Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe keeps expanding. After his hit neo-Western TV show aired its series finale in December 2024, Paramount+ premiered its spin-off Marshals in March this year on top of its two existing prequels 1883 and 1923.Joining the Sheridanverse is Yellowstone’s latest spin-off, Dutton Ranch, which sees actors Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser reprise their roles as Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler. Premiering on May 15, the new show follows Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler as they leave behind their life in Montana after the sale of Yellowstone Ranch. The couple settle down in South Texas to start a life of their own, but quickly run into problems with a rival ranch.Annette Bening, Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly attend Paramount+’s Dutton Ranch New York premiere on May 12. Photo: AFP/Getty Images
While familiar faces from Yellowstone returned to the show, the highly anticipated series also introduced a number of new cast members, including Annette Bening. Her character Beulah Jackson, who is one of the most powerful women in Texas, goes head to head with Beth as they are the two alpha women in the cast.
Here’s all you need to know about the Sheridanverse newcomer, Annette Bening.
How did Annette Bening get her start in acting?
Annette Bening accepts the award for Female Star of the Year at the ShoWest Awards in Las Vegas, in 2000. Photo: Reuters
Bening was born in May 1958 in Topeka, Kansas. The youngest of four children, she was raised in a conservative household with her father working as a salesperson while her mother was a singer at their local church.
Her family relocated to California when she was a child where she attended high school and starred in a number of school plays, including The Sound of Music. After graduating, she worked various odd jobs including as a server, babysitter and secretary – but couldn’t shake the acting bug, per pop culture platform The List. She ultimately chose to study drama at the San Diego Mesa College and later transferred to San Francisco State University.
After graduating, Bening worked in theatre throughout the 1980s. She made her Broadway debut in 1986 and was nominated for her first Tony Award a year later for her role in Coastal Disturbances.
She’s a five-time Oscar nominee
