Wes Bentley

Early life

Bentley was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and raised in Little Rock, the third of four sons of Cherie Baker and David Bentley. His father is a minister, and his mother is a chaplain and ordained elder in the Arkansas Conference, both in the United Methodist denomination. His grandfather was an evangelical minister. He is of German, Scottish, and English descent.

In 1996, he graduated from Sylvan Hills High School in Sherwood, Arkansas. He attended the Juilliard School's Drama Division as part of its Group 29 (1996–2000) but left the school after one year to pursue his acting career.

Career

Bentley has starred in several films, including the Oscar-winning American Beauty, The Four Feathers, 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 Ghost Rider (2007), Bentley played Blackheart, a demonic being that served as the main antagonist.

In 2010, he starred opposite Nina Arianda in the premiere of the David Ives play Venus in Fur off-Broadway at the Classic Stage Company in New York City. The production later moved to Broadway, with Hugh Dancy in the role debuted by Bentley.

In March 2012, Bentley had a supporting role in the blockbuster movie The Hunger Games, playing gamemaker Seneca Crane. In 2012, Bentley starred in the indie feature 3 Nights in the Desert, directed by Gabriel Cowan.

Bentley and Scott Speedman starred in a pilot episode for a planned HBO series created by Ryan Murphy, Open, but the series was not picked up. The following year, Bentley guest starred in Murphy's FX series American Horror Story for its fourth season, Freak Show. In 2015, he was promoted to the main cast for the fifth season, Hotel, starring as Detective John Lowe. In 2016, he played a main role in the sixth season, Roanoke. From 2018 to 2024, he played Jamie Dutton on Paramount Network's Yellowstone.

On Jimmy Kimmel Live! on December 9, 2022, Bentley said he turned down the role of Spider-Man, a role later offered to Tobey Maguire.

Personal life

Bentley was married to actress Jennifer Quanz from 2001 to 2009. They divorced in 2009, reportedly due to his substance abuse. He married producer Jacqui Swedberg in 2010, and their son was born in 2010 and their daughter in 2014.

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. His addiction began to cause problems on the sets of the films P2 and Weirdsville. In 2008, he 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.

The documentary My Big Break (2009) captures Bentley's early life as an unknown actor, his sudden fame 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. He began to rebuild his career by starring in the Off-Broadway premiere of the play Venus in Fur by David Ives.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. UPI Staff. (September 4, 2018). "Famous birthdays for Sept. 4: Beyonce, Wes Bentley".
2. (August 29, 2022). "Celebrity Birthdays for the Week of Sept. 4–10".
3. (August 25, 2015). "Wes Bentley Talks Past Drug Use, Loss Of 'Brother' Heath Ledger". The Larry King Show.
4. (January 23, 2000). "American Beauty's Wes Bentley". The Guardian.
5. "Wes Bentley star bio".
6. "Arkansas-born Actor Reconnects With God on Film".
7. [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p9AF9B4eZJc Wes Bentley on Yellowstone Success, Turning Down Spider-Man & Being Cast in American Beauty], youtube.com. Accessed May 31, 2023.
8. (August 2025). "Wes Bentley Wiki: Young, Photos, Ethnicity & Gay or Straight".
9. Bennett, Tara. (March 21, 2012). "The 'Hunger Games' Cast Before They Were Famous: Wes Bentley, Senior Year at Sylvan Hills High School, Sherwood, Arkansas (1996)". Pontiac Digital Media.
10. (March 2010). "Alumni News". [[The Juilliard School]].
11. Daly, Steve. (October 8, 1999). "Wes Bentley of 'American Beauty'". [[People (magazine).
12. [http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/25/christian-slater-and-wes-bentley-join-dolans-cadillac/ Christian Slater and Wes Bentley Join 'Dolan's Cadillac'], Cinematical, April 25, 2008
13. [http://iconsoffright.com/news/2008/05/stephen_kings_dolans_cadillac.html Stephen King's DOLAN'S CADILLAC Filming in Canada!] {{Webarchive. link. (June 6, 2013 , May 29, 2008)
14. [http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/run-extended-for-venus-in-fur/?pagemode=print&scp=3&sq=Nina%20arianda&st=cse "Run Extended for 'Venus in Fur'"], February 3, 2010, ''New York Times''.
15. [http://theater.nytimes.com/2010/01/28/theater/reviews/28venus.html Charles Isherwood, "One Object of Desire, Delivered"], ''New York Times'', January 28, 2010.
16. [http://www.playbill.com/playblog/?p=4577#more-4577 "Nina Arianda: A Star Is Born"], ''[[Playbill]]''. Accessed May 31, 2023.
17. Mike Fleming Jr. (November 29, 2011). "Indie Feature '3 Nights In The Desert' Gets Underway".
18. Goldberg, Lesley. (June 13, 2013). "Wes Bentley to Star in Ryan Murphy's HBO Sexuality Drama 'Open'". The Hollywood Reporter.
19. Oliver Jones. (June 13, 2011). "Wes Bentley: 'I Felt Myself Dying'". People magazine.
20. Healy, Patrick. (2010-02-07). "Back From the Depths, Rebuilding a Career". The New York Times.
21. Healy, Patrick. (8 February 2010). "Back from the depths, rebuilding a career". The New York Times Company.
22. (March 29, 2012). "The Hunger Games Star Wes Bentley Fights Back From Homelessness, Bankruptcy". Radar Online.