An American film and television actress. She's a four-time Academy Awards nominee for her roles in the feature films The Grifters, American Beauty, Being Julia and The Kids Are All Right, winning Golden Globe Awards for the latter two films. Her performance in the perfect American Beauty was considered remarkable and groundbreaking by critics and audiences alike. Many believe that Bening should have taken home the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 2000 Oscars over the less impressive Hilary Swank for her performance in Boys Don't Cry.