Contents
* 1 Early life
* 2 Career
* 3 Personal life
* 4 Filmography
* 5 References
* 6 External links
Early life
Bening was born in Topeka, Kansas, the youngest of four children, to Shirley, a church singer and soloist, and Arnett Grant Bening, a sales training consultant and insurance salesman.Her parents, natives of Iowa, were practicing Episcopalians and conservative Republicans. Her sister and two brothers are Jane Bening (born 1953), Bradley Bening (born 1955) and Byron Bening (born 1957). The family moved to Wichita, Kansas, in 1959, where she spent her early childhood. In 1965, her father took a job with a company in San Diego, California, and they moved there. She began acting in junior high school, playing the lead in The Sound of Music. She studied drama at Patrick Henry High School.
She then spent a year working as a cook on a charter boat taking fishing parties out on the Pacific Ocean, and scuba diving for recreation. She attended San Diego Mesa College, then completed an academic degree in theatre arts at San Francisco State University. Bening joined the acting company at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco while studying acting as part of the Advanced Theatre Training Program. During this time she established herself as a formidable acting talent in roles like Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth.
Career
This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2010)
Bening moved to New York City, where she debuted off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre (McGinn-Cazale Theatre) in the role of 'Holly Dancer' in Tina Howe's widely acclaimed Coastal Disturbances (1986) opposite Tim Daly, and for which she earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play. However, despite the praise and recognition, it took some time for that success to translate to her film career. Her television debut was with the made-for-TV movie Manhunt for Claude Dallas (1986). Her first major role in a theatrical feature was in The Great Outdoors (1988) playing 'Kate Craig' opposite Dan Aykroyd and John Candy. Her next role was as the Marquise de Merteuil in Valmont (1989) opposite Colin Firth.
Bening's next major feature, Stephen Frears's The Grifters (1990) starring Anjelica Huston and John Cusack, met with critical acclaim. She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for The Grifters. She followed that with her appearance in Bugsy. Bening was offered the role as Catwoman in Batman Returns (1992), but after she became pregnant, the role went to Michelle Pfeiffer. In 1994, she played opposite 87-year old acting legend Katharine Hepburn in Love Affair. Bening was paid $3 million to play the role of 'Elise Kraft/Sharon Bridger' in The Siege (1998), co-starring Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis. Her next role, in the 1999 film American Beauty, would give her the highest-profile role of her career thus far. Bening played a real-estate agent in three different movies: Regarding Henry, American Beauty, and What Planet Are You From?. She has appeared in three different Mike Nichols' movies: Postcards from the Edge, Regarding Henry, and What Planet Are You From?
She was originally cast as the mother in Disney's Freaky Friday, but dropped out. She replaced Julianne Moore in Running with Scissors, playing Deirdre Burroughs in the film adaptation of the Augusten Burroughs book. On December 9, 2006, Bening hosted Saturday Night Live with musical guests Gwen Stefani and Akon.
Her 2010 film, "The Kids Are All Right" was her most critically acclaimed performance since American Beauty, with several reviewers noting that she "deserves an Oscar" and that her "sublime" performance "towers over the rest of the cast.
Bening is a council member for the California Arts Council.[citation needed]
Personal life
In 1985, Bening and her first husband, choreographer J. Steven White, moved to Denver, Colorado, to work at the Shakespeare Festival in Boulder, Colorado. They separated the following year.
Bening and Warren Beatty began a relationship during the filming of Bugsy (1991). Bening has said, "When Warren and I were first together and I was pregnant, we would get followed around by photographers. But it was nothing like what celebrities have to endure these days. They married on March 10, 1992 and have four children: Kathlyn (born January 8, 1992), Benjamin (born August 23, 1994), Isabel (born January 11, 1997) and Ella (born April 8, 2000).
Bening is a supporter of the Democrats and was a political contributor to the presidential candidacy of Barack Obama in 2008. She is a student of Iyengar Yoga.
Films Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1988 Great Outdoors, TheThe Great Outdoors Kate Craig
1989 Valmont Merteuil
1990 Postcards from the Edge Evelyn Ames
1990 Grifters, TheThe Grifters Myra Langtry London Film Critics' Circle Award for Newcomer of the Year
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1991 Guilty by Suspicion Ruth Merrill
1991 Regarding Henry Sarah Turner
1991 Bugsy Virginia Hill Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Warren Beatty)
1994 Love Affair Terry McKay
1995 Richard III Queen Elizabeth
1995 American President, TheThe American President Sydney Ellen Wade Nominated—American Comedy Award for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1996 Mars Attacks! Barbara Land
1998 Siege, TheThe Siege Elise Kraft/Sharon Bridger Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress – Suspense
1999 In Dreams Claire Cooper
1999 American Beauty Carolyn Burnham American Comedy Award for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actress
Nominated— Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress – Drama
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Nominated—Chlotrudis Award for Best Actress
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
Annette Bening
Annette Bening
Annette Bening
Annette Bening
Annette Bening
Annette Bening
Annette BeningAnnette Bening
Annette Bening
