Ben Affleck was born in Berkeley, California, to Christine Anne Boldt and Timothy Byers Affleck. He grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he formed a lasting friendship with his neighbor Matt Damon.

Affleck began his acting career as a child, appearing in the PBS educational program "The Voyage of the Mimi" and later in the TV movie "Hands of a Stranger" (1987) and "The Second Voyage of the Mimi" (1988).

Affleck gained attention for playing a high-school senior in Richard Linklater's cult film "Dazed and Confused", which marked a significant turning point in his career.

Affleck co-wrote the script and starred with Matt Damon in Gus Van Sant's drama film "Good Will Hunting", for which they won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Affleck starred in Michael Bay's top-grossing science fiction film "Armageddon", which marked his transformation into a bona fide movie star and opened the door to bigger opportunities.

Affleck co-founded the production company LivePlanet, which produced the television series "Project Greenlight" (2001–05, 2015), providing training to first-time filmmakers.

Affleck made his feature film directorial debut with "Gone Baby Gone", a thriller adapted from the Dennis Lehane novel, which was critically praised.

Affleck directed and starred in the political thriller "Argo", which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and he won the Golden Globe and BAFTA for Best Director.

Affleck starred as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the superhero films "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Justice League", reprising the role in "Zack Snyder's Justice League" (2021).

Affleck gave praise-worthy performances in "The Way Back" (2020) as a recovering alcoholic, "The Last Duel" (2021) which he also co-wrote, and "The Tender Bar" (2021), earning a Golden Globe nomination.

Affleck returned to direction with the acclaimed sports drama "Air" (2023), in which he also portrayed Phil Knight.