ARGO

BEN AFFLECK (Tony Mendez / Director / Producer) has been recognized for his work as an actor, writer, director, and producer.

Affleck made his directorial debut in 2007 with the feature "Gone Baby Gone," for which he won several critics groups' awards, including the Best Directorial Debut Award from the National Board of Review. He also won the Breakthrough Director of the Year Award at the 2007 Hollywood Film Festival. Ben also co-wrote the screenplay for the film, adapted from the Dennis Lehane novel.

In 2010, he directed and starred in "The Town," in addition to co-writing the screenplay. The film was named a Movie of the Year by the American Film Institute (AFI), and the cast won the National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble. In addition, Affleck earned a Writers Guild of America Award nomination for "The Town," which also brought Oscar , Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations to Jeremy Renner. Also in 2010, Affleck starred alongside Tommy Lee Jones in John Wells' drama "The Company Men."

This summer, Affleck shot a starring role in "Runner, Runner," directed by Brad Furman and slated for release next year. He is next set to direct a film about notorious Boston mobster Whitey Bulger, in which he and Matt Damon will star. The film will be produced by their production company, Pearl Street Films.

Affleck first came to prominence in 1997 with the acclaimed "Good Will Hunting," which he starred in and co-wrote with Matt Damon. For their work, they won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, as well as a Golden Globe Award and Humanitas Prize. The following year, Affleck starred in John Madden's Academy Award -winning "Shakespeare in Love," winning a SAG Award as part of the ensemble cast.

His subsequent film credits include "Armageddon" and "Pearl Harbor," both directed by Michael Bay; "Forces of Nature"; Ben Younger's "Boiler Room"; Roger Michell's "Changing Lanes": "The Sum of All Fears"; the screen adaptation of Marvel Comics' "Daredevil"; Kevin Smith's "Jersey Girl"; and Kevin Macdonald's "State of Play."

In 2006, Affleck earned widespread praise for his portrayal of ill-fated actor George Reeves in the noir drama "Hollywoodland." The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where Affleck won the coveted Volpi Award for Best Actor. He also received Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Award nominations for Best Actor, as well as the Best Actor Award at the Hollywood Film Festival. Affleck appeared in the ensemble casts of "Extract" and "He's Just Not That Into You," and starred in Kevin Macdonald's crime thriller "State of Play," alongside Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren and Rachel McAdams.

In 2000, Affleck partnered with Matt Damon, Chris Moore and Sean Bailey to form LivePlanet, Inc. Their first endeavor, "Project Greenlight," aired on HBO and drew critical, audience and industry attention for its behind-the-scenes look at the challenges faced by a first-time filmmaker. The second season of "Project Greenlight" aired on HBO at the beginning of 2003, with a third season on Bravo. All three series were nominated for Emmy Awards.

In addition to his successful film career, Affleck is also a passionate advocate and philanthropist. In March 2010, he founded the Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI), an advocacy and grant-making initiative with the mission of helping the Congolese people support local community-based approaches that create a sustainable and successful society in the long-troubled region. ECI is the first U.S.-based advocacy and grant-making initiative wholly focused on working with and for the people of eastern Congo. Affleck is also a longtime political activist and strong supporter of many charitable organizations, such as Feeding America, Paralyzed Veterans of America, A-T Children's Project and The Jimmy Fund.

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