Today, Annette Carol Bening is no doubt regarded as one of the Hollywood actors with a great screen presence that easily turns into strong performances. The first half of her career however features a long stretch of mediocre performances with minimal success but the second half turned out to be filled with massive recognition both locally and internationally and definitely was worth the wait. She caught the acting bug at a young age and got busy performing in school plays and musicals. The Being Julia (2005) star later earned a degree in theatre arts and started her journey as an actress.
Date of Birth: May 29, 1958
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Her first big-screen feature was in the unforgettable movie, The Great Outdoors (1988) where she played a very minor role. As is the case for many aspiring performers, one thing leads to another and their gift is refined with each scene. By the time she appeared in The Grifters (1990), she became nominated for a first Oscars thanks to her brilliant performance. This was what Beatty saw that made him seek after the exceptional actress to star as his girlfriend in the infamous Bugsy (1991). Although the movie itself did not fare so well, she became one of the most famous wives in the entertainment industry to the famous Hollywood Lady killer.
Keep on with this article and you would get to know all there is to know about this Hollywood female icon. At the end of this interesting read, you’ll have several more reasons to be a faithful fan of the movie star.
Arnett Grant Bening (father)
Annette with sister Jane, brothers Bradley, Byron and dad Arnett
Date of Birth: May 8, 1926
Arnett was as an insurance salesman and training consultant. He later took on a job in San Diego that caused the entire family to move with him. The picture-perfect Bening parents are still together till date after being married for over 66 years. According to the Love Affair (1994) actress, her parents’ religious beliefs were not sanctimonious and they in fact made her believe that with a positive attitude, the world was hers to conquer.
Shirley Bening (nee Ashley) (mother)
Year of Birth: 1929
Annette has explained that her parents married after the war and Shirley very much wanted to be at home with the children while Arnett went out working to fend for his family. When Shirley was not busy as a homemaker, she was a soloist in her church choir.
Jane Bening (elder sister from same parents)
Year of Birth: 1953
Jane is a gynecologist and the first of the Bening children. He is married to Richard Hendlin and has two daughters, Marisa and Kim.
Bradley A. Bening (elder brother from same parents)
Year of Birth: 1955
He is the lawyer of the family and the first born son to the Benings. He is a founding partner of Willoughby, Stuart & Bening.
Byron Bening (elder brother from same parents)
Year of Birth: 1957
Byron was born a year before Annette and like the rest of the Benings, they maintain a tight relationship with the star. He works as an electrician and very little is known about his personal life.
J. Steven White (ex-spouse)
Duration of Marriage: May 26, 1984 – 1991 (7 years)
Her first marriage was to choreographer J. Steven in 1984 but they quickly ran into turbulent times in their marriage. Bening was separated from White since 1986 but they did not finalize their divorce until five years later in 1991.
Warren Beatty (spouse)
Duration of Marriage: March 3, 1992 till present
Date of Birth: March 30, 1937
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Since appearing in his debut movie, Splendour in the Grass (1961), Beatty has demonstrated longer longevity than any actor in his generation. He became a multimillionaire at the young age of 30 thanks to his massively successful production deal on the Bonnie and Clyde (1967) film. He was given 40% of the box office gross by a company that doubted its potential for success. Fortunately for the young actor, when it was over, he received a whooping sum in millions. So far, he has shown such a high level of integrity in his body of work as producer, writer, director and iconic actor.
For many long-time fans of the movie industry, it is no secret that Warren was the ultimate bachelor at some point in his life. Luckily for him in his mid-50s, he found love with the fellow actress. He had heard so much about the younger actress and tried to get her to be on his film Dick Tracy (1990) but it never happened. The womanizer also invited Bening to lunch in November 1990 but her manager warned her not to as he feared the older actor might hit on her which he later did.
You may also like: Warren Beatty’s parents and siblings
They finally got to meet while the legendary Casanova was filming the movie Bugsy (1991) and he found her fit to be cast as his girlfriend Virginia Hill. Asides her perfect match with the character in the movie, Beatty fell in love immediately with her real life self. He told the director of the 1991 movie then that he loved Annette and he was going to marry her. He later admitted that it took him about five minutes to fall in love with the bubbly actress and at the same time, he began mourning the passing of a way of the single life he was so accustomed to.
There was just something about her that made him ready to be domesticated immediately. According to the Heaven Can Wait (1978) actor, director, writer and producer; she was smart, funny and attractive but they never got father than friends while on the set of the movie. After filming was a wrap, the 21-year older icon invited Bening over to dinner, their first child Kathlyn was conceived on the same first date and the rest they say is history. She has affirmed that she married the man and not the legend.
25 years down the line, these lovers are still going strong, upending expectations and defying logic. It is still a mystery till date how the pushy real estate agent from the American Beauty (1999) was able to make the one time biggest womanizer in Hollywood a one woman man and even kept him that way for over two decades. On a sit-down interview, she stated that one possible key was them embracing their differences and the sparks that develop from them. The Rules Don’t Apply (2016) exceptional director on the other hand claims respect has been a big deal for them and it has sure kept them solid over the years. In all, there is just a special kind of fire between these two lovebirds that is hard to describe.
Stephen Beatty (son with Warren Beatty, was born Kathlyn Elizabeth Beatty)
Date of Birth: January 8, 1992
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
It is no longer news that he was conceived on his parents’ first date. The more recent gist about him is that he is transgender; he came out in high school when he was 14. Stephen was born as the female Kathlyn Elizabeth and turned out to be a transgender activist and writer. It was a shock for his parents at first and they struggled to come to terms with it but thankfully, the Bening-Beatty couple now see their son as revolutionary and courageous. Beatty says Stephen is his genius and his hero as all his children are; he agrees that life just takes over in the most wonderful ways and all one can do is just sit back and watch.
Benjamin Beatty (son with Warren Beatty)
Date of Birth: August 23, 1994
Zodiac Sign: Virgo
Benjamin is the second son of the famous Hollywood power couple and he has taken after his parents as an actor. He is known for his role in Hail, Ceaser! (2016).
Isabel Beatty (daughter with Warren Beatty)
Date of Birth: January 11, 1997
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
She is the first daughter to the screen legends and according to them parenting is the biggest thing that has happened in their lives. Till date, it beats any fame they have ever experienced in their careers.
Ella Beatty (daughter with Warren Beatty)
Date of Birth: April 8, 2000
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Ella made her debut at Le Paris on November 26, 2016 following in the footsteps of her elder sister who had come out two years earlier.
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