American Beauty (1999 film) and "Magnolia"). In 2006, the Writers Guild of America ranked the screenplay number 38 on its list of the 101 greatest screenplays. Annotations Footnotes Bibliography American Beauty (1999 film) American Beauty is a 1999 American drama film written by Alan Ball and directed by Sam Mendes in his feature film directorial debut. Kevin Spacey stars as Lester Burnham, a 42-year-old advertising executive who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend, Angela (Mena Suvari). Annette Bening co-stars as Lester's materialistic wife, Carolyn, and Thora Birch plays their insecure daughter, Jane. Wes Bentley, Chris Cooper,
Linda Frye Burnham 1998). Among the books she has edited are: "Making Exact Change: How U.S. arts-based programs have made a significant and sustained impact on their communities", (2005); "Performing Communities Grassroots Ensemble Theaters", New Village Press (2006); "Bridge Conversations: People Who Live and Work in Multiple Worlds", Arts & Democracy Press (2011). In 1999 Burnham was awarded a lifetime achievement award from the Women’s Caucus on the Arts. In 2013, she and Steven Durland received the ATHE Award for Leadership in Community-based Theater and Civic Engagement. Linda Frye Burnham "For the activist and author, please see Linda Burnham." Linda Frye Burnham (born