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Chris Anne Affleck, the mother of Academy Award-winning actors Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck, has died at the age of 83.
Her family announced that she passed away peacefully in her sleep on June 2 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December, as per The Hollywood Reporter. Born Christine Anne Boldt in New York City in December 1942, Chris Affleck built a distinguished career outside the spotlight. A graduate of Harvard University, she spent 35 years as a public school teacher before retiring in 2008. She was also a committed civil rights advocate and served as one of the original Freedom Riders who travelled into the Deep South during the 1960s. Chris and her former husband, Timothy Affleck, welcomed their first son, Ben, in 1972. Their younger son, Casey, was born in 1975, around the time the family moved to Massachusetts, where she continued her teaching career. The couple later divorced when Ben was 12. Over the years, Ben Affleck has often spoken about his mother's influence on his life and education. In a 2012 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said, "My mother taught public school, went to Harvard and then got her master's there and taught fifth and sixth grade in a public school. My dad had a more working-class lifestyle. He didn't go to college. He was an auto mechanic and a bartender and a janitor at Harvard." Chris also played an important role in her son's early acting career. Drawing on her personal connections, she introduced Ben to her former Harvard roommate, casting director Patty Collins, who helped him audition for commercials and television movies, as per The Hollywood Reporter. She remained a steadfast supporter of both Ben and Casey as they established successful careers in Hollywood. She attended the 1998 Academy Awards alongside Ben after he and longtime collaborator Matt Damon were nominated for Best Original Screenplay for 'Good Will Hunting'. The pair won the Oscar that night. Reflecting on the occasion, Ben later told in an interview, "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. 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?" According to her family, Chris was given six months to live following her diagnosis. Her greatest wish was to see her grandson, Atticus, graduate from high school. She attended the graduation ceremony with her family on May 31 before passing away peacefully two days later. She is survived by her sons, Ben and Casey Affleck, and her five grandchildren, Atticus, Indiana, Violet, Fin and Sam. (ANI)
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