Entertainment
Ben Affleck’s Mom Chris Dead at 83 After Cancer Diagnosis
Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck’s mother, Chris, has died less than one year after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chris died on June 2 after receiving her diagnosis in December 2025. An obituary published via The Boston Globe revealed that Chris was given six months to live.
“Her greatest wish after her diagnosis, however, was to live to see her grandson graduate high school,” the obit reads. “She did so, attending with her family on May 31, 2026. She died peacefully, in her sleep, two days later.”
Chris was born in New York City in 1942. She graduated from Harvard University and spent more than three decades as a public school teacher, retiring in 2008. Chris is survived by sons Ben, 53, and Casey, 50, whom she shared with ex-husband Timothy Affleck, as well as her five grandchildren.
Hollywood mourned the deaths of some of its most legendary stars in 2026. The year started off with Broadway performer and influencer Bret Hanna-Shuford’s death at age 46. At the end of the month, comedy acting icon Catherine O’Hara died at age 71. In February, Dawson’s Creek actor James Van Der Beek died at age […]
After her retirement, Chris volunteered on the Barack Obama campaign trail and became an organizer with the Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine. She was also a founding board member of the Sustainable Cape project in Truro, Massachusetts.
Ben Affleck Matt Damon with their moms, Chris and Nancy, at the 70th annual Academy Awards Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images
From the early days of his Hollywood career, Ben had the support of his mother, who helped him get in touch with casting director Patty Collins, her former college roommate.
Chris attended the 1998 Oscars with her son and Matt Damon when their movie Good Will Hunting was nominated for nine awards, winning Best Original Screenplay. (The late Robin Williams also won Best Supporting Actor.)
A Boston boy through and through. Ben Affleck has been a Hollywood A-lister for more than two decades, but he’s never forgotten his New England roots (or his love of Dunkin’ coffee). Born in Berkeley, California, the avid Red Sox fan moved to Massachusetts with his family when he was just 3 years old. He […]
“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 recalled in an interview with 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?”
Casey has also reflected on his mother’s role in his own career, telling Boston Magazine in 2006 that Chris was “really supportive” of his acting endeavors.
As their stars continued to rise, both Ben and Casey earned Oscars of their own. Ben’s movie Argo won Best Picture in 2012, while Casey took home Best Actor in 2017 for his role in Manchester by the Sea.
Neither Ben nor Casey have spoken publicly about the death of their mother.
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