Who is Ben Affleck’s father Timothy Affleck? Actor recalls dad’s ambition to be writer and director

Ben Affleck, the Oscar-winning actor, director, and writer, has quite often mentioned the fact that his father, Timothy Byers Affleck, has been a huge influence on his life, as well as in his career.

While fame has finally smiled upon Ben, many people are still in the dark about his father's rich and extraordinary life, which included art pursuits and challenges.

A jack of all trades

Timothy Affleck, who was born in California, worked multiple jobs. He worked as a social worker, carpenter, auto mechanic, bookie, electrician, bartender, and even a janitor at Harvard.

“My father was an auto mechanic at Autotorium and a bartender and such. Now, he lives in California working at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center writing grant proposals and counseling people.” - Ben told CineZine in an interview.

However, his innate fascination was in the art. In the '60s, he also started a career in acting and as a stage manager with the Theater Company of Boston, which finally pushed him to follow his vocation as a writer and director.

Timothy was a creative soul, but he never became a Hollywood star. His life went through a lot of detours. But his passion for storytelling and literature left an enduring mark on his sons, Ben and Casey Affleck, who each blossomed into successful careers in show business.

A troubled past

Timothy Affleck did not have an easy life. Ben has been open about his father’s struggle with alcoholism, which was a source of pain for their family. Timothy’s drinking problem contributed to the collapse of his marriage with Ben’s mother, Christopher Anne Boldt, when Ben was only 11.

After the divorce, Timothy was homeless for two years before getting things back on track. In the end, Timothy got help and got sober. He became an addiction counselor and worked for 12 years, helping others facing similar issues.

“My father has thirty years of sobriety and I have a tremendous amount of respect for what that takes and what that means." - Ben said to PEOPLE.

Ben has several times praised his father for his road to sobriety, saying it takes strength to change like that.

“The most enduring lesson my father taught me is the degree to which it's possible to change your life and patterns. It gives me hope that with the right amount of work and discipline, I can address and remedy some of the things I don't like very much about myself." - Ben said to the New York Times in an interview.

A lasting influence

Timothy’s artistic aspirations had a big influence on his son, even though their relationship was rocky during Ben’s childhood. Ben cites his father as the one who gave him a passion for literature, storytelling, and the performing arts.

“We both started out as children doing this largely because my father was in the theater and our mother took us to the theater all the time, and we just had a lot of people around us that were in the arts, and we both had this very influential teacher in high school,” - Casey Affleck told Collider.

Ben Affleck has said that his father’s failure to live his dreams may have pushed him to succeed subconsciously in Hollywood. He spoke recently about how his father’s difficulties influenced his aspirations, driving him toward the creative lane his father hoped to traverse.

Timothy Affleck’s story is one of perseverance, personal demons, and creative ambition.