Wes Bentley Biography
Wes Bentley was a relative newcomer to film when he starred in Sam_Mendes' 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. Dark, lanky, and possessing a pair of blue eyes of diamond-cutting intensity, Bentley beat out 20 young Hollywood actors for the role (according to Mendes), and his breakthrough performance was soon generating Oscar buzz. The actor originally hailed from Jonesboro, AR, where he was tormented by school bullies for being a "pretty boy," and he 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. 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 titular murderer. Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
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