Kansas native Annette Bening got her start as an actress at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, appearing in productions including Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

Her career took off after she landed major starring roles in The Great Outdoors and The Grifters. More recently, Bening has received critical acclaim for her roles in 1999’s American Beauty and Running With Scissors, released in 2006.

Currently married to actor Warren Beatty, Bening is the mother of four children.