Annette Francine Bening was born on May 29, 1958 in Topeka, Kansas to Grant and Shirley Bening, a Dale Carnegie teacher and a professional church soloist. By the age of 6, the family, consisting of her parents, brothers Brad (a lawyer) and Byron (an electrician) and sister Jane (a gynecologist), moved to San Diego, California.
While in elementary school, Annette participated in ballet and theatre and played Maria in a production of The Sound of Music. She graduated from Patrick Henry High School in San Diego a full year early in 1975 at the age of 17. From there, she took a year off and worked as a cook on a tourist scuba expedition boat. Soon after, she enrolled at San Diego Mesa College and then went on to San Francisco State University where she received a bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts. She then was accepted to the prestigious American Conservatory Theatre - ACT - where she gained critical acclaim in several productions including Macbeth. After graduating from ACT, she became an instructor at the conservatory. While there, she met and married ACT teacher Steven White. Soon after they moved to Denver, Colorado where Steven ran a theatre group and Annette starred in plays.
After a short time in Denver, Annette left and traveled to New York City to pursue a career on Broadway. After several performances in various plays in the city, Annette came to the attention of Tina Howe, who was looking for a fresh face to cast in her play "Coastal Disturbances". After Annette got the part, the play soon moved to Broadway in 1986 and Annette received the Clarence Derwent Award for Most Outstanding Performance.
In 1987, she won her first movie role opposite Dan Ackroyd and John Candy in "The Great Outdoors". In 1988, she won the role of the Marquis DeSade in Milos Forman's "Valmont". In 1991, after being estranged from her husband Steven for several years, they divorced. Shortly after, she received her first Oscar Nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of the con-artist Myra Langtree in "The Grifters". She then went on to work in "Guilty By Suspicion" with Robert Deniro, "Regarding Henry" with Harrison Ford and finally "Bugsy" with Warren Beatty. Little did she know how her life would change after "Bugsy".
In 1992, She married Warren Beatty and gave birth to their first child, Kathlyn Elizabeth Bening-Beatty. From there, Annette took several years off to raise Kathlyn before returning to the screen opposite her new husband in 1994's "Love Affair". In 1994, she gave birth to a son, Benjamin Maclean Beatty. She then went on to star in "The American President" opposite Michael Douglas, "Richard III", "Mars Attacks!!", had another child Isabelle, "The Siege", "In Dreams", "What Planet are You From", and finally "American Beauty".
For her portrayal of Carolyn Burnham in "American Beauty", Annette was nominated for the Golden Globe, SAG, and the Oscar. She won the SAG, but unfortunately lost the Globe and the Oscar. She then received the British Academy Award for Best Actress. However, she was unable to attend the British Awards because she was 9 months pregnant with Ella Corinne Beatty, born April 7, 2000
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