Chris Anne Affleck, the mother of Oscar-winning actors Ben and Casey Affleck, has died aged 83. Her family said she died peacefully in her sleep on 2 June after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December; she was known both for supporting her sons’ early careers and for a long career in public education and civil rights advocacy.

Born Christine Anne Boldt in New York City in 1942, she graduated from Harvard University and taught in public schools for 35 years before retiring in 2008. A former Freedom Rider in the 1960s, she helped Ben secure early auditions through a casting-director contact, and later attended the 1998 Oscars when Ben Affleck and Matt Damon won for Good Will Hunting; she is survived by her two sons and five grandchildren.