# Ben Affleck

Actor and filmmaker. TIME100 AI 2026, Innovators. The Oscar-winning actor says Instagram banned him twice for impersonating himself. ([vanityfair.com](https://www.vanityfair.com/story/ben-affleck-instagram-ban?srsltid=AYCX9vL3VwonluwbuK9WFLPDAhE_mZtRQa5bpyrhh30Tx9LKfknVB7Lq))

- Born: 1972-08-15, Berkeley, California, US ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Affleck))
- Education: attended, no degree, Middle Eastern affairs, Occidental College; attended, no degree, Spanish, University of Vermont ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Affleck))
- Career: Artists Equity (Co-founder and CEO, 2022 to now); Eastern Congo Initiative (Co-founder, 2010 to now); Pearl Street Films (Co-founder, 1996–2022) ([variety.com](https://variety.com/2022/biz/news/ben-affleck-matt-damon-artists-equity-redbird-gerry-cardinale-1235438192/), [artistsequity.com](https://artistsequity.com/team/ben-affleck/), [easterncongo.org](https://easterncongo.org/our-story/), [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Street_Films))
- TIME profile: https://time.com/collection/time100-ai/2026/ben-affleck/
- Profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/most-influential-people-in-ai/ben-affleck

- Acted professionally for the first time at the age of seven. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Affleck))
- Before acting took over, he studied Middle Eastern affairs at Occidental College for a year and a half, after a few months studying Spanish in Vermont. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Affleck))
- Holds two Oscars: one for co-writing Good Will Hunting with Matt Damon, and one for producing Argo, which he also directed and starred in. ([variety.com](https://variety.com/2026/film/features/ben-affleck-interview-animals-batman-movie-stars-damon-1236899199/))
- Says he was banned from Instagram twice for impersonating himself. ([vanityfair.com](https://www.vanityfair.com/story/ben-affleck-instagram-ban?srsltid=AYCX9vL3VwonluwbuK9WFLPDAhE_mZtRQa5bpyrhh30Tx9LKfknVB7Lq))
- Artists Equity, the studio he launched with Matt Damon in 2022, is built around giving crew and talent a bigger share of a film's profits. ([variety.com](https://variety.com/2022/biz/news/ben-affleck-matt-damon-artists-equity-redbird-gerry-cardinale-1235438192/))
- Used AI for lots of things while making his 2026 Netflix thriller Animals, which he directed, co-wrote and starred in. ([deadline.com](https://deadline.com/2026/10/animals-review-ben-affleck-kerry-washington-netflix-1237149370/))