Ben
Affleck

Ben Affleck made his name as a leading man and then reinvented his career off camera, establishing himself as a celebrated director and producer nearly two decades after he first achieved stardom. Brushing aside the tabloid scandals and box-office flops of the past, the Oscar winner has proven to be a tenacious talent who’s found his mid-career stride at the helm of critically acclaimed hits.

Affleck’s dramatic turnaround reflects the maturity of a multi-talented star whose precocious early success perhaps came too soon. A naturally low-key actor on the screen, he’s displayed a cool and steady hand as a director. While DC Comics entrusted to him the role of the caped crusader in its latest “Batman” reboot, Affleck is not going to direct the franchise’s next standalone feature as originally planned, handing off the assignment to Matt Reeves.

Born in Berkeley, CA, the Cambridge transplant had his breakthrough in 1997’s “Good Will Hunting,” when he won a screenplay Oscar alongside co-writer and -star Matt Damon. Despite his sudden stardom, the actor followed with a string of critical and commercial failures. He revived his career as director of the acclaimed 2007 thriller “Gone Baby Gone.” In 2012 he produced, directed and starred in “Argo,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.