American actor Casey Affleck has an onscreen career dating back to 1988, but his Academy Award nominated work in L'assassinat de Jesse James par le lâche Robert Ford (2007) gained him wider acclaim in recent years.
Affleck, the younger brother of Ben Affleck, was born Caleb Casey McGuire Affleck-Boldt on 12 August 1975 in Falmouth, Massachusetts to middle-class parents; his mother, Chris Anne (Boldt), was a school district employee and teacher, and his father, Timothy Byers Affleck, was a drug counselor who also served as a social worker, auto mechanic, custodian and bartender. He was also part of the Theater Company of Boston. Casey is of mostly English, Irish, German, and Scottish ancestry.
Affleck appeared in various roles on television while finishing high school and attending university, including as young Robert Kennedy in the TV mini-series The Kennedys of Massachusetts (1990). After graduating high school, he attended George Washington University and eventually transferred into Columbia University in New York, but he never earned his Bachelor's degree.
Affleck's first major film role was in Gus Van Sant's Prête à tout (1995), in which he co-starred with his future brother-in-law Joaquin Phoenix and Nicole Kidman. He would go on to appear in two films with his brother, Méprise multiple (1997) and Will Hunting (1997), which Ben Affleck co-wrote with Matt Damon. Affleck then chose a variety of roles, most of which were considered to be commercial failures, including Mais qui a tué Mona? (2000), a modern version of Hamlet (2000) and Soul Survivors (2001). He also co-wrote the screenplay Gerry (2002) with Gus Van Sant and Matt Damon, which received a limited release in the United States.
But 2001 brought Affleck a plum role as part of Ocean's Eleven's ensemble cast. Affleck's character, a getaway driver named Virgil Malloy, reappeared in Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's 13 (2007). Affleck also received positive critical notice for his work in Gone Baby Gone (2007), and directed Joaquin Phoenix in the "hoax-umentary" I'm Still Here (2010). He also recently co-starred in the ensemble comedy Le casse de Central Park (2011).
Affleck has signed on to star in the independent movie Les amants du Texas (2013), described as a Bonnie & Clyde-inspired tale about an escaped convict on the run through Texas, trying to reunite with his wife and daughter. He is married Summer Phoenix, to whom he was introduced by her brother Joaquin. The couple has two sons.
