Annette Bening

Renowned American actress, Annette Carol Bening, has a career that spans over 40 years. Born in 1958 in Topeka, Kansas, Bening began her career onstage with the Colorado Shakespeare Company. She continued her stage work with roles such as Lady Macbeth in 1984, and her Broadway debut in the play Coastal Disturbances, receiving her first Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play for the latter role. Continuing to expand her resume, Bening landed her film debut in the 1988 film The Great Outdoors, though it was her role as Myra Langtry in The Grifters that would be considered her breakout role, earning her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Following that role, we’d see Annette star in such notable films as Regarding Henry, Love Affair, Mars Attacks! and The Siege. Perhaps her most notable role of her early career was that of Carolyn Burnham in Sam Mendes’ directorial debut American Beauty, winning the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. In 1999, Bening returned to the theater with her performance in Hedda Gabler as the title character. Continuing her film career, Bening starred in the films In Dreams (1999), Open Range (2003), and Being Julie (2004), winning a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her role in the latter film. She won the same award in 2011 for her performance in the film, The Kids Are All Right. Annette Bening added Ordained Minister to her list of accomplishments, having achieved ordination with the Universal Life Church in 2014. Since then, she has continued her illustrious career, with roles in 20th Century Women (2016), Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool (2017), and Life Itself (2018), among other roles. Throughout her career she has earned a whopping 93 nominations and 26 wins for her performances.

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