ben

Ruggedly handsome and boyishly charming, Ben Affleck has won over audiences in a variety of diverse roles -- ranging from an indie film slacker to big-budget action hero. Uplifted onscreen by his ceaseless screen charisma and his tremendous crossover appeal, Affleck has risen from the depths of small, ensemble films to become one of the major superstars of his generation.
Affleck grew up in Boston with best friend and fellow actor Matt Damon. The two would eventually end up in Hollywood together, where they were cast in 1992's School Ties, a prep school ensemble drama starring Brendan Fraser as a student harassed by his fellow students because of his Jewish faith. While Damon had a significant role as Fraser's main tormentor, Affleck had a smaller role with hardly any speaking lines. The role did, however, eventually lead to two other Gen-X youth fests, Richard Linklater's much praised Dazed and Confused, a film as equally lauded as School Ties for its big name cast on the brink of stardom, and Kevin Smith's much-maligned sophomore effort, Mallrats.
   Though Mallrats, a film for which the director himself has apologized, was a flop, it did lead to a much more fortuitous collaboration of director Kevin Smith and Affleck, Chasing Amy. An independent smash with critics and audiences, Chasing Amy cast Affleck as Holden, a comic book writer in love with a lesbian (Joey Lauren Adams). Complicating his romance is his best friend and comic book partner, played by Jason Lee, who develops a jealousy of the girl. All three actors (who were all survivors of Mallrats), turned in terrific performances. Affleck especially turned in a wonderful performance of a young man caught between his sensibilities, the woman he loves, and the friend he unwittingly begins to turn away.
Before Chasing Amy opened, Affleck and best friend Matt Damon assessed their serious lack of roles and decided to rectify the situation by writing their own script with them as the leads. They shopped the script around to various studios before landing at Miramax, who was persuaded by director Kevin Smith to take a second look at Damon and Affleck's script. Until now, no other studio had been willing to make the film with the two relatively unknown actors as the stars, but Miramax agreed. Damon was cast in the leading role of the mathematical genius wasting his life away in South Boston and Affleck took on the part of his best friend.
The film, of course, was Good Will Hunting, and the story of how it came to be is now a virtual Hollywood legend; a legend that is enhanced by the film's ultimate amazing progress as the most successful Miramax film ever and its impressive nine Academy Award nominations. In a perfect Hollywood ending, best friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck went on to win both Golden Globes and Oscars for their Good Will Hunting screenplay.
   All of this was much deserved, as Good Will Hunting was a wonderful movie with excellent performances by the entire cast (which included Robin Williams and Minnie Driver). Though Affleck was largely overshadowed by leading man Damon and Oscar-winner Williams, his outstanding turn as Chuckie, the best friend who ultimately grants his pal the freedom to leave his roots and pursue his dreams and ambitions, gave Good Will Hunting some of its best and most memorable moments.
   The film made Affleck a superstar, a label made permanent by his next big film, the Michael Bay-Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster Armageddon. Starring Bruce Willis, Armageddon was the second asteroid-colliding-with-Earth movie that year (following DreamWorks' Deep Impact), and the slightly more successful of the two. In it, a group of oil-rig drillers are sent up into space to drill explosives into the heart of the Texas-size rock heading for the planet. Largely a special-effects driven film, Armageddon did boast an impressive list of acting talent; including Steve Buscemi, Billy Bob Thornton, Owen Wilson, and Liv Tyler (in the role of Willis' daughter). Affleck played A.J., the cocky young upstart fighting the crustier Bruce Willis for both his respect and the opportunity to love his daughter.
   That fall, Affleck appeared in a small part in another Oscar-winning film, Shakespeare in Love. Affleck played a bombastic actor hamming it up at the Globe theater in the era of Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth. The film starred Gwyneth Paltrow, who prior to the film's release, had dated Affleck for nearly a year. Their relationship became prominent fodder for Hollywood gossip, and their breakup raised many eyebrows. Many held their doubts, however, as the two appeared frequently in public together, and even signed on to star as romantic leads in another film. Though they've never publicly admitted to getting back together or to be permanently broken up, Ben and Gwyneth remain a much-talked-about couple around Hollywood and in gossip columns.
Affleck has continued his career on a track that nicely balances potential box office hits with smaller, independent films, and has done so with mixed results. He co-starred as a doubting groom in Forces of Nature with Sandra Bullock. The film was a moderate box office success, and also gained some unwanted notoriety after co-star David Strickland committed suicide over the opening weekend. His next box office attempt, John Frankenheimer's Reindeer Games opened to mostly tepid reviews and an uninterested moviegoing audience.
   Between those films, Affleck re-united with buddy Matt Damon and director Kevin Smith in Dogma, a dark religious satire that stirred the ire of Catholic groups and its releasing studio. Disney, attacked by conservative religious groups for another Miramax film, Priest, got cold feet and sold the film to the Weinstein brothers, who in turn, sold it to Lion's Gate (who were already getting attacked for American Psycho). The film followed two fallen angels (Affleck and Damon) trying to get their way back into heaven through a loophole found in Catholic dogma. The film's irreverent humor and violent ending was unfairly attacked mostly by people who hadn't bothered to see it or read the screenplay. But their criticism only served to pique curiosity in the film, coupled with the star power of Affleck and Damon, pushed the film to a respectable box office gross.
   Despite the deflated box office of Reindeer Games, Affleck remains one of the hottest properties of Young Hollywood. His asking price per film has risen north of $10 million, and his charming, masculine presence appeals to both female and male moviegoers. Add in his blockbuster successes, and it's virtually guaranteed that the offers for many choice parts for young male actors Ben Affleck's age in Hollywood would be his to lose rather than his to find.
Next up for Ben Affleck -- Affleck stars with Gwyneth Paltrow in Don Roos' romantic drama Bounce. This film casts Affleck as an air traveler who switches his seat with another passenger, only to watch the guy die when the plane crashes. Ruined by guilt, he seeks out the man's widow (Paltrow), only to fall in love with her. Affleck also stars with Luke Wilson and Denise Richards in The Third Wheel, a comedy in which Wilson and Affleck are sidetracked by a con man as they attempt to get Wilson to his date with the girl of his dreams. In addition to co-starring, Affleck will co-executive produce with Matt Damon through their own film comapny. The Third Wheel will be released through Miramax. Also look for Affleck in a small role in Billy Bob Thorton's upcoming film Daddy and Them. Finally, Affleck stars with Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale in Michael Bay's World War II epic Pearl Harbor. The film centers around two best friends who fall in love with the same young woman at the outset of America's entry into World War II. Set against a backdrop that centers around a re-creation of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, Pearl Harbor is one of the most expensive films ever green-lit. Also starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., Alec Baldwin, James King, Jon Voight, Matthew Davis, Jennifer Garner, and Tom Sizemore, Pearl Harbor is due in theaters around Memorial Day 2001.
Born: August 15, 1972