Christopher Anne Affleck, mother of Ben and Casey Affleck, dies at 83 after terminal illness
Christopher Anne Affleck, a former teacher and civil-rights activist, died at age 83 in June after a month-long battle with a terminal illness, the family said.
Christopher Anne Affleck, the mother of actors Ben and Casey Affleck, died in June at age 83, the family announced on July 23. Diagnosed with a terminal illness in December 2025 and given six months to live, she passed away two days after attending her grandson's high-school graduation on May 31, 2026.
Born in New York City in 1942, Affleck spent 35 years teaching in Massachusetts public schools after graduating from Harvard. She was active in the civil-rights movement, teaching literacy classes during the 1964 Freedom Summer and participating in anti-Vietnam protests. Later, she volunteered on Barack Obama’s campaign, worked with the Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine, and served on the board of the Sustainable Cape Project in Truro, Massachusetts.
The family noted that she remained engaged in advocacy after her diagnosis, including taking oral histories from a former South Bronx principal and supporting her granddaughter’s student-activist group by providing space for workshops.
Ben Affleck previously recalled bringing his mother to the 1998 Academy Awards, describing the experience as a natural and uncomplicated gesture.