Talented actor, writer, and director Benjamin Geza Affleck (1972–) was born on this day in Berkeley, California, and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He won the Academy Award for Good Will Hunting (1997), co-written with best friend Matt Damon.

“A little overwhelming for two guys who never even won a raffle,” Affleck joked. “It's not like we're the Wonder Twins or anything.”

In 2000, he and Damon launched Project Greenlight, an online competition to support amateur screenwriters and produce winning entries into feature films.

Affleck’s diverse film credits include Armageddon, Shakespeare in Love, and Dogma. His blend of good looks and humility won fans, including a 1999 Cosmopolitan poll and a spot on People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” list in 2000.

About fame, he once said, “I've finally learnt how to say: ‘No comment.’ To appear in the tabloids is a real learning curve and a steep one at that.”

From Red Sox baseball to politics and poker, the multi-faceted star values staying grounded. “Professional acting is such a tenuous game… You can feel like a pro one minute and be unemployed the next.” Today, his philosophy still resonates: humor is a kind of armor and light that helps us move forward.