Best Friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Are Actually Related!

by Talya ·
April 23, 2020
· Family

Superstars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon go way, way back… but it turns out, they may go back much farther than either of them may have imagined. 10 generations back, to be precise.

The pair have been best friends since they were kids. Their moms introduced them when Ben was 8 and Matt was 10, and it was a match made in heaven. They attended high school together and nurtured each other’s interest in acting and filmmaking. They even pooled resources as young, struggling actors to help each other out.

Their big break came when they co-wrote and starred in the film Good Will Hunting. Matt played the title character and Ben, appropriately, played his best friend. To their utter shock, the film was wildly successful and they both won the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. They have both gone on to have successful A-list Hollywood careers.

Who could have known, back when they were having “business lunches” together in high school to talk about acting, that they would achieve such success?

And who could have known that they are not just friends — they are also relatives?

That’s right: according to our research, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are 10th cousins once removed!

Their common ancestors are William and Elizabeth Knowlton, immigrants from 17th-century England who made their home in Essex County, Massachusetts. You can see their full relationship path on their page on MyHeritage Celebs here.

Want to find out which of your other favorite celebrities are related to each other? Check out the celebrity connections already detailed on MyHeritage Celebs, and stay tuned for the new connections we’ll be adding regularly!