Warren Beatty and Annette Bening's Relationship Timeline: From Hollywood Costars to Proud Parents

Mar. 15, 2025

Annette Bening and Warren Beatty attend the 2016 GQ Men of the Year Party at Chateau Marmont on December 8, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.Photo: Stefanie Keenan/Getty

Warren BeattyandAnnette Beninghave one of the longest marriages in Hollywood.

Though the iconic leading man wasfamous for his playboy personabefore marrying Bening in 1992, Beatty knew he had found the right person for him when they crossed paths.

The actor and the actress connected before filmingBugsy,the 1991 crime drama, and have been inseparable ever since. What started as a business lunch to discuss the movie quickly turned into a relationship and then decades of marriage.

Beatty and Bening wed two months after welcoming their first child, Stephen, in 1992. The couple went on to have three more children: Ben in 1994, Isabel in 1997 and Ella in 2000.

Bening has opened up about how her relationship with Beatty has stayed exciting over the years. “I think in some ways we’re very different, some ways we’re alike,” Bening said on theTodayshowin 2016. “But the differences, I think, help us and there’s some fire there. We want the same things.”

Beatty echoed this sentiment when talking to PEOPLE in 2016. “Every day she surprises me,” he said when asked about the secret to their lasting relationship.

From theirBugsydays to raising four children, here’s everything to know about Warren Beatty and Annette Bening’s relationship.

November 1990: Warren Beatty invites Annette Bening to lunch

Annette Bening and her husband Warren Beatty attend the 44th Annual Directors Guild of America Awards after party, held at Trader Vic’s, Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, 14th March 1992.Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

When Beatty was castingBugsy, he thought of Bening for the role of Virginia Hill, the girlfriend of the titular gangster. Beatty called the actress to chat about the part and asked her out to lunch. After the two dined and walked together, it dawned on Beatty that he had found the film’s leading lady and his future wife.

When he returned to his office after lunch, he called director Barry Levinson and declared, “I love her, andI’m going to marry her.”

Less than a month after the release ofBugsy, the couple became parents. Their first child, Stephen Ira Beatty, was born on Jan. 8, 1992.

March 3, 1992: Warren Beatty and Annette Bening get married

When Beatty and Bening wed in a private ceremony, only their newborn experienced the special moment with them.

TheRedsstar revealed that while some were shocked that he settled down, he wasn’t.

“It didn’t really surprise me. … I had no doubtwhen I met Annettethat it was time to get married,” he said onTodayin 2016, adding that he “wasn’t trying to avoid marriage” but divorce.

March 30, 1992: Warren Beatty and Annette Bening make their red carpet debut as a married couple

Warren Beatty and Annette Bening during 10th Carousel of Hope Ball to Benefit Juvenile Diabetes at Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, United States.Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection

The couple walked the red carpet at the 64thAcademy Awardsonly weeks after marrying. Beatty was up for Best Actor and Best Picture forBugsy, two of the film’s 10 total nominations.

Bening stepped onstageto present the award for Best Art Direction, whichBugsynabbed along with Best Costume Design.

The pair’s second child, Benjamin Beatty, was born in August 1994. Benjamin has pursued an acting career of his own and was featured in the 2016 period comedyHail, Caesar!and the 2018 science fiction filmUFO.

October 1994: Warren Beatty says he knew Annette Bening was the one

While speaking toRobert Ebertin 1994, Beatty stated that marrying Bening was an easy choice.

In January 1997, the couple welcomed their third child, Isabel Beatty. She has performed in a number of short films, includingMurder Tag(2018), Baggage(2019)andAdmitted(2021).

January 8, 1999: Annette Bening says she and Warren Beatty don’t have plans to work together again

Annette Bening and Warren Beatty attend the 71st Annual Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon on March 8, 1999 at Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection

In 1999, Bening addressed their joint project, the 1995 romantic dramaLove Affair, in which she and Beatty starred opposite each other as the leads.

After it didn’t take off at the box office, the actress admitted they didn’t plan on working together again following thefilm’s reception. She also acknowledged how their relationship may have affected public opinion.

“I think if you’re the woman who happens to be married to Warren Beatty you’re on a hiding to nothing in almost every situation,” she toldThe Mirror. “There is a long, long queue of people waiting to get at you.”

She continued, “I have had to put up with that for years and don’t expect any change. If you work together it’s like standing there with a sign saying, ‘Come on and throw something.’ "

In April 2000, the couple welcomed their fourth and youngest child, Ella Beatty.

In 2022,Deadlineannounced that she would act in the second season ofRyan Murphy’s anthology series,Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, set to premiere on Jan. 31, 2024.

December 31, 2011: Annette Bening says her age gap with Warren Beatty has never been an issue

Annette Bening and Warren Beatty arrive at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards held at the Kodak Theatre on February 27, 2011 in Hollywood, California.Jeff Vespa/WireImage

Beatty and Bening have a 21-year age gap, but the actress revealed it was never a problem.

She toldExpressin 2011, “I had never been attracted to younger guys. I had, from my late teens, always liked men who were older than me.”

May 2016: Warren Beatty details life before and after starting a family

After a 15-year hiatus from acting, Beatty returned to the big screen withRules Don’t Applyin 2016.

He told PEOPLE that his long absence was due to enjoying his family life. “I have four children andany one of them is more interestingthan any 12 movies I’ve done,” he said. “I had my life before them and my life since them.”

November 2, 2016: Warren Beatty says “respect” is key to his long marriage with Annette Bening

Annette Bening and Warren Beatty attend the 2016 New York Stage & Film Winter Gala at The Plaza Hotel on December 4, 2016 in New York City.Brad Barket/Getty

As Beatty and Bening’s marriage progressed, the public became increasingly interested in their secret to a long-lasting partnership. While speaking on theTodayshow in 2016, Beatty said that his marriage hinges on one word: “respect.”

Bening had her own interview on theTodayshow a month later, where she was asked the same question and answered with her husband’s response in mind.

She said, “I like ‘respect’ … But also, we have four children and they’re incredible human beings. Having that shared purpose also is part of it.”

November 16, 2016: Warren Beatty says he is happy about the path he took to marriage

Beatty married Bening after decades of dating some of the most high-profile women in Hollywood — fromJoan CollinstoDiane KeatonandMadonna. While speaking toGQin 2016, he addressed the earlier assumptions that he would never marry and said he was thankful he ignored outside opinions.

“Had I gone ahead earlier and gone through 143 divorces, I would have felt very guilty. I think I would have handled it badly,” he said. “More importantly, it wouldn’t have been these kids or this wife … I’m so much more interested in my wife and kids than anything else.”

November 22, 2016: Warren Beatty says his children with Annette Bening are his heroes

In a 2016 interview with PEOPLE, Beatty spoke about his relationship with his four children, sharing that they changed everything for him.

“That’s thebiggest thing that’s ever happenedto me,” he said of becoming a father. “And their mother. That’s bigger than fame, and it came not a moment too soon.”

Beatty also praised his children in a 2016 interview withVanity Fair. He called his older son Stephen a “revolutionary, a genius andmy hero,” and added, “as are all my children. They’ve always known I felt that way.”

December 1, 2016: Warren Beatty says he and Annette Bening like to brag about their kids

While accepting the Kirk Douglas Award in 2016, Beatty and Bening gushed about their children. The actor began, “I became a devoted husband and father 25 years ago, and I have to say they have been the most enthralling years of my life, with our four fantastic kids.”

Bening joined to say, “At the beginning, you think that you’re there to teach them something, but then of course what you realize is it’s all about you learning from them … We’re really proud of our children. So we brag about them when we can.”

Before the ceremony, Beatty told PEOPLE, “We are married now for 25 years, and we have these four, what I like to call small eastern European countries that we negotiate with, and we send ambassadors, and we negotiate, and they’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me — they, and her.”

September 13, 2018: Warren Beatty and Annette Bening attend theLife Itselfpremiere

Annette Bening and Warren Beatty arrive at the premiere of Amazon Studios' ‘Life Itself’ at ArcLight Cinerama Dome on September 13, 2018 in Hollywood, California.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Beatty and Bening stepped out together at the premiere ofLife Itselfin 2018. Their date night came after Bening affirmed that their age gap strengthened their relationship.

“He’s 21 years older than I am and we’ve always been at different stages of life. He’s got a lot of experience. But we’re very different in many ways,” she told the British newspaperThe Times. “The crucial thing is that while we want many of the same things in life, we’ve thrived because we approach things very differently.”

November 2019: Warren Beatty and Annette Bening adjust to an empty nest

Annette Bening and Warren Beatty attend the 73rd Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 09, 2019 in New York City.Kevin Mazur/Getty

By 2019, Beatty and Bening’s four children were grown up and out of the home.

In an interview withAARP, Bening said that acclimating to the new stillness was tough for the pair. “I think we’re both still adjusting to the quiet at home,” she said.

Even before they were on their own again, Beatty told PEOPLE in 2018 while still having Isabel and Ella in their vicinity, “There’s something about the empty nest that makes you say, ‘Well, maybe I should go out and make a movie.' "

February 2, 2022: Annette Bening shares what she thought of Warren Beatty when they met

Annette Bening and Warren Beatty attend The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Opening Gala at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on September 25, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.Amy Sussman/Getty

In 2022, Bening looked back on her first impression of Beatty. She told PEOPLE that the first thing she noticed was that “he was incredibly intelligent” and remarked, “Wow, this guy is so smart and so sharp and funny, but more — just articulate.”

Bening added, “He was very talkative. He was very passionate about the movie that he was about to make. He had a lot to say — and he was charming, for sure.”

February 11, 2022: Annette Bening shares her and Warren Beatty’s Valentine’s Day traditions

Bening shared about her Valentine’s Day traditions with Beatty onThe Kelly Clarkson Showin 2022.

She explained that the day is easy for the pair and said, “It’s pretty no-pressure.Valentine’s is pretty low-key. He will generally make me like a little Valentine with just a little red felt pen and make a little heart. He’s very economical in his message.”

As for Bening’s gifts for Beatty, it turns out he’s pretty hard to shop for. “There’s nothing to buy for him. He’s one of those men, you cannot find anything … So, no, it’s usually something small; it’s a little note, it’s a flower.”

January 16, 2024: Annette Bening shares her first impression of Warren Beatty

OnThe Drew Barrymore Showin early 2024, Bening reflected on meeting Beatty for the first time over 30 years prior.

“I was going to meet him and he was incredibly intelligent. That was honestly … the biggest aphrodisiac,” she said. “Funny and super smart. Now, he is also very handsome. I thought, ‘Wow, this is quite a guy.’ "

Although she admired some of his traits, Bening said she wasn’t intending to take their relationship further than friendship at first. “I really thought about it professionally when I first met him. I didn’t think that there would be, like, athingbetween us,” she said on the show.

Ultimately, Bening felt grateful they developed a deeper connection. “I think marriage is like the greatest thing and greatest challenge to really make it all work and to stay together, and that is the thing that I am so, so proud of with us,” the actress added.

source: people.com