Casey Affleck reveals he and Ben Affleck lost their father Timothy Affleck earlier this year

Ben Affleck reflected on father Tim Affleck’s struggles with substance abuse, work history and 30 years of sobriety before his death
Ben and Casey Affleck’s father, Tim Affleck, died earlier this year, three months after their mother, Chris Affleck, died at 83 (Getty Images)
Ben and Casey Affleck’s father, Tim Affleck, died earlier this year, three months after their mother, Chris Affleck, died at 83 (Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Ben and Casey Affleck’s father, Tim Affleck, died earlier this year, with Casey confirming the loss during a Venice Film Festival press conference, three months after their mother, Chris Affleck, died at age 83 on June 2.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - NOVEMBER 14: Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck attend the premiere of
Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck attend the premiere of 'Manchester by the Sea' at Samuel Goldwyn Theater on November 14, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California (Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)

Casey Affleck confirms father Tim Affleck’s death

During a Tuesday, September 8, press conference at the Venice Film Festival, Casey confirmed that he had “lost” both his mother and father this year. Further details about Tim’s passing have not been publicly revealed.

Casey was discussing 'Company,' which debuted at the festival and was directed and cowritten by the actor.

The film stars Nick Nolte, Adelaide Clemens, Ben Mendelsohn, Scoot McNairy, Emily Alyn Lind, and Caylee Cowan.

“It’s dedicated to my parents because I lost both my mom and my dad this year, and they were very important to me,” Casey said, adding, “I really wanted to show this movie to them, and I didn’t get to. I think they would have liked it.”

HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 26: Casey Affleck poses in the press room with the Oscar for Best Actor for 'Manchester By The Sea,' at the 89th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 26, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Dan MacMedan/Getty Images)
Casey Affleck poses in the press room with the Oscar for Best Actor for 'Manchester By The Sea,' at the 89th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 26, 2017 in Hollywood, California (Dan MacMedan/Getty Images)

Casey also reflected on his family life, confirming that his sons, Indiana, 22, and Atticus, 18, both appear in 'Company.'

“The good thing about being an artist, the best thing maybe, is that you can take all of the hardest experiences in your life and put it into your work, and it just makes you better,” he shared.

He continued, “If you’re willing to face it all, be honest about it all and show up vulnerably with those feelings and allow for the fact that you might not be able to really fully understand them, but you’re willing to put them into what you’re making, it’s a blessing.”

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 12: Ben Affleck attends the Los Angeles premiere of Amazon Studio's
Ben Affleck attends the Los Angeles premiere of Amazon Studio's 'The Tender Bar' at TCL Chinese Theatre on December 12, 2021 in Hollywood, California (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

Ben Affleck reflects on father Tim Affleck’s sobriety

Ben and Casey experienced a series of ups and downs with their father, who struggled with substance abuse.

After Tim and Chris divorced, he moved to California, while Chris stayed in Massachusetts, where she raised Ben and Casey.

Tim was an aspiring playwright who held several jobs throughout his life. During a 1997 interview, Ben described his father’s work history, saying, “My father was an auto mechanic at Autotorium and a bartender and such.”

He added that Tim was living in California and working at a rehabilitation center, where he wrote grant proposals and counseled people.

Ben later praised his father for 30 years of sobriety during a 2020 interview with PEOPLE.

US actor and director Ben Affleck (R) with his brother Casey Affleck at the photocall of
Ben Affleck with his brother Casey Affleck at the photocall of 'Gone, Baby, Gone,' during the 33rd Deauville Film Festival (Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images)

The brothers have been open about their respective decisions to become sober.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for what that takes and what that means,” Ben said, adding, “Part of being an adult is learning that your parents are just people. They’re not perfect. They were just doing their best. As a child, we expect perfection out of our parents.”

While promoting 'The Way Back,' Ben also discussed his own struggle with sobriety, saying, “The issue of addiction has touched so many people’s lives. I think it’s directly or indirectly touched most people’s lives.”

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