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The Top 2 Afflecks of All Time

Some surnames are just more common than others. You know, Jones, Smith, Affleck. So standing out from the crowd when you have one of those names can be very difficult. Seriously, can you just imagine the confusion at school for those poor teachers who had to deal with yet another kid named Ben Affleck? Man, how could they tell them all apart?

And that — along with the release of Casey Affleck's new mood piece "Ain't Them Bodies Saints" — got us thinking: Just who is the greatest Affleck in the long history of Hollywood?

So with that in mind, we scoured Wikipedia and delved deep into the vast Library of Congress movie archives in order to settle this question once and for all. And the results may surprise you. Because with a name as common as Affleck, you really have to go the extra mile to stand out from the crowd. (And sorry, Rab Affleck. Maybe next time.)

2. Casey Affleck

It should come as no surprise to anyone who has seen Casey Affleck in action that the Oscar-nominated actor managed to come in second on our list of the greatest Afflecks in Hollywood history. Over the years, Casey has managed to carve out a unique niche for himself by playing offbeat roles in comedies ("Ocean's Eleven"), experimental dramas ("Gerry"), crime thrillers ("Gone Baby Gone") and period epics ("The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford").

And that's not all: Like the top Affleck on our list, Casey has also branched out into the world of directing, orchestrating Joaquin Phoenix's meta-hoax "I'm Still Here" (2010), a stunt that seemed perfectly in keeping with Casey's sly sense of humor. Or, to put it another way: That's So Affleck.

1. Ben Affleck

It was a very close call, but in the end we had to give our nod to Ben Affleck as the Top Affleck of All Time. While younger brother Casey has been nominated for an Oscar, big brother Ben has actually won twice, in two different categories: Best Original Screenplay for "Good Will Hunting" (1997) and Best Picture for "Argo" (2012).

Beyond that, Ben has dominated tabloids thanks to his relationships with the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Garner; starred in several mega-blockbusters, including "Armageddon" (1998); directed acclaimed movies such as "Gone Baby Gone" (2007) and "The Town" (2010); and rocked the coolest celebrity beard since Grizzly Adams. Truly, the guy can do it all.

But what else would you expect from the greatest Affleck in Hollywood history?

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