HEALTHBen Affleck and Casey Affleck's Mom Chris Anne Dies at 83 After Pancreatic Cancer Battle
Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck's mother, Chris Anne, died at 83 after battling pancreatic cancer, her family announced in an obituary.
July 24 2026, Published 9:38 a.m. ET
Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck's mother, Chris Anne, has died at the age of 83 after battling pancreatic cancer.
Her family announced the news in an obituary published in the Boston Globe. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chris died peacefully in her sleep on June 2, two days after attending her grandson Atticus' high school graduation.
She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December 2025 and had been given six months to live.
Chris Anne, the mother of Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck, died on June 2 after battling pancreatic cancer.
"Her greatest wish after her diagnosis, however, was to live to see her grandson graduate high school. She did so, attending with her family on May 31, 2026," the obituary read.
Chris spent 35 years as a public school teacher after graduating from Harvard University. Following her retirement in 2008, she remained active in social causes.
She volunteered on Barack Obama's presidential campaign, worked with the Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine, and served as a founding board member of the Sustainable Cape project in Truro, Massachusetts.
Chris Anne supported Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck's acting careers
Ben Affleck previously credited his mother, Chris Anne, who helped him begin his acting career.
Ben previously credited his mother with helping him take his first steps into acting.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2012, he explained that she introduced him to her former Harvard roommate, casting director Patty Collins, who helped him audition for commercials and television movies.
Ben 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."
He added, "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."
- Brad Pitt's Mom Jane Etta Dead at 84, Her Granddaughter Confirms: 'I Don’t Know How We Move Forward Without Her'
- Nancy Heche Outlives 4 Out Of Her 5 Children, Once Scolded Anne For Dating Ellen DeGeneres
- Anne Heche's Son Believes Late Actress 'Would Love' The 'Beautiful' Resting Place They Chose For Her
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Ben Affleck attended the 1998 Academy Awards with his mother, Chris Anne, after 'Good Will Hunting' earned multiple Oscar nominations.
She attended the 1998 Academy Awards alongside Ben after he and Matt Damon received a nomination for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting. The pair won the Oscar that night, while Casey also appeared in the film.
Recalling the ceremony in a later interview with Vanity Fair, Ben said, "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."
He continued, "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?"
However, Ben later won a second Academy Award for Best Director for Argo, while Casey won Best Actor for Manchester by the Sea in 2017.
Chris Anne remained one of Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck's biggest supporters as both sons built successful acting careers.
Chris, also known as Christine Anne Boldt, was born in New York City in December 1942. She married Timothy Affleck and welcomed Ben in 1972. Their second son, Casey, was born in 1975 after the family had relocated to Massachusetts.
Chris and Timothy divorced when Ben was 12, but she continued supporting both sons throughout their careers.
According to the obituary, Chris' five grandchildren—Indiana, Violet, Atticus, Fin, and Sam—were "the animating force" of the final two decades of her life.
