Casey Affleck

Biography

Date of Birth 12 August 1975, Falmouth, Massachusetts, USA Birth Name Caleb Casey Affleck Height 5' 9" (1.75 m) Caleb Casey Affleck-Boldt is an American actor born in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The younger brother of Ben Affleck, Casey spent his youth in Cambridge, and briefly attended Columbia University before dropping out to concentrate on acting. Early Life Casey Affleck was born Caleb Casey Affleck on August 12, 1975 to Chris (a school district employee) and Tim (a former actor with the Theater Company of Boston). His older brother, Ben Affleck was 3 years old at the time. When Casey was five, he broke his arm and almost had to have it amputated, spending 12 hours in surgery as the doctors worked to repair his severely infected compound fracture. As a child he had numerous pets, including cats, snakes, guinea pigs, turtles and a dog named "Pepper". Later in his life he would become a vegan. Casey went to George Washington University. Casey then transferred to Columbia University in New York City and majored in Physics, Astronomy, and Western Philosophy.[1] After attending for a brief time, Casey dropped out to focus on his acting career. Career Gus Van Sant's To Die For opened the doors for the 20-year-old actor. Casey played alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Nicole Kidman. This movie put Casey on the map and would later introduce him to many new people. In 1996, Casey starred in the unknown movie Race the Sun, co-starring Halle Berry. The film was a major bust, but came out on both VHS and DVD. One year after Casey’s major movie flop, he appeared in two films featuring older brother Ben Affleck. Casey played a small role in Chasing Amy. Later that year, Casey again worked under Gus Van Sant in the film Good Will Hunting, where he plays a friend to both his brother and fellow actor Matt Damon. The movie was a major hit and jump-started the careers of Damon and the Affleck brothers. Ben and Matt co-wrote the screenplay and were later rewarded with an Oscar. After co-starring in two of his older brother's movies, Casey aimed to escape his brother's shadow. He starred in the underground movie Desert Blues, a film which met with limited success. This movie was a gateway movie to success for Affleck's co-star, Kate Hudson. After Desert Blues, Casey decided to take time off from acting before playing another role. He was offered the script for the black comedy Drowning Mona and jumped at the opportunity. The movie also starred many well-known names such as Bette Midler, Jamie Lee Curtis, Neve Campbell, and Danny Devito. In 2001, Casey wanted to experiment more with his acting talents. He starred in the psychological horror movie Soul Survivors, co-starring Luke Wilson, Wes Bentley, and Eliza Dushku. Next on Casey’s billing list was a re-make of the Rat Pack movie Ocean's Eleven, directed by Steven Soderbergh. The 2001 release had a star-studded cast, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia, and Julia Roberts. In his most famous role to date, Casey played Virgil Malloy, one of the pair of brothers hired to drive the getaway vehicle. Affleck would return to this character in Ocean's Twelve in 2004, and Ocean's Thirteen, slated for release in June 2007. After reaching success in his movie career, Casey decided to write his own movie, like his older brother Ben. Casey teamed up with Matt Damon to write a film about two friends who get lost while hiking in the desert. Once again, Affleck worked with Gus Van Sant on the 2002 film, entitled Gerry. More recently, Casey Affleck starred in the film The Last Kiss. Personal Life Casey Affleck recently married Summer Phoenix, fellow actress and girlfriend of six years. The couple were introduced by Joaquin Phoenix, Affleck's friend and Summer's brother. After getting her pregnant, Affleck proposed to Summer at the end of 2003. Five months later, son Indiana August was born in Amsterdam. They wed two years later in a private ceremony in Georgia. Guests included Joaquin Phoenix, and Ben Affleck with his wife, Jennifer Garner, and daughter, Violet. Casey is now involved with many animal rights movements and campaigns for PETA. He is a strict vegan.