Quick Facts
Born:
1958-05-29
Birthplace:
Topeka, Kansas, USA
Credits:
95 Total Roles
Annette Bening
Acting
The MovieWise Take
"Annette Bening's enduring legacy isn't defined by a single archetype, but by a career of incisive, intelligent performances that dissect the American psyche, from the suburban anomie of *American Beauty* to the gleefully camp absurdity of *Mars Attacks!*. Even in a brief, pivotal turn in *Captain Marvel*, she brings an understated gravitas, cementing her as a master of making complex women feel authentically human, never merely a type."
Biography
A graduate of San Francisco State University and the American Conservatory Theater, Bening started her career on stage with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival company in 1980, and played Lady Macbeth in 1984 at the American Conservatory Theater. She made her Broadway debut in the Tina Howe play Coastal Disturbances (1987), for which she received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. Making her film debut in 1988, she gained further recognition for her role in The Grifters (1990), for which she received her first Academy Award nomination. This acclaim continued throughout the 1990s and 2000s with further Oscar-nominated performances in the comedy-dramas American Beauty (1999) and Being Julia (2004), which respectively won her the BAFTA and Golden Globe for Best Actress. Bening's performance as the title character in the British television film Mrs. Harris (2005) earned her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie.
In the following decades, Bening received two additional Oscar nominations for her leading roles as a lesbian mother in The Kids Are All Right (2010) and swimmer Diana Nyad in the Netflix biographical film Nyad (2023), the former of which also won her a Golden Globe. She returned to Broadway in the revival of Arthur Miller's All My Sons (2019), earning another Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Play. Her other roles during this period include the films 20th Century Women (2016), Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool (2017), Captain Marvel (2019), and Death on the Nile (2022), and the miniseries Apples Never Fall (2024).
Description above from the Wikipedia article Annette Bening, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Captain Marvel
Supreme Intelligence / Dr. Wendy Lawson
American Beauty
Carolyn Burnham
Mars Attacks!
Barbara Land
Death on the Nile
Euphemia Bouc
The Sopranos
Annette Bening
Ruby Sparks
Gertrude
The Kids Are All Right
Nic
The Siege
Elise Kraft / Sharon Bridger
Full Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Lucky TV | Priscialla Matheson |
| 2026 | Dutton Ranch TV | Beulah Jackson |
| 2026 | The Bride! MOVIE | Dr. Cornelia Euphronius |
| 2025 | Rob Reiner – Scenes from a Life MOVIE | Self |
| 2025 | Heightened Scrutiny MOVIE | Self |
| 2024 | Poolman MOVIE | Diane Espilnade |
| 2024 | Apples Never Fall TV | Joy Delaney |
| 2023 | Off Script with The Hollywood Reporter TV | Self |
| 2023 | NYAD MOVIE | Diana Nyad |
| 2022 | Jerry & Marge Go Large MOVIE | Marge Selbee |