(Born May 29, 1958) Annette Bening is a Golden Globe and BAFTA award winning American actress. er first major role in a theatrical feature was in The Great Outdoors (1988) playing 'Kate Craig' opposite Dan Aykroyd and John Candy. Her next role was as the Marquise de Merteuil in Valmont (1989) opposite Colin Firth. Bening's next major feature, Stephen Frears's The Grifters (1990) starring Anjelica Huston and John Cusack, met with critical acclaim. Her role, in the 1999 film American Beauty, would give her the highest-profile role of her career thus far.