Ben & Casey Affleck’s Mother Chris Dies After Cancer Diagnosis

Chris Anne Affleck, the mother of Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck, has died at the age of 83. She died on June 2, six months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December 2025, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

After marrying Timothy Affleck, Chris welcomed Ben and Casey in 1972 and 1975, respectively. She and Timothy divorced when Ben was about 12 years old. Ben has credited Chris with helping get his acting career off the ground, as she put him in touch with her Harvard roommate, Patty Collins, a casting director.

Ben and Matt Damon famously brought their mothers as their dates to the 1998 Oscars, where they won Best Original Screenplay for their film Good will Hunting.

“We were sitting next to our moms and we won, and we kind of hugged our moms. I remember how everyone had made such a big thing out of it, as if this was such a novelty,” Ben told Vanity Fair. “I remember thinking, being insecure, like, ‘Why? Why is it weird that we’re bringing our moms?’ Who else do you think we would bring?”

Chris was a public school teacher for 35 years. As an activist, she taught literacy classes in Mississippi during Freedom Summer, marched against the Vietnam War, and more, per her obituary. She retired in 2008, then volunteered on Barack Obama‘s campaign trail and became an organizer for the Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine.

Chris had five grandchildren through Ben and Casey. Ben shares Violet, born 2005, Fin, born 2009, and Sam, born 2012, with ex Jennifer Garner, while Casey and ex Summer Phoenix are parents to sons Indiana, born 2004, and Atticus, born 2008. Chris’ dying wish was to see Atticus graduate from high school, and it was fulfilled on May 31.

According to Chris’ obituary, she “died peacefully in her sleep” just two days after Atticus’ graduation.

“Chris was suitably proud of her descendants’ achievements, but she was delighted when they questioned, defied, or cleverly engaged authority,” her obituary says.