Christopher Anne Affleck, the mother of actors Ben and Casey Affleck, died on June 2, 2026, at the age of 83. Her death followed a battle with pancreatic cancer, according to an obituary published in The Boston Globe. She was diagnosed in December 2025 and given six months to live.
Her obituary noted that her final wish was to live to see her grandson graduate high school, a milestone she attended on May 31, 2026, two days before her passing.
Born in New York City in 1942, Chris Anne Affleck was an activist and educator. She taught literacy classes in Mississippi during Freedom Summer, protested the Vietnam War, and was an early graduate of Harvard's Radcliffe College. She dedicated 35 years to teaching in public schools before retiring in 2008. Following her retirement, she volunteered for Barack Obama's presidential campaign and worked as an organizer for the Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine.
Chris Anne Affleck and her ex-husband, Timothy Affleck, welcomed Ben in 1972 and Casey in 1975. The couple divorced in 1984. Both sons have credited their parents with fostering an early love for the arts, with Casey noting their father's involvement in theater and their mother's consistent attendance at plays with them.
Ben Affleck, who recently starred in and directed "AIR," recalled in a press conference that he met with NBA legend Michael Jordan before beginning the film. He also spoke about his experience winning an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for "Good Will Hunting" alongside Matt Damon in 1998. Both actors brought their mothers to the ceremony, a decision Affleck later described as a natural choice, questioning why it was considered unusual.
In addition to her two sons, Chris Anne Affleck is survived by her five grandchildren: Indiana and Atticus, children of Casey Affleck, and Violet, Fin, and Sam, children of Ben Affleck.
