Ben Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is a celebrated American actor and filmmaker who rose from a child actor on the PBS series The Voyage of the Mimi to win an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay alongside Matt Damon for Good Will Hunting (1997). After starring in major blockbusters like Armageddon (1998) and Pearl Harbor (2001), he made a successful directorial debut with Gone Baby Gone (2007) and achieved his greatest critical acclaim directing and starring in Argo (2012), which won the Academy Award and BAFTA for Best Picture. He later took on the iconic role of Batman in the DC Extended Universe (2016–2023) and continued to star in hits like Gone Girl (2014) and The Accountant (2016), while also directing the critically praised Air (2023). Beyond Hollywood, he co-founded the nonprofit Eastern Congo Initiative and co-owns the production company Artists Equity with Damon, cementing his status as a powerful industry figure. His personal life has been shaped by a challenging childhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where his father struggled with severe alcoholism, a background that has influenced both his acting and humanitarian work.