The Women

About the cast

ANNETTE BENING (Sylvie Fowler)

Annette Bening has been nominated for an Academy Award® for her work in three prestigious films: THE GRIFTERS (as Best Supporting Actress) as well as AMERICAN BEAUTY and BEING JULIA (as Best Actress).

The gifted star has also appeared on stage in numerous productions, earning a Tony Award nomination for her role on Broadway in “Coastal Disturbances” in 1987 before she made her screen debut opposite Dan Aykroyd in the comedy THE GREAT OUTDOORS in 1988.

Roles in films such as VALMONT and POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE led to her success in THE GRIFTERS in 1990. Leading roles in the films LOVE AFFAIR and BUGSY coincided with her real-life coupling with co-star Warren Beatty. Other films included GUILTY BY SUSPICION, REGARDING HENRY, MARS ATTACKS, RICHARD III, THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT, MRS. HARRIS, THE SIEGE, WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM?, IN DREAMS, OPEN RANGE and RUNNING WITH SCISSORS.

A native of Topeka, Kansas, she grew up in San Diego and studied drama at San Francisco State University and the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco before traveling to New York City and finding success there on stage.

CANDICE BERGEN (Catherine Frazier)

Candice Bergen was born into a show business family that was headed by her father, ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, and her mother, Frances, an actress and dancer.She made her professional debut at the age of 6 on her father’s popular radio show, but delayed entering show business while completing her education and learning photography as an avocation.

She made her film debut as a co-star in the 1966 drama THE GROUP, following with roles in the films THE SAND PEBBLES; THE DAY THE FISH CAME OUT; THE MAGUS; THE ADVENTURERS; THE EXECUTIONER; GETTING STRAIGHT; SOLDIER BLUE; CARNAL KNOWLEDGE; THE HUNTING PARTY; T.R. BASKIN; 11
HARROWHOUSE; THE WIND AND THE LION; BITE THE BULLET; THE DOMINO PRINCIPLE; OLIVER’S STORY; STARTING OVER (for which she earned an Academy Award® nomination for Best Supporting Actress); RICH AND FAMOUS; GANDHI; 2010; and STICK, before finding success in television as the star of
creator and producer Diane English’s acclaimed situation comedy, “Murphy Brown,” for which she won five Emmy® Awards as Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

Her recent films include MISS CONGENIALITY, SWEET HOME ALABAMA, VIEW FROM THE TOP and THE IN-LAWS. She currently co-stars on the celebrated ABC television series “Boston Legal,” and recently received her second Emmy® Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work on that
program.

INDIA ENNENGA (Molly Haines)

Despite her young age, India Ennenga has already distinguished herself as a tremendous actress. In the last year, this talented and precocious actress has completed two feature films in addition to THE WOMEN. In Brooks Branch’s highly anticipated independent film MULTIPLE SARCASMS, she portrays Timothy Hutton
and Dana Delaney’s daughter, co-starring with Mira Sorvino, Stockard Channing and Mario Van Peeples. She also starred opposite Jason Behr in Stephen Clark’s low budget feature film FROST, which made its World Premiere at Slamdance 2008. The film also stars Lucy Gordon, Monet Mazur and Krysten Ritter. Additional credits include the title character in the award winning short film, CELAMY, produced by Kulture Machine; and 26 episodes of the cartoon, “Pinky Dinky Doo,” a coproduction of Sesame Workshop and Nickelodeon, in which India played the lead character, Pinky. The popular “Pinky” has aired for the last couple of years on both
Noggin and Nickelodeon and India is presently recording the second season.

MEG RYAN (Mary Haines)

Meg Ryan saw her film career go full circle when she signed to star in THE WOMEN. She had made her onscreen feature debut in 1981’s RICH AND FAMOUS, playing the daughter of Candice Bergen…who plays her mother ‘Catherine Frazier’ in THE WOMEN.


During a celebrated career that includes three Golden Globe nominations (for the hit comedies YOU’VE GOT MAIL, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE and WHEN HARRY MET SALLY), the versatile leading lady has excelled in genres ranging from drama (WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN, COURAGE UNDER FIRE) to science fiction and fantasy (INNERSPACE, CITY OF ANGELS) to action adventure (PROOF OF LIFE, THE PRESIDIO) to docudrama (playing Pamela Courson, Jim Morrison’s partner, in Oliver Stone’s THE DOORS).

Born in Fairfield, Connecticut, she attended New York University before finding immediate success in daytime television dramas such as “As the World Turns” after making her 1981 film debut in RICH AND FAMOUS. Roles in such films as TOP GUN, ARMED AND DANGEROUS and D.O.A. led to her breakthrough performance opposite Billy Crystal in director Rob Reiner’s blockbuster comedy WHEN HARRY MET SALLY in 1989.

Always in demand, she starred in such films as RESTORATION, JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO, PRELUDE TO A KISS, I.Q., FRENCH KISS (which she also produced), ADDICTED TO LOVE, PROMISED LAND, HURLYBURLY, HANGING UP, IN THE CUT, AGAINST THE ROPES, MY MOM’S NEW BOYFRIEND and IN THE LAND OF WOMEN.

Meg will next be seen in THE DEAL opposite Bill Macy, and SERIOUS MOONLIGHT, the Adrienne Shelly - scripted comedy with Timothy Hutton, Justin Long and Kristen Bell.

About the Filmakers

DIANE ENGLISH (Director, Screenwriter, Producer)

Diane English makes her theatrical film debut with THE WOMEN after building an award-winning, prolific career in episodic television. As creator, writer and executive producer of the acclaimed situation comedy “Murphy Brown,” she won three Emmy® Awards, a Golden Globe, a Peabody and three Writers Guild Awards.
The series itself won eighteen Emmy Awards over its ten-year run at the top of the ratings.

AnnEnglish began her entertainment career as a story editor for the renowned WNET (New York PBS affiliate) series “Theatre in America.” She wrote a column for Vogue about television and co-wrote an adaptation of Ursula Le Guin’s science fiction classic “The Lathe of Heaven,” PBS’s first full-length television film, receiving her first Writers Guild nomination in 1980. She created her debut half-hour comedy series, “Foley Square,” in 1985, then wrote for and executive produced the series “My Sister Sam” before creating “Murphy Brown.” Under the Shukovsky English Entertainment production partnership she shares with her husband Joel Shukovsky (an executive producer on THE WOMEN), she has also created the series “Love & War” and “Ink” and co-created “Double Rush” and “Living in Captivity.” Other recent projects include a feature film adaptation of the seminal Erica Jong novel, “Fear of Flying,” which English will also direct.