Neil Affleck

Neil Affleck (born 1953) is a Canadian animator, director, and former actor. He has worked as an animator on The Simpsons and Family Guy, and as an actor appeared in a leading role in the 1981 film My Bloody Valentine. He also directed cartoons such as Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends, Mike the Knight, and the 2009 Doki special. He animated six episodes of Rocko's Modern Life, five episodes of The Critic and one episode of Pearlie, The Legend of Prince Valiant, and Wayside. Affleck won the Norman McLaren award for his animated film Hands.

Affleck was born in Montreal, Canada in 1953. He is the son of the Canadian architect Ray Affleck, who was one of the founders of the Montreal-based architectural firm, Arcop.

Affleck started out as an actor, making appearances in films and TV shows, such as Wild Thing, Cross Country, Murder By Phone, Visiting Hours, Dirty Tricks, My Bloody Valentine, Scanners, Oh Heavenly Dog, and Will There Really Be a Morning?. My Bloody Valentine was his most prominent role, but the film was poorly received. Andrew Dowler, for example, said that the writing, acting, and photography were terrible, flat and embarrassingly amateurish.

After struggling to become an actor in Toronto, Affleck moved to Los Angeles in the United States and decided to become an animator. He had been mentored in animation by Norman McLaren at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). As Affleck's visa was about to expire, a friend informed him that directors were being hired to work on The Simpsons. Affleck worked on The Simpsons from 1994 to 2007, animating 52 and directing seven episodes.

Affleck is married and has one daughter. He enjoys hockey.