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Annette Bening

Annette Bening

Actor, also producer · Born May 29, 1958 (68) · Topeka, Kansas, USA

2 Golden Globes · BAFTA Award winner · 2 Screen Actors Guild Awards · 4 other major award bodies

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 Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for five Academy Awards, two Tony Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award, making her one of the few artists nominated for the Triple Crown of Acting without winning. 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.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 29, 1958 (68)
From
Topeka, Kansas, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
51 on MovieCove · 60 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 14% in 30 days

What are Annette Bening's films like?

Across their 54 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy19 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 58th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama12 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Biography7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 82nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Documentary6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
27%
Self
25%
Morality
15%
Society
11%
Power
9%
Survival
7%
Ideas
5%
Family bonds14 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity12 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love11 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception10 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice7 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship5 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy7 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 51 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 20 · Serious 17 · Dark 14

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 31 · Stylized 14 · Heightened 6

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 19 · Charged 20 · Intense 12

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 26 · Shifting 22 · Whiplash 3

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 21 · Some laughs 24 · Funny 6

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 27 · Even-paced 22 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 27 · Engaged 21 · Full focus 3

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 20 · Affecting 13 · Heavy 18

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 34 · Open-ended 14 · Ambiguous 3

Roles they play

33 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 8 of 33 analyzed roles.

Hero
8 of 33
Shapeshifter
7 of 33
Ally
6 of 33
Mentor
4 of 33
Shadow
3 of 33
Threshold guardian
2 of 33
Herald
2 of 33
Trickster
1 of 33
Show the 33 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
21
Melancholic
22
Bittersweet
20
Contemplative
17
Warm
15
Other
52

How their films linger

Bittersweet26 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy16
  • Bittersweet28
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous6
  • Cyclical2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Annette Bening's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 40 of their 51 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (15).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Annette Bening's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

60 credits, 51 with a MovieCove page; 36 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • In Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    Actor

  • Lucky(2026)

    Show 7 episodes · as Priscilla Masterson

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all shows

  • Dutton Ranch(2026)

    Show 9 episodes · as Beulah Jackson

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • The Bride!(2026)

    as Dr. Euphronious

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Poolman(2023)

    as Diane Espilnade

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Apples Never Fall(2024)

    Show 7 episodes · Executive Producer · as Joy Delaney

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all shows

  • Behind the Lines(2024)

    as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Nyad(2023)

    as Diana Nyad

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Jerry & Marge Go Large(2022)

    as Marge Selbee

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Death on the Nile(2022)

    as Euphemia Bouc

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Hope Gap(2019)

    as Grace

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Report(2019)

    as Dianne Feinstein

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Georgetown(2019)

    as Amanda Brecht

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Captain Marvel(2019)

    as Supreme Intelligence / Dr. Wendy Lawson

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Life Itself(2018)

    as Dr. Cait Morris

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Seagull(2018)

    as Irina Arkadina

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool(2017)

    as Gloria Grahame

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • 20th Century Women(2016)

    as Dorothea

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Rules Don't Apply(2016)

    as Lucy Mabrey

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Danny Collins(2015)

    as Mary Sinclair

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Search (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Helen

  • The Face of Love(2013)

    as Nikki Lostorm

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Ginger & Rosa(2012)

    as Bella

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Girl Most Likely(2012)

    as Zelda

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Ruby Sparks(2012)

    as Gertrude

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • I'm Still Here(2010)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Kids Are All Right(2010)

    as Nic

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Mother and Child(2009)

    as Karen

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • SNL Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas(2009)

    as Director

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Women(2008)

    as Sylvie Fowler

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • 14 Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Running with Scissors(2006)

    as Deirdre Burroughs

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Holly Dancer (segment "Coastal Disturbances")

  • Mrs. Harris(2005)

    as Jean Harris

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Being Julia(2004)

    as Julia Lambert

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Open Range(2003)

    as Sue Barlow

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Liberty's Kids(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Abigail Adams (voice)

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • What Planet Are You From?(2000)

    as Susan Anderson

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • American Beauty(1999)

    as Carolyn Burnham

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • In Dreams(1999)

    as Claire Cooper

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Sopranos(1999)

    Show 1 episode · as Annette Bening

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • The Siege(1998)

    as Elise Kraft / Sharon Bridger

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Mars Attacks!(1996)

    as Barbara Land

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Richard III(1995)

    as Queen Elizabeth

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The American President(1995)

    as Sydney Ellen Wade

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Love Affair(1994)

    as Terry McKay

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Bugsy(1991)

    as Virginia Hill

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Regarding Henry(1991)

    as Sarah Turner

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Guilty by Suspicion(1991)

    as Ruth Merrill

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Postcards from the Edge(1990)

    as Evelyn Ames

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Grifters(1990)

    as Myra Langtry

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Valmont(1989)

    as Merteuil

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • The Great Outdoors(1988)

    as Kate Craig

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Hostage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Jill

  • Wiseguy(1987)

    Show 1 episode · as Karen Leland / Maloy

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • Manhunt for Claude Dallas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    as Ann Tillman

  • Miami Vice(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Vicky

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • 42.6 Years (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Ruthie

  • Turn of Mind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Dr. Jennifer White

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 59 titles, 55 of them dated from 1984 to 2026; peak year 2018.

Biggest box office

Captain Marvel (2019)

$1.1B worldwide

Highest rated

American Beauty (1999)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Lucky (2026)

Film career

MilestoneAward winNomination
19842026

Peak 2018 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 33 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

Show 8 more milestones

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting58 of 59: 57 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score71stProducing1 of 59: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleOther crew1 of 59: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1980s6 · acting1990s13 · acting2000s10 · acting2010s18 · 17 acting · 1 crew2020s8 · 8 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 20% of 41 roles
8893031318

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

2 Golden Globes, a BAFTA Award and 2 Screen Actors Guild Awards from 32 major nominations, 1991–2024.

WinNomination
  1. 2024
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
  2. 2020
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
  3. 2018
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Leading Actress
  4. 2017
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Female Lead
  5. 2016
    • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actress
  6. 2011
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Leading Actress
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
    • +2 other major bodies · 2 nominations
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actress
      • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Female Lead
  7. 2007
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
  8. 2006
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
Show 5 earlier years
  1. 2005
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actress
  2. 2000
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
  3. 1996
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
  4. 1992
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Actress in a Supporting Role
  5. 1991
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Annette Bening's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 66th percentile, the median of all 44; across their 51 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 66th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 51

Approval · how many liked their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 51

Reach · how many have seen their films

89thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 51

Midcredits score across 51 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up21
  • 50th to 74th14
  • 25th to 49th14
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

28 of their 51 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Universally Panned1
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser28
  • Broadly Agreed7
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · actor

Behind the Lines (2024)

99th percentile spread · 26% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

American Beauty (1999)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the acting 76/100 in their films, across 42 reviewed titles; fans 84, detractors 52. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Annette Bening's work okay for kids?

Across up to 36 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore25 titles13–71 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity36 titles13–64 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity29 titles30–73 · median 58 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs25 titles17–66 · median 34 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense23 titles14–68 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Annette Bening work with?

People who share at least 2 of Annette Bening's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Mike Nichols shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles