Chris Anne Affleck, mother of actors Ben and Casey Affleck, dies at 83 after pancreatic cancer

Chris Anne Affleck, the mother of actors Ben and Casey Affleck, died on June 2 at the age of 83 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December 2025. The Boston Globe obituary noted that she passed away in her sleep two days after attending her grandson's high-school graduation on May 31, 2026.

Born in 1942 in New York City, Affleck was active in the civil-rights movement, teaching literacy classes in Mississippi during Freedom Summer and participating in anti-Vietnam-War protests. She graduated from Harvard College as one of the early women from Radcliffe and spent 35 years teaching in public schools before retiring in 2008. After retirement she volunteered for political campaigns, traveled to the Middle East and worked with the Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine.

Affleck was survived by her two sons, five grandchildren, and other family members. Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck have previously spoken about their mother's influence on their early interest in the arts.