Ben Affleck's Net Worth Is $150 Million

Ben Affleck is an actor, film producer, film director, and screenwriter who was born on August 15, 1972 in Berkeley, California. Affleck has been in the entertainment industry since he was a child, and the work he has done for the past 41 years has allowed him to become a millionaire. Affording to various sources, currently Ben Affleck net worth is $150 million. Here is an overview of how Affleck has been able to attain his wealth.

Ben Affleck’s Early Years

Ben Affleck grew up in Massachusetts and was raised predominantly by his mother, as his father suffered from severe alcoholism and was not present emotionally for the family. Ben’s father was there physically, but he was difficult to get along with and almost never worked. Affleck was relieved when, at age 11, his parents divorced and his father moved out of the family home. Affleck’s father did become sober, after entering into a rehabilitation program that he opted to live at and becoming a drug and alcohol abuse counselor. This kept Affeck’s father sober.

After regularly attending film and other types of art performances with his mother, Ben Affleck and his younger brother, Casey Affleck, were both deemed to have great potential for acting and fine arts by some of the people they came into contact with. As a result, their mother began taking them on auditions from the time they were very young. Affleck also traveled to Mexico as a child, where he filmed a Mexican children’s program.

Ben Affleck met Matt Damon, who is also currently a millionaire actor and director, while attending “Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School “in Massachusetts. The two became close very quickly, as they realized that they both aspired to become actors. They opened a joint bank account and saved money for traveling to the many auditions that they went to.

Ben Affleck’s Early Years in Acting

Ben Affleck appeared in a number of films and commercials as a child, and his mother saved all his wages for him in a cookie jar, hoping that he’d become a teacher one day and that the money would pay for his college education. His mother didn’t believe that acting was a reliable career that could allow a person to earn a living. Affleck’s first starring role was in 1995, when he acted in a college drama titled “Glory Daze.” “Glory Daze” was very low in reception, and received very low earnings at the box office. However, Affleck didn’t make a real breakthrough into the industry until he starred in the movie “Chasing Amy” in 1997. Despite the fact that Affleck performed exceptionally well in the movie, he didn’t start making the big bucks until subsequent films.

Good Will Hunting

“Good Will Hunting” was a 1997 movie that Ben Affleck co-wrote along with good friend Matt Damon. Affleck and Damon also starred in the film, and Affleck was paid $300,000 for co-writing the screenplay. This film was highly rated by critics and audiences, and it helped Ben Affleck to become the highly-regarded celebrity he is today.

Ben Affleck as an Excellent Leading Man

The movie “Armageddon,” which was released in 1998, was the movie that really determined that Ben Affleck made an excellent leading man. Although he was required to lose weight, undergo some dental work, and tan prior to filming, he met those requirements and became one of the best leading men ever. This film, which was directed by Michael Bay, quickly became very popular, even winning two awards. This was truly a career-changing film that enabled Ben Affleck to dramatically improve his status in the world of acting and Hollywood.

Ben Affleck’s Status Diminshes

From approximately 2003 – 2005, Ben Affleck’s prominence in Hollywood began to decline. Not only did Affleck star in some films that weren’t as popular as expected, but many viewers voiced the fact that they were tired of hearing about Ben Affleck, as he was “overrated.” These few “bad” years likely had a very significant impact on the actor’s net worth.

Affleck Makes a Comeback in 2006 and Beyond

Ben Affleck didn’t allow a few bad years to cause him to end his career, and in 2006, he made a huge comeback. Not only did Affleck begin directing films, but he also starred in roles that were so popular that he began earning $10 million or more per film. In fact, one of his highly paying roles was for the movie “Paycheck,” for which he earned $15 million.

Some other notable films for which he was paid at least $10 million were “Pearl Harbor,” “Changing Lanes,” Daredevil,” and many more. Although Affleck earned a whopping $25 million for the movie “Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice,” which contributed significantly to his current net worth.

Step-Down from all Acting, Directing, Etc. and Alcoholism

Obviously, Ben Affleck has inherited his father’s alcoholism, because he, too, suffers from this horrible condition. In fact, not only does alcoholism run in his family, but mental illness does, as well. As a result of a relapse, after being sober for some time, Ben Affleck decided to step down from working, which included acting, directing, producing, and more. This is how Robert Pattinson was able to become the new “Batman” in the movie “The Batman,” because Affleck no longer desired the role.

Affleck’s alcoholism first became a problem when he was quite young, and at the age of 15, his mother sent him to a program for at-risk teens. Years later, Affleck publicly admitted that alcohol was a real problem for him, and he became sober in his 20’s.

Possible Gambling Addiction

Another possible blow to Ben Affleck’s net worth is a gambling addiction that he denies having. However, in 2014, Affleck was asked to stop playing BlackJack at the “Hard Rock Hotel” in Las Vegas. Affleck was on a winning streak, and the casino discovered that he was using a frowned-upon but legal strategy in which to win. It is public knowledge that Affleck has participated in and even won poker tournaments, but he is adamant that gambling is only a hobby, not an addiction.

The Sexually Inappropriate Behavior That Cost Affleck Money

Ben Affleck agreed to donate a large portion of his salary to charities that supported women who were victims of sexual abuse after he was accused of touching at least two women on their breasts and buttocks on more than one occasion.

The money he lost by donating it to those charities has had a major negative impact on Affleck’s net worth, although he continues to live the lavish life of a millionaire. Affleck has a list of organizations that he already regularly donates money to, so with the addition of this unexpected donation, it likely affected his income, although he doesn’t feel any loss of money.

Ben Affleck is still relatively young, and with his high level of ambition, it’s likely that he will continue to act and direct for many years to come. The more he acts, directs, produces, and writes screenplays, the higher the chances are that his net worth will progressively increase. Of course, this will depend on how much of his income he spends and how many financial obligations he has.

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