Overview

Annette Carol Bening (born May 29, 1958) is an American actress with a career spanning over four decades. She is known for her versatile work across screen and stage. Bening has received numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and nominations for five Academy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award and two Tony Awards. 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. Bening is married to actor Warren Beatty since 1992, and they have four children.

What Is Annette Bening’s Net Worth?

Annette Bening, a celebrated American actress, has accumulated a substantial net worth, estimated at $70 million. This impressive figure represents the combined net worth she shares with her husband of several decades, actor Warren Beatty. Bening’s financial success is primarily attributed to her prolific acting career, spanning over three decades, with significant contributions from her roles in both critically acclaimed independent films and commercially successful blockbusters.

Annette Bening’s Career and Earnings

Bening embarked on her acting journey in junior high school and honed her craft at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Her early career included a Broadway appearance in “Coastal Disturbances,” earning her a Tony Award nomination in 1987. Transitioning to on-screen roles in the late 1980s, Bening’s career trajectory showcases a diverse range of film projects. Her film debut was in 1988, with a small role in “The Great Outdoors.”

One of Bening’s breakthrough roles came in 1990 with “The Grifters,” for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In 1991, she starred in “Bugsy” alongside Warren Beatty, further solidifying her status in Hollywood. Her performance in “American Beauty” (1999) earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, contributing significantly to her recognition and subsequent earning potential.

Bening’s filmography includes notable roles in “The American President” (1995), “Being Julia” (2004), and “The Kids Are All Right” (2010), each contributing to her financial success and solidifying her reputation as a versatile and talented actress. For “Being Julia,” she earned her third Academy Award nomination, and for “The Kids Are All Right,” she received her fourth. Her consistent presence in high-profile films and stage productions has enabled her to command substantial salaries and secure lucrative endorsements and opportunities throughout her career.

Real Estate Assets

Annette Bening and Warren Beatty’s real estate portfolio includes multiple properties in Beverly Hills, reflecting their substantial financial success. In 2011, it was reported that they listed one of their Beverly Hills properties for rent at $27,500 per month. When they did not find any takers, the couple lowered the rental cost to $25,000 one month later. Due to lack of tenants, they listed the property for sale in 2012 with an asking price of $6.955 million.

The 10,600-square-foot mansion, situated on 1.1 acres, was originally constructed in 1992 with Mediterranean design influences. It features a three-car garage, a pool, and a spa. The couple resided in this property for many years, initially moving in after their other home sustained damage in the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. Around the time they listed the aforementioned property, they relocated back to their renovated previous home, also located in Beverly Hills, which sits on a 6.7-acre plot of land. The specific addresses of these properties are not publicly disclosed for privacy reasons.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Annette Bening was born on May 29, 1958, in Topeka, Kansas, to Shirley, a church singer, and Arnett, an insurance salesman and sales training consultant. Her parents, both originally from Iowa, were conservative Republicans and Episcopalians. Bening, of English and German descent, has three older siblings: a sister named Jane and two brothers, Byron and Bradley. In 1959, her family relocated to Wichita, Kansas, where she spent her early childhood. In 1965, they moved to San Diego, California, due to her father’s job opportunity with a company there.

Bening began her acting journey in junior high school, taking the lead role in “The Sound of Music.” She then attended Patrick Henry High School. After a gap year working as a cook on a charter boat, she enrolled at San Diego Mesa College before transferring to San Francisco State University.

In 1980, Bening started her professional acting career with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. She also appeared in plays at the San Diego Repertory Theatre. Simultaneously, she became a member of the American Conservatory Theater’s acting company in San Francisco, studying in the school’s advanced theatre training program. While with the company, she starred in “Macbeth.” Later, in 1985 and 1986, she starred in “Pygmalion” and “The Cherry Orchard” at the Denver Center Theatre Company.

Film Career: 1988-1999

Annette Bening made her feature film debut in 1988, appearing alongside John Candy and Dan Aykroyd in the comedy “The Great Outdoors.” The following year, she starred opposite Colin Firth in the romantic drama “Valmont.” Her breakthrough role came in 1990 with the crime thriller “The Grifters,” which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In the same year, she appeared in “Postcards from the Edge,” starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine.

1991 was a significant year for Bening, starring in three films: “Guilty by Suspicion,” “Regarding Henry,” and the biographical crime drama “Bugsy,” where she portrayed Virginia Hill opposite Warren Beatty’s portrayal of the titular mobster. Bening and Beatty reunited in 1994 for the romantic drama remake “Love Affair.” In 1995, she took on two major roles: Queen Elizabeth in “Richard III,” featuring a cast including Ian McKellen, Jim Broadbent, Robert Downey Jr., Maggie Smith, and Kristin Scott Thomas, and Sydney Ellen Wade in Rob Reiner’s “The American President,” playing a lobbyist who begins a relationship with the President of the United States, played by Michael Douglas.

Bening followed this with a supporting role in Tim Burton’s “Mars Attacks!” and leading roles in Edward Zwick’s “The Siege” and Neil Jordan’s “In Dreams.” She concluded the 1990s with her acclaimed performance as Carolyn Burnham in Sam Mendes’ debut film, “American Beauty,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, while Bening received a nomination for Best Actress.

Film Career: 2000-Present

In 2000, Annette Bening starred in Mike Nichols’ science-fiction comedy “What Planet Are You From?” Three years later, she had a supporting role in Kevin Costner’s Western “Open Range.” In 2004, Bening earned her third Academy Award nomination for her lead performance as theater actress Julia Lambert in “Being Julia.”

She continued with starring roles in “Running with Scissors,” “The Women,” and “Mother and Child.” In 2010, Bening received her fourth Academy Award nomination for “The Kids Are All Right,” co-starring with Julianne Moore as one half of a lesbian couple. Subsequently, she appeared in “Ruby Sparks,” “Ginger & Rosa,” “Girl Most Likely,” “The Face of Love,” “The Search,” and “Danny Collins.”

2016 was a notable year for Bening, starring in both Mike Mills’ “20th Century Women” and Warren Beatty’s “Rules Don’t Apply.” The following year, she portrayed Hollywood actress Gloria Grahame in the biographical romance “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool.” Bening also appeared in the Chekhov adaptation “The Seagull,” the ensemble drama “Life Itself,” and the political drama “The Report,” where she played Senator Dianne Feinstein. Her other credits include “Captain Marvel,” “Georgetown,” “Hope Gap,” and “Death on the Nile.” While specific financial details for each of these roles are not publicly available, they collectively contribute to her estimated $70 million net worth.

Television Career

Annette Bening began her television career in the 1986 television film “Manhunt for Claude Dallas.” She subsequently appeared in episodes of “Miami Vice” and “Wiseguy.” After a 25-year hiatus, Bening returned to television in 2002 to voice Abigail Adams on the animated children’s series “Liberty’s Kids.”

The actress secured her most notable television role in 2005, playing the titular character in the made-for-TV film “Mrs. Harris.” The film received 12 Emmy Award nominations, including one for Bening’s performance. Although precise salary figures for these television roles are not publicly accessible, they add to her overall income and net worth.

Stage Career

Annette Bening made her Broadway debut in 1987, portraying Holly Dancer in Tina Howe’s “Coastal Disturbances.” Her performance garnered her a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play. Subsequently, she appeared in “Spoils of War.” Bening returned to the stage in 1999, starring in the titular role in “Hedda Gabler” at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.

In 2009, she starred in “Medea” at UCLA’s Freud Playhouse, and in 2010, she returned to the Geffen Playhouse to star in “The Female of the Species.” Bening revisited her Shakespearean roots in 2014, starring in “King Lear” at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, marking her first New York stage appearance in two decades. In 2019, she made her Broadway return in a revival of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons” and earned her second Tony Award nomination. Financial details regarding her earnings from these stage productions are not publicly disclosed.

Personal Life and Marriage to Warren Beatty

In 1984, Annette Bening married choreographer James Steven White; they divorced in 1991. The following year, she married actor and filmmaker Warren Beatty, with whom she had starred in “Bugsy.” Together, they have four children. While Annette Bening’s individual net worth is estimated at $70 million, this figure includes her share of the marital assets she shares with Warren Beatty.

Details of prenuptial agreements or specific financial arrangements within their marriage are not publicly available. The stability and longevity of their marriage since 1992 suggest a strong partnership in managing their combined assets and financial affairs.

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