Biography

Casey Affleck was born Caleb Casey Affleck-Boldt in Falmouth, Massachusetts, the son of Chris Ann Boldt, a school district employee and teacher, and Timothy Affleck, a drug counselor, social worker, janitor, auto mechanic, bartender, and former actor with the Theater Company of Boston. He is the younger brother of Ben Affleck. As a child he had numerous pets, including cats, snakes, guinea pigs and turtles. Casey went to The George Washington University, later transferring to Columbia University in New York City, where he majored in physics, astronomy, and Western philosophy

Casey's first movie role was as a sociopathic teenager in Gus Van Sant's 1995 dark comedy To Die For, alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Nicole Kidman. After starring the following year in the box office flop Race the Sun (co-starring Halle Berry), he appeared in two films featuring older brother Ben: Chasing Amy and Good Will Hunting. The latter was a major hit and jump-started the careers of Matt Damon and the Affleck brothers. Both Ben and Damon went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Casey then starred in the underground movie Desert Blue, a film that met limited critical or commercial success, but also featured rising star Kate Hudson. He took time off from acting before playing another role.

He next starred in the black comedy Drowning Mona with Bette Midler, Jamie Lee Curtis, Neve Campbell, and Danny DeVito. The movie performed poorly at the box office and with critics. He then starred in the 2001 horror movie Soul Survivors, co-starring Luke Wilson, Wes Bentley, and Eliza Dushku. Casey later admitted in an interview to Nylon Magazine that he was ashamed to have been involved with both films. Casey followed them up with 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. Casey played Virgil Malloy, one of the pair of mormon brothers hired to drive the getaway vehicle. Casey would return to this character in Ocean's Twelve in 2004, and Ocean's Thirteen, released in June 2007. In the latter film, several scenes take place in Mexico, where Casey lived as a child, and in which he has extended dialogue in Spanish, which he speaks.

After establishing his movie career, Casey turned to screenwriting, teaming up with Matt Damon to write the 2002 film Gerry about two friends who get lost while hiking in the desert, directed by Van Sant. Casey also starred in the film The Last Kiss as a friend of Zach Braff's character and made a cameo in the Joaquin Phoenix-directed video "Tired of Being Sorry" for Balthazar Getty's band Ringside.

In 2007, he starred in the Western The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, playing Robert Ford to Brad Pitt's Jesse James. For this role he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture at the 65th Golden Globe Awards, a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture and an Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role at the 80th Academy Awards. He also starred in the critically acclaimed Gone Baby Gone in which he appeared as the main protagonist, Patrick Kenzie. The movie was directed by his brother, Ben Affleck, who later stated that as an actor, Casey is "the better Affleck."

In April 2008, director Ridley Scott had announced his new project The Kind One, a period noir drama set for release in 2010. Casey has been cast in the lead role. Also in 2010, Casey will be teaming up with Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson in The Killer Inside Me, a film adaptation of the 1952 novel of the same name.

He will direct a documentary about the musical career of his friend and brother-in-law Joaquin Phoenix; filming begins in early 2009.

Casey married Summer Phoenix, his girlfriend of six years, on June 3, 2006. The couple were introduced by her brother, Joaquin. The couple have two sons, Indiana August, who was born on May 31, 2004 in Amsterdam and Atticus, who was born in November, 2007.

Casey is involved with many animal rights movements and campaigns for PETA and Farm Sanctuary.

Casey speaks fluent Spanish and resides in Los Angeles, California and Winter Park, Florida with his family.

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