With his intense performance, WES BENTLEY made a lasting
impression in Sam Mendes' Academy Award®-winning "American
Beauty," with Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening and Peter Gallagher.
Bentley was a relative newcomer to film when he starred in
"American Beauty" (1999), but his haunting portrayal of the
battered, enigmatic Ricky Fitts made him one of the most
talked-about young actors of the year.
Prior to "American Beauty," Bentley's film experience had been
limited to roles in independent films such as "Three Below Zero"
and "Halfway to Pleasantville," and a small part in Jonathan
Demme's "Beloved." Following his acclaimed role in "American
Beauty," Bentley appeared in "The White River Kid," in which he
played the film's eponymous murderer, and the drama "The Claim"
opposite Milla Jovovich and Sarah Polley.
Bentley was most recently seen starring in "Soul Survivors," a
psychological thriller that follows the story of four college
students and how their lives are drastically changed after
their friend dies in a car accident. He also appears in the
upcoming "Four Feathers" and the documentary "Carving Out Our
Name."
Born on September 4, 1978, in Jonesboro, Arkansas, Wesley Cook
Bentley came to film via New York's Juilliard School, where he
acted in a number of productions. While in New York, Bentley
also sought other work, and an open casting call for "Rent" led
to a casting director's request for him to do some reading for
a small film.
![[Wes Bentley]](wes.jpg)