Chris Anne Boldt, mother of Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck passed away on June 2 at the age of 83.Her death was confirmed after the family shared an obituary in the Boston Globe, describing her as a public school teacher and civil rights activist. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December 2025 and was given six months to live.Born Christine Anne Boldt in December 1942 in New York City, she graduated from Harvard University and dedicated 35 years of her life as an educator. She was one of the first Radcliffe women to receive a Harvard diploma. After her retirement in 2008, Chris became a civil rights advocate.Ben Affleck’s mother was married to Timothy Byers Affleck. The couple welcomed their first child, Ben, in 1972. They became parents for the second time when Ben’s brother, Casey was born in 1975. Ben’s parents divorced when he was 12.Continue reading for more details.Everything you need to know about Ben Affleck’s mother Chris Anne BoldtBen Affleck’s mother, Chris Anne Boldt, is being remembered after she recently passed away. She might not be a famous entertainment personality, but she established her own identity as a Harvard-educated teacher and a civil rights activist.According to Chris’ obituary, she “cherished” her siblings and “idolized” her stepfather Sam for serving in World War II and supporting the Civil Rights Movement. In addition to teaching elementary and middle school grades in public schools, Chris taught literacy classes in Mississippi during Freedom Summer.After her retirement in 2008, she kept busy volunteering on the Obama campaign trail and organized Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine. Her obituary noted:“Her activist spirit was woven into the robust social life she kept with friends like Tom and Betsy Bilodeau, Peg and Carl White, Peter and Nancy Garrison, Patty Collinge and Jan Egleson, and those friends' children and grandchildren.”Chris Affleck, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and mother Nancy Carlson-Paige at the 70th Academy Awards - Red Carpet - Source: GettyBen Affleck has reflected in interviews how his mother played a key role in encouraging him and his brother, Casey from a young age to pursue arts and acting. She also helped them in securing auditions due to her connections with her Harvard roommate, casting director friend Patty Collins. One of the early roles of Ben Affleck was in a Burger King commercial.During an interview with Parade, Ben Affleck said:“I got into acting as a young child on account of a sort of arbitrary thing. A friend of my mom’s was a casting director so, really as kind of a lark. I had a couple of acting jobs that had just enough exposure to give me the option to continue if I wanted to. I followed through with it.”Ben Affleck’s brother, Casey also opened up about how the two of them stepped into the entertainment industry. While speaking with Collider magazine, he explained that both he and Ben started their careers as child artists since their father was in theatre. He added:“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. We had these similar paths all the same, so it’s not a coincidence we both could have wound up doing this.”When Ben Affleck was first nominated for an Oscar for his movie Good Will Hunting in 1998, he and Matt Damon chose to bring their mothers rather than their romantic partners as their dates.Both Ben and his brother Casey were among their mother’s “favorite young people.” It also included her five grandchildren, Indiana (2004), Violet (2005), Atticus (2008), Fin (2009), and Sam (2012), who were described as “the animating force of her last two decades.”Chris was also familiar with Ben’s girlfriends and wives, particularly Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Lopez. Her obituary noted that Chris’ last wish was to see her grandson graduate high school, which she did before her peaceful death.