicholson / X90050
Ben Affleck Receives An Honorary Degree At Brown University's 245th Commencement

Honorary degree

PROVIDENCE, RI - MAY 26: In this handout photo provided by Brown University, actor/director Ben Affleck receives an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Brown University at the 245th Commencement ceremony on May 26, 2013 in Providence, Rhode Island. (Photo by Mike Cohea/Brown University via Getty Images)
Handout / Getty Images North America

Life in 'The Town'

Claire Folger
US actor Ben Affleck testifies on the De

Speaking his mind

US actor Ben Affleck testifies on the Democratic Republic of Congo before the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Africa, Global Health and Human Rights Subcommittee during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, March 8, 2011. Actor turned Africa advocate Affleck warned US lawmakers that cutting foreign aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo could push the vast central African country back into war. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
Saul Loeb / AFP
Image: Lancia On The Red Carpet At 67th Venice Film Festival: September 8, 2010

'Town' residents

VENICE, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 08: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm and Jeremy Renner attend the 'The Town' premiere during the 67th Venice Film Festival at the Sala Grande Palazzo Del Cinema on September 8, 2010 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)
Vittorio Zunino Celotto / Getty Images Europe
Image: The Town - Premiere:67th Venice Film Festival

King of Boston

VENICE, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 08: Actor Ben Affleck attends the 'The Town' Premiere during the 67th Venice Film Festival at the Sala Grande Palazzo Del Cinema on September 8, 2010 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images Europe
Spike TV's \"Guys Choice\" - Show

One of the Guys

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 05: Actor Ben Affleck speaks onstage during Spike TV's 4th Annual \"Guys Choice Awards\" held at Sony Studios on June 5, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. \"Guys Choice\" premieres June 20, 2010 at 10PM ET/PT on Spike. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ben Affleck
Kevin Winter / Getty Images North America
Children Mending Hearts 3rd Annual \"Peace Please\" Gala

Give peace a chance

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 16: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Actor Ben Affleck onstage during the Children Mending Hearts 3rd Annual \"Peace Please\" Gala held at The Music Box at the Fonda Hollywood on April 16, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Children Mending Hearts) *** Local Caption *** Ben Affleck
Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images North America
Image: Ben Affleck Founder Of The Eastern Congo Initiative Visits Goma

With fame and wealth comes responsibility

GOMA, CONGO - MARCH 18: In this handout photograph provided by HEAL Africa, Ben Affleck (R), Founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative, meets with community-based healthcare leaders and survivors of sexual violence at HEAL Africa on March 18, 2010 in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). (Photo by Barbara Kinney/HEAL Africa via Getty Images)
Handout / Getty Images Europe
Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck

In a 'State'

In this film publicity still released by Universal Pictures, Russell Crowe, right, and Ben Affleck are shown in a scene from \"State of Play.\" (AP Photo/Universal Pictures, Glen Wilson) ** NO SALES **
Glen Wilson / Universal Pictures
BEN AFFLECK

Return to Congo

US actor Ben Affleck walks through a camp for displaced people, Wednesday Nov. 19, 2008, near Kibati just north of Goma in eastern Congo. Affleck is currently in Congo on his fourth trip over the last year, hoping to understand firsthand one of the world's worst humanitarian crises of this century. (AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)
Karel Prinsloo / AP
Ben Affleck

Heart in the right place

Ben Affleck arrives at the Children Mending Hearts event honoring International Medical Corps in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
Matt Sayles / AP
Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck

Jen and Ben

In this image released by Warner Bros. Pictures, Jennifer Aniston, left, and Ben Affleck are shown in a scene from the New Line Cinema film, \"He's Just Not That Into You.\" (AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Darren Michaels) ** NO SALES **MOVIESTILL
Darren Michaels / New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. Pic
Celebrity Sightings In New York City - October 13, 2007

Family man

NEW YORK - OCTOBER 13: Actor Ben Affleck and wife actress Jennifer Garner sighting walking with daughter Violet on Octoner 13 2007 in New York City, NY (Photo by Marcel Thomas/FilmMagic)
Marcel Thomas / FilmMagic
Image: Ben Affleck.

On the campaign trail

Oscar winner Ben Affleck addresses the media at a nightclub where he and his actor wife, Jennifer Garner, host event for the Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, Sunday, March 16, 2008, in Boston. (AP Photo/Bizuayehu Tesfaye)
Bizuayehu Tesfaye / AP

Behind the lens

HOLLYWOODLAND (2006) A uniquely compelling exploration of fame and identity. The drama, inspired by one of Hollywood's most infamous real-life mysteries, follows a 1950s private detective (Academy Award winner Adrien Brody) who, investigating the mysterious death of \"Superman\" star George Reeves (Academy Award winner Ben Affleck), uncovers unexpected connections to his own life as the case turns ever more personal. The torrid affair Reeves had with the wife (Academy Award nominee Diane Lane) of a studio executive (Academy Award nominee Bob Hoskins) might hold the key to the truth.

Back on track

HOLLYWOODLAND (2006) A uniquely compelling exploration of fame and identity. The drama, inspired by one of Hollywood's most infamous real-life mysteries, follows a 1950s private detective (Academy Award winner Adrien Brody) who, investigating the mysterious death of \"Superman\" star George Reeves (Academy Award winner Ben Affleck), uncovers unexpected connections to his own life as the case turns ever more personal. The torrid affair Reeves had with the wife (Academy Award nominee Diane Lane) of a studio executive (Academy Award nominee Bob Hoskins) might hold the key to the truth.
Drew Latham (BEN AFFLECK, right) is unaware that he is about to get a rather cold Christmas greeting from Tom Valco (JAMES GANDOLFINI)

Lump of coal

Drew Latham (BEN AFFLECK, right) is unaware that he is about to get a rather cold Christmas greeting from Tom Valco (JAMES GANDOLFINI)
US actor Ben Affleck, 31, entertains the

For the troops

ARABIAN GULF, AT SEA: US actor Ben Affleck, 31, entertains the crew of the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) warship currently conducting missions in the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, 22 December 2003. AFP PHOTO/Adam JAN (Photo credit should read ADAM JAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Adam Jan / AFP
Arrest Warrant Issued For Ben Affleck After Alleged Threats

End of the road

Actor Ben Affleck rides a horse carriage with co-star Jennifer Lopez during the filming of \"Jersey Girl\" November 7, 2002 in New York City.
Arnaldo Magnani / Getty Images North America
Daredevil (2003)
He dwells in a world of external night--but the blackness is filled with sounds and scents, tastes and textures that most cannot perceive. Although attorney Matt Murdock is blind, his other four senses function with superhuman sharpness. By day, Murdock represents the downtrodden. At night he is Daredevil, a masked vigilante stalking the dark streets of the city, a relentless avenger of justice.

Opposites attract

Daredevil (2003) He dwells in a world of external night--but the blackness is filled with sounds and scents, tastes and textures that most cannot perceive. Although attorney Matt Murdock is blind, his other four senses function with superhuman sharpness. By day, Murdock represents the downtrodden. At night he is Daredevil, a masked vigilante stalking the dark streets of the city, a relentless avenger of justice.
Gigli 2003 Larry Gigli, a lowly hit man in Los Angeles, who is looking to finally score big, lands the perfect \"job\"--or so he thinks. He is assigned to kidnap Brian, the psychologically challenged younger brother of a powerful federal prosecutor, in order to save his mobster boss from incarceration.

A new low

Gigli 2003 Larry Gigli, a lowly hit man in Los Angeles, who is looking to finally score big, lands the perfect \"job\"--or so he thinks. He is assigned to kidnap Brian, the psychologically challenged younger brother of a powerful federal prosecutor, in order to save his mobster boss from incarceration.
PEARL HARBOR (2001) On a sleepy Sunday morning in December as children played and families prayed, squadrons of Japanese war planes screamed across the skies of a Hawaiian paradise and launched a surprise attack on the U.S. armed forces at Pearl Harbor--the infamous day that jolted America from peaceful isolationism to total war and altered the course of world history.

Bombs away

PEARL HARBOR (2001) On a sleepy Sunday morning in December as children played and families prayed, squadrons of Japanese war planes screamed across the skies of a Hawaiian paradise and launched a surprise attack on the U.S. armed forces at Pearl Harbor--the infamous day that jolted America from peaceful isolationism to total war and altered the course of world history.
Academy Award winning actor Ben Affleck (L) testif

Doing his part

WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES: Academy Award winning actor Ben Affleck (L) testifies with Joe Kindregan, who is suffering from the fatal disease ataxia-telangiectasia, on Capitol Hill before the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services and Education 11 July 2001 regarding human genome research. Affleck urged lawmakers and private citizens in his testimony to support increased funding for National Institute of Health (NIH) research into the fatal disease of ataxia-telangiectasia (AT) and other rare diseases. AFP PHOTO Paul J. RICHARDS (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)
Paul J. Richards / AFP
Ben Affleck and Giovanni Ribisi in New Line Cinema''s drama,\"Boiler Room\"  Set in the backwaters of New York's financial world, Seth Davis, a young college dropout, is eager to prove his worth to his demanding an disapproving father. When he stumbles upon a shady brokerage firm in Long Island that's making a killing in stock market sales, he sees it as his chance to shine.

'Room' service

Ben Affleck and Giovanni Ribisi in New Line Cinema''s drama,\"Boiler Room\" Set in the backwaters of New York's financial world, Seth Davis, a young college dropout, is eager to prove his worth to his demanding an disapproving father. When he stumbles upon a shady brokerage firm in Long Island that's making a killing in stock market sales, he sees it as his chance to shine.
David Lee
Bounce Movie Stills

Serious turn

382627 05: Actors Ben Affleck, as Buddy Amaral, a hot shot urban ad executive, and Gwyneth Paltrow as Abby Janello, a struggling single mom, act in a scene from Don Ross'' \"Bounce.\"
1998 (L To R) Steve Buscemi, Will Patton, Bruce Willis, Michael Duncan, Ben Affleck, And Owen Wilson Star In \"Armageddon.\"  An oil driller and his crew are hired to rocket out to a gigantic asteroid and blow it up before it slams into the Earth.

Saving the world

1998 (L To R) Steve Buscemi, Will Patton, Bruce Willis, Michael Duncan, Ben Affleck, And Owen Wilson Star In \"Armageddon.\" An oil driller and his crew are hired to rocket out to a gigantic asteroid and blow it up before it slams into the Earth.
5th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards - Press Room

'Love' story

Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck at the 5th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California 1999 Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Jim Smeal / WireImage
Shakespeare in Love (1998) A young and broke Shakespeare falls in love with a woman, inspiring him to write \"Romeo and Juliet.\"

All the world's his stage

Shakespeare in Love (1998) A young and broke Shakespeare falls in love with a woman, inspiring him to write \"Romeo and Juliet.\"
Oscar winners Matt Damon (L) and Ben Affleck hold

The 'Will' to succeed

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 23: Oscar winners Matt Damon (L) and Ben Affleck hold the awards they won for best original screenplay for the film \"Good Will Hunting\" which the two wrote during the 70th Annual Academy Awards 23 March in Los Angeles. (Photo credit should read HAL GARB/AFP/Getty Images)
Hal Garb / AFP
Good Will Hunting is a 1997 film directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who both star in the film. Set in Boston, Massachusetts, it tells the story of Will Hunting (Damon), a troubled prodigy who works as a janitor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, despite the fact that his knowledge of and facility with higher mathematics far outstrips that of anyone in the university. Will must learn to overcome his deep fear of abandonment in order to learn how to trust and love the people who care about him. Good Will Hunting is the story of a young man and his struggle with both himself and personal relationships, trying to work through his problems so that he can open up to others, and begin putting his immeasurable intellectual potential to work.

Big break

Good Will Hunting is a 1997 film directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who both star in the film. Set in Boston, Massachusetts, it tells the story of Will Hunting (Damon), a troubled prodigy who works as a janitor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, despite the fact that his knowledge of and facility with higher mathematics far outstrips that of anyone in the university. Will must learn to overcome his deep fear of abandonment in order to learn how to trust and love the people who care about him. Good Will Hunting is the story of a young man and his struggle with both himself and personal relationships, trying to work through his problems so that he can open up to others, and begin putting his immeasurable intellectual potential to work.
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