Affleck was born in Berkeley, California and grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His mother, Christine Anne "Chris" Affleck (née Boldt), was a school district employee and teacher. His father, Timothy Byers Affleck, has been a drug counselor, social worker, janitor, auto mechanic, bartender, writer, director, and actor with the Theater Company of Boston. After learning that he had slave-owning ancestors from Savannah, Georgia, he tried to hide it but got caught and apologized.