Wes Bentley
Encyclopedia
Wesley Cook "Wes" Bentley (born September 4, 1978) is an American
film actor known for his role of Ricky Fitts in American Beauty
.
, Arkansas
, the son of Cherie and David Bentley, who are United Methodist ministers.
, P2
, and Ghost Rider
. He starred in the thriller Dolan's Cadillac
, based on the short story by Stephen King
, and There Be Dragons
by director Roland Joffé
. Bentley is one of the main subjects in the documentary My Big Break
, directed by Tony Zierra
, which follows Bentley and three of his former roommates, Chad Lindberg
, Brad Rowe
and Greg Fawcett
, as they pursue their dream to become successful actors in Hollywood.
In the 2007 film Ghost Rider
, Bentley played Blackheart
], a demonic being that was the main antagonist
.
In 2010, he starred opposite Nina Arianda
in the premier of the David Ives
play Venus in Fur
at the Classic Stage Company
in New York City.
In July 2009, he said, he confessed to a friend, "I’m a drug addict, and an alcoholic, and I need help. I need help or I’m going to die.” He again entered a 12-step program and, while clean since then, considers himself on the path to recovery, and has begun to rebuild his career by starring in the Off-Broadway
play Venus in Fur
. The documentary My Big Break captures Bentley's early life as an unknown actor, his explosive career launch after American Beauty, his subsequent emotional struggle with fame, and his admission years later that he was recovering from an addiction to drugs and alcohol.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film actor known for his role of Ricky Fitts in American Beauty
American Beauty (film)
American Beauty is a 1999 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball. Kevin Spacey stars as Lester Burnham, a middle-aged magazine writer who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend, Angela...
.
Early life
Bentley was born in JonesboroJonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro is a city in and one of the two county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, United States. According to the 2010 US Census, the population of the city was 67,263. A college town, Jonesboro is the largest city in northeastern Arkansas and the fifth most populous city in the state...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, the son of Cherie and David Bentley, who are United Methodist ministers.
Career
Bentley has starred in several films, including the Oscar-winning film American Beauty, The Four FeathersThe Four Feathers (2002 film)
The Four Feathers is a 2002 action drama film directed by Shekhar Kapur, starring Heath Ledger, Wes Bentley, Djimon Hounsou and Kate Hudson...
, P2
P2 (film)
P2 is a 2007 thriller film directed by Franck Khalfoun, written and produced by Khalfoun, Alexandre Aja and Grégory Levasseur and starring Rachel Nichols and Wes Bentley....
, and Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (film)
Ghost Rider is a 2007 superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the character of the same name which appeared in Marvel Comics, the film stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who sells his soul to the Devil and transforms into thevigilante Ghost...
. He starred in the thriller Dolan's Cadillac
Dolan's Cadillac (film)
Dolan's Cadillac is a 2009 thriller starring Wes Bentley, Christian Slater and Emmanuelle Vaugier. It is based on a short story of the same name by Stephen King.-Plot:...
, based on the short story by Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, and There Be Dragons
There Be Dragons
There Be Dragons is a historical epic written and directed by Roland Joffé, a British filmmaker well known for directing The Mission, The Killing Fields and Captivity. It is a drama set during the Spanish Civil War which features themes such as betrayal, love and hatred, forgiveness, friendship,...
by director Roland Joffé
Roland Joffé
Roland Joffé is an English-French film director who is known for his Oscar nominated movies, The Killing Fields and The Mission. He began his career in television. His early television credits included episodes of Coronation Street and an adaptation of The Stars Look Down for Granada...
. Bentley is one of the main subjects in the documentary My Big Break
My Big Break
My Big Break is a 2011 documentary film directed by Tony Zierra starring Wes Bentley, Tony Zierra, Brad Rowe, Chad Lindberg and Greg Fawcett...
, directed by Tony Zierra
Tony Zierra
Tony Zierra is an American director and producer. He has directed three movies: Carving Out Our Name, USA The Movie and My Big Break in which he also appeared,- External links :...
, which follows Bentley and three of his former roommates, Chad Lindberg
Chad Lindberg
Chad Tyler Lindberg is an American actor. He is best known for his film role as Jesse in The Fast and the Furious and for a rape scene in the 2010 remake I Spit On Your Grave.-Life and career:...
, Brad Rowe
Brad Rowe (actor)
Brad Rowe is an American film and television actor who began his career in movies such as Invisible Temptation and Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss ....
and Greg Fawcett
Greg Fawcett
Greg Wendell Fawcett is an American film and television actor who began his career with the 1993 movie Naked Instinct...
, as they pursue their dream to become successful actors in Hollywood.
In the 2007 film Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (film)
Ghost Rider is a 2007 superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the character of the same name which appeared in Marvel Comics, the film stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who sells his soul to the Devil and transforms into thevigilante Ghost...
, Bentley played Blackheart
Blackheart
Blackheart is a fictional demon in the . The character was created by Ann Nocenti and John Romita, Jr., and first appeared in Daredevil #270...
], a demonic being that was the main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
.
In 2010, he starred opposite Nina Arianda
Nina Arianda
Nina Arianda is an American theatre and film actress.-Early life and education:Arianda grew up in Clifton, New Jersey and Heidelberg, Germany...
in the premier of the David Ives
David Ives
David Ives is a contemporary American playwright. A native of South Chicago, Ives attended a minor Catholic seminary and Northwestern University and, after some years' interval, Yale School of Drama, where he received an MFA in playwriting...
play Venus in Fur
Venus in Fur
Venus in Fur is a two-person play set in the modern day by David Ives, which had its première at the Classic Stage Company Off Broadway in New York City in 2010, and on Broadway in 2011.-Productions:...
at the Classic Stage Company
Classic Stage Company
Classic Stage Company, or CSC, is a classical Off-Broadway theater dedicated to reimagining the classical repertory for a contemporary American audience, presenting plays from the past that speak directly to today's issues. Founded in 1967, Classic Stage Company is one of Off-Broadway's...
in New York City.
Substance abuse and legal issues
In a New York Times article on February 8, 2010, he described his descent into drug addiction that began almost immediately after his success in American Beauty. He said he hid his addiction from his wife; they separated in 2006, and he moved to an apartment where he began doing drugs full-time. During this time he worked sporadically, just enough to pay bills and buy drugs, and in 2008 was arrested and ordered into counseling and 12-step programs. He relapsed, however, and "continued using heroin until he was broke".In July 2009, he said, he confessed to a friend, "I’m a drug addict, and an alcoholic, and I need help. I need help or I’m going to die.” He again entered a 12-step program and, while clean since then, considers himself on the path to recovery, and has begun to rebuild his career by starring in the Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
play Venus in Fur
Venus in Fur
Venus in Fur is a two-person play set in the modern day by David Ives, which had its première at the Classic Stage Company Off Broadway in New York City in 2010, and on Broadway in 2011.-Productions:...
. The documentary My Big Break captures Bentley's early life as an unknown actor, his explosive career launch after American Beauty, his subsequent emotional struggle with fame, and his admission years later that he was recovering from an addiction to drugs and alcohol.
Filmography
- BelovedBeloved (film)Beloved is a 1998 film based on Toni Morrison's 1987 novel of the same name. It was directed by Jonathan Demme, and was produced by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions. The film stars Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover.-Plot:...
(1998) - Three Below Zero (1998)
- American Beauty (1999)
- The White River Kid (1999)
- The ClaimThe ClaimThe Claim is a 2000 British Western/romance film directed by Michael Winterbottom. The screenplay by Frank Cottrell Boyce is loosely based on the novel The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy. The original music score is composed by Michael Nyman....
(2000) - Soul SurvivorsSoul SurvivorsSoul Survivors is a 2001 psychological thriller film starring Melissa Sagemiller as a college student named Cassie, whose boyfriend Sean died in a car accident that resulted from her driving after a night of partying...
(2001) - Carving Out Our Name (2001)
- The Four FeathersThe Four Feathers (2002 film)The Four Feathers is a 2002 action drama film directed by Shekhar Kapur, starring Heath Ledger, Wes Bentley, Djimon Hounsou and Kate Hudson...
(2002) - The Game of Their Lives (2005)
- WeirdsvilleWeirdsvilleWeirdsville is a black comedy directed by Allan Moyle and written by Willem Wennekers. The film premiered January 18, 2007 at the 2007 Slamdance Film Festival. The film has also been shown at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the Raindance Film...
(2007) - Ghost RiderGhost Rider (film)Ghost Rider is a 2007 superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the character of the same name which appeared in Marvel Comics, the film stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who sells his soul to the Devil and transforms into thevigilante Ghost...
(2007) - P2P2 (film)P2 is a 2007 thriller film directed by Franck Khalfoun, written and produced by Khalfoun, Alexandre Aja and Grégory Levasseur and starring Rachel Nichols and Wes Bentley....
(2007) - Ungodly (2007)
- The Last WordThe Last Word (2008 film)The Last Word is an offbeat romantic dramedy written and directed by Geoffrey Haley. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and was released wide in 2008.-Plot:...
(2008) - My Big BreakMy Big BreakMy Big Break is a 2011 documentary film directed by Tony Zierra starring Wes Bentley, Tony Zierra, Brad Rowe, Chad Lindberg and Greg Fawcett...
(2009) - The Tomb (2008)
- The Last WordThe Last Word (2008 film)The Last Word is an offbeat romantic dramedy written and directed by Geoffrey Haley. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and was released wide in 2008.-Plot:...
(2008) - Dolan's CadillacDolan's Cadillac (film)Dolan's Cadillac is a 2009 thriller starring Wes Bentley, Christian Slater and Emmanuelle Vaugier. It is based on a short story of the same name by Stephen King.-Plot:...
(2009) - There Be DragonsThere Be DragonsThere Be Dragons is a historical epic written and directed by Roland Joffé, a British filmmaker well known for directing The Mission, The Killing Fields and Captivity. It is a drama set during the Spanish Civil War which features themes such as betrayal, love and hatred, forgiveness, friendship,...
(2010) - Jonah HexJonah Hex (film)Jonah Hex is a 2010 post-Civil War antihero Western film loosely based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film is directed by Jimmy Hayward and stars Josh Brolin as the title character, Jonah Hex, and also stars John Malkovich, Michael Fassbender,...
(2010) - What Do You Got?What Do You Got?-Personnel:*Jon Bon Jovi – writer, co-producer*Richie Sambora - writer, co-producer*Brett James - writer*Howard Benson - producer*Mike Plotnikoff - recording engineer*Chris Lord-Alge - mixing engineer-Chart performance:-Releases:-References:...
– Bon JoviBon JoviBon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
(2010) - Rites of PassageRites of Passage (2011 film)Rites of Passage is an upcoming American thriller film written and directed by W. Peter Iliff. The film stars Wes Bentley, Kate Maberly, Ryan Donowho, Christian Slater and Stephen Dorff. It is currently in post-production.-Plot:...
(2011) - GoneGone (2012 film)Gone is an upcoming thriller film written and directed by Heitor Dhalia and Allison Burnett. The film is scheduled for a theatrical release on February 24, 2012...
(2012) - The Hunger GamesThe Hunger Games (film)The Hunger Games is an upcoming science fiction action drama film directed by Gary Ross and is based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth...
- Seneca Crane (2012)