Born May 5, 1958, in Topeka, Kansas, Bening eventually moved with her family to San Diego, where she performed at the city's repertory theater. She later headed north, graduating from San Francisco State University. Bening's time studying and acting at the American Conservatory Theater paid off; in 1986, she earned a Tony nomination for her role in "Coastal Disturbances." Hollywood called, and Bening's notable work in Valmont (1989) landed her a role in The Grifters (1990), which earned her three Best Supporting Actress nominations.
Impressed, Warren Beatty cast her in Bugsy (1991), and the pair eventually married. Bening mastered comedy in The American President (1995) and earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her role as an off-kilter suburban wife in American Beauty (1999). She received another nomination in 2005 for Being Julia and in 2006 earned an Emmy nod for Mrs.
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