Annette Bening

Annette Bening

Born Annette Carol Bening
May 29, 1958
Topeka, Kansas, United States
Alma mater San Diego Mesa College
San Francisco State University
Occupation Actress
Years active 1986–present
Spouse(s) J. Steven White (m. 1984–91)
Warren Beatty (m. 1992–present)
Children 4

Annette Carol Bening[1] (born May 29, 1958) is an American actress. She began her career on the stage and in 1987 she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in Coastal Disturbances. Her first film credits were The Great Outdoors in 1988 and Valmont in 1989. Bening is a four-time Academy Award-nominee for films, such as The Grifters (1990), American Beauty (1999), Being Julia (2004) and The Kids Are All Right (2010). She won a Golden Globe for The Kids Are All Right and was also nominated for for her performances in The American President, Bugsy and Running with Scissors. Bening was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2005 for her performance as Jean Harris in Mrs. Harris.

Early life

Bening was born in Topeka, Kansas, the daughter of Shirley Katherine (née Ashley; b. 1929)[2] and Arnett Grant Bening. Her mother was a church singer and soloist, and her father was a sales training consultant and insurance salesman.[3][4][5] Her parents, natives of Iowa, were practicing Episcopalians of mostly German and English descent, and conservative Republicans.[6][7] Her sister and two brothers are Jane, Bradley and Byron. 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 graduated in 1975, from Patrick Henry High School where she studied drama. 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.

Career

Prior to becoming a film actress, Bening was a member of the acting company at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco while studying acting as part of the Advanced Theatre Training Program. There, she starred in such productions as Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth. Bening also starred in productions of Pygmalion and The Cherry Orchard at the Denver Center Theatre Company during 1985-86. She made her Broadway debut in 1987, garnering a Tony Award nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in Coastal Disturbances. In 2009, Bening starred in a new interpretation of the Euripides classic Medea at UCLA's Freud Playhouse.[8] In 2010, she starred in Joanna Murray-Smith’s comedy The Female of the Species at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.[9] It was announced in May 2014 that she will join fellow Academy Award Nominee John Lithgow as Goneril in Shakespeare's King Lear at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park as part of the Public Theatre's Free Shakespeare in the Park. It will mark her first New York stage appearance in 20 years.[10][11][12]

Bening made her film debut in The Great Outdoors (1988). Her second film appearance was as the Marquise de Merteuil in Valmont (1989), opposite Colin Firth. Her breakthrough role was in The Grifters (1990), which starred John Cusack and Anjelica Huston, and earned Bening an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress. In 1991, she portrayed Virginia Hill in the Barry Levinson-directed biopic of Bugsy, starring Warren Beatty. Also in 1991, she appeared in Regarding Henry with Harrison Ford. In 1994, Bening and Beatty starred in Love Affair, which also featured Katharine Hepburn. In 1995, Bening appeared in The American President, followed by Tim Burton's sci-fi spoof Mars Attacks! (1996). In 1998, she co-starred with Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis in The Siege. The biggest critical and commercial success of her career thus far was the 1999 film American Beauty, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture and was directed by Sam Mendes. For this performance, Bening was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress and won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress. Bening also starred in the films In Dreams (1999) and What Planet Are You From? (2000). Bening played Sue Barlow, Charley Waite's love interest in Open Range. In 2004, she played the title role in Being Julia, which earned her a Golden Globe Award and an Oscar nomination as Best Actress. She was nominated for an Emmy Award[13] for her portrayal of Jean Harris the 2005 HBO film Mrs. Harris. In 2006, she replaced Julianne Moore to star in the film adaptation of Running with Scissors. In December of that year, Bening hosted Saturday Night Live with musical guests Gwen Stefani and Akon. In 2008, Bening starred in The Women. The following year she received strong reviews for her performance in the independent film Mother and Child (2009).[14] In 2010, Bening received strong critical acclaim for her performance in The Kids Are All Right, with several reviewers noting that she "deserves an Oscar" for her "sublime" performance.[15][16] For that role, Bening won a second Golden Globe, as well as Academy Award and Screen Actors Guild nominations. In 2012, Bening's audiobook recording of Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway was released at Audible.com.

Personal life

Bening met and married choreographer J. Steven White in 1984, but they were separated in 1986 and divorced in 1991.[17] Bening married Warren Beatty on March 12, 1992, just over a year after being cast to co-star in Bugsy.[17] They have four children: Stephen (formerly Kathlyn; born January 8, 1992), Benjamin (born August 23, 1994), Isabel (born January 11, 1997) and Ella (born April 8, 2000).[17]

Filmography

Feature films and television shows
Year Title Role Notes
1987 Miami Vice Vicky Episode: "Red Tape"
1987 Wiseguy Karen Leland / Maloy Episode: "One on One"
1988 The Great Outdoors Kate Craig
1989 Valmont Merteuil
1990 Postcards from the Edge Evelyn Ames Cameo
1990 The Grifters Myra Langtry
1991 Guilty by Suspicion Ruth Merrill
1991 Regarding Henry Sarah Turner
1991 Bugsy Virginia Hill
1994 Love Affair Terry McKay
1995 Richard III Queen Elizabeth
1995 The American President Sydney Ellen Wade
1996 Mars Attacks! Barbara Land
1998 The Siege Elise Kraft / Sharon Bridger
1999 In Dreams Claire Cooper
1999 American Beauty Carolyn Burnham
2000 What Planet Are You From? Susan Anderson
2002–03 Liberty's Kids Abigail Adams (voice) 5 episodes
2003 Open Range Sue Barlow
2004 Being Julia Julia Lambert
2005 Mrs. Harris Jean Harris Television film
2006 Running with Scissors Deirdre Burroughs
2006 Saturday Night Live Herself Episodes: Annette Bening / Gwen Stefani & Akon
2008 The Women Sylvie Fowler
2009 Mother and Child Karen
2010 The Kids Are All Right Dr. Nicole Allgood
2012 Ruby Sparks Gertrude
2012 Ginger & Rosa May Bella
2012 Girl Most Likely Zelda
2013 The Face of Love Nikki
2014 The Search Helen
2015 Danny Collins Mary Sinclair
2015 Untitled Warren Beatty project Filming

Awards and recognitions

Year Nominated Work Award Result
1990 Valmont Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actress Nominated
1992 London Film Critics' Circle Award for Newcomer of the Year Won
1991 The Grifters Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress 2nd place
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress Won
1992 BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated
London Film Critics' Circle Award for Newcomer of the Year Won
Postcards from the Edge London Film Critics' Circle Award for Newcomer of the Year Won
Guilty by Suspicion London Film Critics' Circle Award for Newcomer of the Year Won
Bugsy Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated
MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Warren Beatty) Nominated
1996 The American President Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated
American Comedy Award for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture Nominated
1999 The Siege Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress - Suspense]] Nominated
American Beauty San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Won
2000 Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Nominated
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Won
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Won
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Won
American Comedy Award for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture Won
Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress - Drama Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Nominated
London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Won
Online Film & Television Association Award for Best Actress Nominated
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Won
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Nominated
Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama Nominated
Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress 3rd place
2004 Open Range Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Nominated
Bronze Wrangler for Outstanding Theatrical Motion Picture Won
Being Julia Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress 2nd place
Hollywood Film Festival Award for Actress of the Year Won
National Board of Review Award for Best Actress Nominated
Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Won
Utah Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated
2005 Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Won
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Nominated
Bangkok International Film Festival Award for Best Actress Won
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated
London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year Nominated
Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Won
Santa Barbara International Film Festival Award for Best Actress Won
2006 Mrs. Harris Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie Nominated
Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Nominated
2007 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Nominated
Prism Award for Performance in a TV-Movie Nominated
2006 Running with Scissors Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated
2007 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated
2009 The Women Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress Nominated
2010 The Kids Are All Right Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Actress Won
EDA Female Focus for Women's Image Award Won
EDA Female Focus Award for Actress Defying Age and Ageism and Unforgettable Moment and Bravest Performance Nominated
Award Circuit Community Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role 2nd place
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress 2nd place
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated
Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast Nominated
Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Nominated
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Nominated
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Won
North Texas Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress 3rd place
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress and Acting Ensemble Nominated
Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated
Women Film Critics Circle Award for Best Comedic Actress Won
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress and Acting Ensemble Nominated
2011 Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Won
BAFTA Award for Best Leading Actress Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated
Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress and Ensemble Nominated
Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association Award for Film Performance of the Year Won
Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead Nominated
Iowa Film Critics Award for Best Actress Nominated
Irish Film and Television Award for Best International Actress Won
Italian Online Movie Award for Best Actress Nominated
London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year Won
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress 2nd place
Online Film & Television Association Award for Best Actress Nominated
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Nominated
Santa Barbara International Film Festival Award for Best Actress Won
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role and Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Nominated
2014 Ginger & Rosa Women Film Critics Circle Award for Women's Work/Best Ensemble Nominated
2014 The Face of Love Women's Image Network Award for Actress Feature Film Nominated

Other awards

References

  1. "#83 Royal Descents, Notable Kin, and Printed Sources: A Third Set of Ten Hollywood Figures (or Groups Thereof), with a Coda on Two Directors". Americanancestors.org. 2008-04-18. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  2. Public Record of Shirley Bening retrieved 2/21/2015
  3. "Annette Bening Biography (1958–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
  4. "Putting `Real Life' First Makes Bening A Better Actress". Nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  5. "Annette Bening Biography". TV Guide. 1958-05-29. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  6. Dutka, Elaine (1999-02-21). "The Aura of Annette; If She Makes the Merging of Career and Family Appear Effortless, It's an Illusion". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
  7. Desson Thomson (October 24, 2004). "Annette Bening, Acting on Her Maternal Instincts". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
  8. "UCLA Live's new season: Annette Bening stars in world premiere". Los Angeles Times. June 3, 2009.
  9. "She’s So Under the Gun, She Can’t Leave Her Desk". New York Times. March 1, 2010.
  10. http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/05-2014/annette-bening-jessica-hecht-and-more-will-join-jo_68620.html?cid=homepage_news
  11. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/20/annette-bening-joins-king-lear-cast-for-shakespeare-in-the-park/?_php=true&_type=blogs&module=BlogPost-Title&version=Blog%20Main&contentCollection=Arts&action=Click&pgtype=Blogs&region=Body&_r=0&gwh=0FBEFDC4C395FF76BEF690DAD88CE40A&gwt=pay
  12. http://playbill.com/news/article/191380-Annette-Bening-Jessica-Collins-Jessica-Hecht-Will-Be-John-Lithgows-Daughters-in-King-Lear
  13. "Annette Bening Emmy Nominated". Emmys.com. 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  14. A. O. Scott (2010-05-07). "In a Melancholy Los Angeles, 'La Ronde' of Motherhood". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  15. "At the Movies: The Kids Are All Right". Abc.net.au. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  16. "Marc Fennell: the circle: going the distance & the kids are alright". Marcfennell.blogspot.com. 2010-09-02. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Biography for Annette Bening". Yahoo.com.

External links

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