Annette Bening Actress
Born in Kansas and raised in San Diego, Annette Bening was enrolled at a local college when she got a job as a dancer in a pre-show presented outside of San Diego’s famed Old Globe Theater. This led to a walk-on in a Shakespearean production and two plays with the San Diego Repertory Theater. Bening graduated then from San Francisco State University and was accepted by the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, where she trained until she joined the acting company. She also appeared in both summer Shakespearean festivals and regional productions until her career took her to New York. In 1987, Bening received both a Tony Award nomination and won the Clarence Derwent Award for most outstanding debut performance of the season for her role in Tina Howe’s “Coastal Disturbances”, originally at the Second Stage, then on Broadway. Bening made her feature film debut in 1988 in Howard Deutch’s “The Great Outdoors” starring Dan Aykroyd. She then played in Milos Forman’s “Valmont” (1989) with Colin Firth and Meg Tilly, and in Mike Nichol’s “Postcards from the Edge” (1990).
In 1990, she starred in Stephen Frears’ “The Grifters” opposite John Cusack and Anjelica Huston. Her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination and a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. One year later, she played in Mike Nichols’ “Regarding Henry” opposite Harrison
Ford, Irwin Winkler’s “Guilty by Suspicion” with Robert de Niro and Barry Levinson’s “Bugsy” starring
Warren Beatty. Her role earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.
In the 90s, she starred with Michael Douglas in Rob Reiner’s “The American President” (1995), a role which earned her a new Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. Then she played the role of the Queen Elizabeth in Richard Loncraine’s “Richard III” (1995) and Jack Nicholson’s wife in Tim Burton’s “Mars Attacks!” (1996). She also starred in Edward Zwick’s “The Siege” (1998) opposite Denzel Washington and Neil Jordan’s “In Dreams” (1999).
In 1999, Bening received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her performance in “American Beauty” directed by Sam Mendes and starring Kevin Spacey. The film won five Academy 3 Awards and two of them for Best Film and Best Director. She also received a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, a Golden Globe nomination and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
In 2000, she worked once again with Mike Nichols in “What Planet Are You From?” and then played in Kevin Costner’s “Open Range” (2003). In 2004, she received for the second time an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in István Szabó’s “Being Julia”. She also won for her performance in that film a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award. One year later, her role in Phyllis Nagy’s “Mrs. Harris” earned her another Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress as well as a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award and for an Emmy Award. Bening’s theater credits include Henrik Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler” in 1999 at Los Angeles’ Geffen Playhouse, role for which she received a nomination for an Ovation Award. She also played in Los Angeles in Anton Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard”, Alan Bennett’s “Talking Heads” and Euripide’s “Medea”. In 2010, she was on stage in Joanna Murray-Smith’s “The Female of the Species” also at the Geffen Playhouse.
Annette Bening will next be seen on the big screen in Rodrigo Garcia’s “Mother and Child” and Lisa
Cholodenko’s “The Kids Are All Right”, screened in Deauville.
Filmography
Hemingway & Fuentes (2010)
State of the Union (2010)
The Kids Are All Right de de Lisa Cholodenko (2010)
Mother and Child (2009)
A Woman of No Importance de Bruce Beresford (2008)
Running with Scissors de Ryan Murphy (2006)
Being Julia de de Istvan Szabo (2004)
Open Range de Kevin Costner (2003)
What Planet Are You From? de de Mike Nichols (2000)
American Beauty de Sam Mendes (1999)
In Dreams de Neil Jordan (1999)
The Siege de Edward Zwick (1998)
Mars Attacks! de Tim Burton (1996)
The American President de Rob Reiner (1995)
Richard III de Richard Loncraine (1995)
Love Affair de Glenn Gordon Caron (1994)
Bugsy de Barry Levinson (1991)
Regarding Henry de de Mike Nichols (1991)
Guilty by Suspicion de Irwin Winkler (1991)
The Griftersde Stephen Frears (1990)
Postcards from the Edge de Mike Nichols (1990)
Valmont de Milos Forman (1989)
Merteuil
The Great Outdoors (1988)
.