Posted on March 3, 2016 by Dustin Clendenen
Ben Affleck’s path to becoming a household name and A-list actor hasn’t followed the usual formula. Affleck’s career started strong with the indie-hit Good Will Hunting, for which he won the Academy Award for best screenplay with his best friend and fellow tinseltown elite, Matt Damon. The win elevated his profile and led to bigger onscreen roles. Two decades and dozens of high-profile credits later, Affleck is suiting up as Batman
From his reputation as one of People’s Sexiest Men Alive to his Oscar-winning work behind the camera, PrettyFamous identified 27 facts that showcase the wide range of Affleck’s background, endeavors and accomplishments. We put them in numerical order from smallest to largest to count up the facts and figures that define the celebrated Hollywood mogul.
1 Sibling
Ben’s little brother, Casey Affleck, has been a frequent collaborator of Ben, Matt Damon and Gus Van Sant, but could hardly be accused of riding his sibling’s coattails. In 2007, he was nominated for an Academy Award
1 Time
In 2002, Affleck was named People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive
2 Academy Awards
Affleck has yet to take home any golden statues for acting, but that hasn’t stopped him from having two Oscars on his mantle. In 1998 he shared the Oscar for best screenplay with co-scribe and best friend Matt Damon
3 Children
Less than six months after their wedding in 2005, Jennifer Garner gave birth to Violet in December of that year. In January 2009, the second Affleck daughter, Seraphina, was born, followed by their first son, Samuel, in February 2012.
3 High-Profile Relationships
Before establishing his high-profile family with Jennifer Garner, Affleck had two other major relationships that attracted a lot of limelight. Starting in 1997, Affleck had a three year relationship with fellow Shakespeare in Love star Gwenyth Paltrow. From 2002 to 2004, he was one half of the tabloid-christened Bennifer relationship he had with Jennifer Lopez, to whom he was also engaged.
4 Director Credits
In 2007, Affleck helmed Gone Baby Gone as a first-time director, and it premiered with an impressive 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. His third feature film, Argo, won him an Oscar in 2013, and his fourth, Live By Night, is currently in post-production. He’s also directing the soon-to-debut Batman reboot.
6 Films Produced By Project Greenlight
In 2001, Affleck and Damon began co-producing the on-again, off-again reality show Project Greenlight, showing a close-up, behind-the-scenes look at making an independent feature film. Six films have been spawned through the show’s run, including Shia LaBeouf’s breakthrough film, The Battle of Shaker Heights.
6 Feet, 3.5 Inches
Many Hollywood stars are notoriously short, but Affleck towers over the average American man at 6 feet, 3 ½ inches tall. This also makes him the tallest Batman to don the black cape on film so far.
8 Producer Credits
Project Greenlight has been just as good for Affleck’s career as the Hollywood aspirants featured on the show.
The star got his first producing credit on the show’s inaugural cinema offering, Stolen Summer, and also produced The Battle of Shaker Heights and Feast. He was later able to negotiate a producing credit for Argo, and will be a producer on the upcoming Batman reboot he’s directing.
9 Awards for Argo
When Affleck directed Argo, he didn’t just establish himself as one of the best new directors in Hollywood, he wiped the floor with the competition.
Overall, he received 10 nominations for his work on the film, and won nine of them, including best picture at the 2013 Academy Awards.
20 Years Old
Affleck was only 20 when he got his first lead role in a film as prep-school elite Chesty Smith in 1992’s School Ties. This was his first movie with lifelong collaborator Matt Damon, and started one of the most lucrative partnerships in modern-day Hollywood.
25 Charities
Over the course of his career, Affleck has donated his money, time and image to more than 25 charities, including Feeding America, GLAAD and the UNHCR. In 2010, Ben founded the Eastern Congo Initiative, a grant-making and advocacy non-profit focused on investing in and supporting the people of eastern Congo.
25 Years Old
Affleck’s mid-20s were an incredibly lucrative time for the actor. At 25, he co-wrote and starred with Matt Damon in the critically acclaimed Good Will Hunting. The duo took home the Academy Award for best screenplay and entered the upper echelon of Hollywood.
43 Years Old
Currently 43 years old, the multi-talented star might just be getting started as a Hollywood producer, writer, director and actor. He was born Aug. 15, 1972.
43 Twitter Mentions
Affleck is incredibly passionate about his nonprofit, the Eastern Congo Initiative. To date, 43 tweets from @BenAffleck have drawn attention to his charity organization and its cause.
49 Nominations
Affleck’s most critically acclaimed film was Shakespeare In Love, which launched the career of Gwenyth Paltrow and was nominated for 49 awards. The success ratio wasn’t as high as Argo, but the film garnered 26 wins.
51 Acting Credits
Affleck has been working for a long time, appearing on the screen in 51 roles: 46 have been in films and five have been for television.
60 Percent
Based on 45 films Affleck has appeared in since the 1980s, 60 percent of them have featured him as a lead character. In a growing number of these films, he’s also wearing the hats of director and producer.
97 Percent
To date, Affleck’s highest rated film on Rotten Tomatoes was Good Will Hunting, which garnered a high 97 percent. It’s no surprise the film won him the Academy Award for best screenplay and solidified his status as a Hollywood A-lister.
150 Guest Appearances
Being as successful as Ben Affleck requires a lot of talent, but it also requires a lot of promotion. The star has appeared as a guest on shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live, Saturday Night Live and Good Morning America over 150 times, according to IMDb. A significant number of them have been with lifelong pal Matt Damon.
$2,700
Throughout his career, Affleck has been incredibly outspoken about his political views. He is a Democrat and staunch supporter of Hillary Clinton. He has donated $2,700 to her campaign, the maximum amount any individual can give.
$100,000
Acting perks apparently aren’t what they used to be. When Affleck told producers he wanted to keep the suit he donned in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, he was told it would cost him $100,000, according to MovieFone.com. He declined the costly opportunity to take it home.
887K Facebook Likes
Affleck is one of the most successful people in Hollywood, and has approximately 887,000 Facebook followers. This might seem low, given his long list of onscreen credits and award nominations, but George Clooney has a similar follower count and Matt Damon has fewer.
2.2 Million Twitter Followers
Affleck is faring much better on Twitter than Facebook, with roughly 2.2 million followers. This is surprising, given how inactive he is on the platform. In spite of having the handle @BenAffleck since 2011, he’s posted fewer than 300 tweets.
$45 Million
Unsurprisingly, as Affleck and Garner close down their marriage, they’re also putting the Pacific Palisades compound where they’ve raised their family on the market. The rumored asking price is $45 million, after they purchased the home for $17.55 million in 2009, according to Variety.
Rumor has it that this beloved Hollywood couple might be looking to reconcile, however. The tabloids, and time, will tell.
$75 Million
Over the course of his illustrious career as an actor, director, producer and screenwriter, Affleck has amassed an impressive net worth of $75 million, according to The Richest.
$1.9 Million
In all the films Affleck has starred in since 1992’s School Ties, the total U.S. box-office gross is a mind-blowing $1.8 billion, according to BoxOfficeMojo. After the newest Batman remake comes out on March 25, another billion dollars will easily be added to this total by the end of the year.
