Ben Affleck is a very talented individual. He won an Oscar as a screenwriter and remains a bankable leading man in spite of some serious box office stinkers. It comes as no surprise that he's a Leo, the sign of creativity and self-confidence. Ben was born on August 15, 1972 at 2:53 a.m. in Berkeley, California, but grew up in Boston. Leos love to shine, and Ben's beaming face seems very much at home on the movie screen or the talk show circuit. It's clear by his chart that he's not just a preening lion or self-absorbed Hollywood big shot, though. Sure, he's got his pride, and he's earned it, but he's a complex person with a profoundly introspective side. The first clue is the position of his Moon, the astrological symbol of emotions and instincts. His is in psychologically-oriented Scorpio, the sign that likes to peer into the depths of the soul in ways that would deflate the ego of any Leo, even a Hollywood star. This Leo Sun and Scorpio Moon combination makes for a powerful personality, but one that can be conflicted by Leo's need for attention and Scorpio's hunger for privacy. Sometimes this is expressed in self-destructive behavior, but it can also represent a high level of passion that enables Ben to overcome losses and regenerate himself personally and professionally. The staying power of these two signs helped him go through the very public breakdown of his relationship with fellow Leo Jennifer Lopez. Scorpio energy is good for turning a loss, even a dramatic one, into an even greater gain. Ben's current relationship with Jennifer Garner is about babies … not Bentleys and bling.

Ben may be a leading man, but he's not a strutting macho Leo. That's because he was born with Venus, the planet of love, in the sensitive sign of Cancer, which is rising in his chart. The feminine influences of both Venus and Cancer show a tender side, one that's more suited to emotionally rich stories than action films. Even Mars, the warrior planet, is softened in Ben's chart, showing delicacy and precision, rather than physical force. His Mars is in careful, precise Virgo, and is crossed by a 90-degree square from idealistic Neptune. This is not the mark of a fighter, except in the role of protecting weaker individuals or battling for his ideals. But this mix of Martian assertion and Neptunian imagination is perfect for an actor. Ben is not going to turn out to be a Harrison Ford/Indiana Jones type, but with his intelligence and depth of feeling, he's got a bottomless creative well from which to draw that will surprise and enthrall audiences again and again.