Kevin Spacey

Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. Known for his work on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and two Laurence Olivier Awards as well as nominations for 12 Emmy Awards. Spacey was named an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2015.

Spacey began his film career with small roles in Mike Nichols's comedy-drama films ''Heartburn'' (1986) and '' Working Girl'' (1988). He won two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for playing a con man in '' The Usual Suspects'' (1995) and Best Actor for playing a suburban husband and father going through a midlife crisis in '' American Beauty'' (1999). His other films include '' Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1992), '' Outbreak'' (1995), '' Se7en'' (1995), '' A Time to Kill'' (1996), '' L.A. Confidential'' (1997), '' Pay It Forward'' (2000), '' Superman Returns'' (2006), '' 21'' (2008), '' Margin Call'' (2011), '' Horrible Bosses'' (2011), and '' Baby Driver'' (2017). He has also directed the films '' Albino Alligator'' (1996) and '' Beyond the Sea'' (2004).

In Broadway theatre, Spacey starred in a revival of Eugene O'Neill's '' Long Day's Journey into Night'' in 1986. He won a Tony Award in 1991 for his role in '' Lost in Yonkers''. He won a Laurence Olivier Award for his performance in a revival of '' The Iceman Cometh'' in 1999. Spacey portrayed the title role in ''Richard III'' in 2011 and Clarence Darrow in a West End production of ''Darrow'' in 2015. He was the artistic director of the Old Vic theatre in London from 2004 to 2015, for which he received the Society of London Theatre Special Award. In 2017, he hosted the 71st Tony Awards.

In television, Spacey portrayed Ron Klain in '' Recount'' (2008) and produced '' Bernard and Doris'' (2008), both for HBO Films. From 2013 to 2017, he starred as Frank Underwood in the Netflix political drama series '' House of Cards'', which won him a Golden Globe Award and two consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Actor. Both Spacey and the show itself were nominated for five consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Drama Series, respectively.

In 2017, Spacey faced several allegations of sexual misconduct. In 2018 and 2019, Spacey faced multiple criminal investigations; however, in each case Spacey was either not charged or the charges against him were dropped. He has denied the accusations and was found not liable in a 2022 lawsuit in New York. In a separate case in London, he was acquitted by a jury of sexual assault charges in 2023.

Early life, family and education

Kevin Spacey Fowler was born in South Orange, New Jersey, to Kathleen Ann (''née'' Knutson), a secretary, and Thomas Geoffrey Fowler, a technical writer and data consultant. His family relocated to Southern California when he was four years old. Spacey has a sister and an older brother, Randy Fowler, from whom Spacey is estranged. His brother has stated that their father, whom he described as a racist "Nazi supporter", was sexually and physically abusive, and that Spacey shut down emotionally and became "very sly and smart" to avoid beatings. Spacey first addressed the matter in October 2022, saying that his father was "a white supremacist and a neo-Nazi" who would call him "an F-word that is very derogatory to the gay community". He stated that, as a result, he became extremely private about his personal life and did not come out as gay earlier in his life. Spacey had previously described his father as "a very normal, middle-class man".

Spacey attended Northridge Military Academy, Canoga Park High School in the 10th and 11th grades. He graduated co-valedictorian (along with Mare Winningham) of the class of 1977 of Chatsworth High School in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California. At Chatsworth, Spacey starred in the school's senior production of '' The Sound of Music'', playing the part of Captain Georg von Trapp, with Winningham as Maria von Trapp. He started using his middle name "Spacey", which was his paternal grandmother's maiden name. Spacey had tried to succeed as a comedian for several years before attending the Juilliard School in New York City, as a member of Group 12, where he studied drama with teacher Marian Seldes between 1979 and 1981. During this time period, he performed comedy in bowling alley talent contests.

Career

Theatre

1981–1986: Career beginnings in theatre

Spacey's first professional stage appearance was as a spear carrier in a New York Shakespeare Festival performance of '' Henry VI, Part 1'' in 1981. The following year, he made his first Broadway appearance, as Oswald in a production of Henrik Ibsen's '' Ghosts'', starring Liv Ullmann and director John Neville, which opened at the Eisenhower Theater in Washington's Kennedy Center. He then portrayed Philinte in Molière's ''The Misanthrope''. In 1984, Spacey appeared in a production of David Rabe's '' Hurlyburly'', in which he rotated through each of the male parts (he would later play Mickey in the film version). Next came Anton Chekhov's ''The Seagull'' alongside David Strathairn and Colleen Dewhurst. In 1986, Spacey appeared in a production of '' Sleuth'' in a New Jersey dinner theatre.

1986–1991: Broadway success and Tony win

Spacey's prominence as a stage actor began in 1986, when he was cast opposite Jack Lemmon, Peter Gallagher, and Bethel Leslie, as Jamie, the eldest Tyrone son, in Jonathan Miller's lauded production of Eugene O'Neill's '' Long Day's Journey into Night''. Lemmon in particular would become a mentor to Spacey and was invited, along with Spacey's high school drama teacher, to be present when Spacey received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999.

Spacey remained actively involved in the live theatre community. In 1991, he won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Uncle Louie in Neil Simon's Broadway hit '' Lost in Yonkers''. His father was unconvinced that Spacey could make a career for himself as an actor and did not change his mind until Spacey became well known. In 1999, Spacey won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor and earned another Tony Award nomination in 1999 for '' The Iceman Cometh''.

2003–2015: Artistic director of the Old Vic

In February 2003, Spacey announced that he was to become the artistic director of the Old Vic, one of London's oldest theatres. Appearing at a press conference with Judi Dench and Elton John, Spacey promised both to appear on stage and to bring in big-name talent. He undertook to remain in the post for a full ten years. The Old Vic Theatre Company staged shows eight months out of the year. Spacey's first season started in September 2004, opening with the British premiere of the play ''Cloaca'' by Maria Goos, directed by Spacey, which opened to mixed reviews. In the 2005 season, Spacey made his UK Shakespearean debut, to good notices, in the title role of '' Richard II'', directed by Trevor Nunn.

On June 16, 2016, Spacey was awarded an honorary knighthood for his services to theatre, arts education, and international culture in the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours. The honour, Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, was given at Clarence House by then- Prince Charles. As a non-Commonwealth Realm citizen, the award is honorary and he is not entitled to the honorific "Sir". Spacey had previously been awarded the lesser rank of honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to drama in 2010. Spacey was a patron of the Shakespeare Schools Festival, a charity that enables school children across the UK to perform Shakespeare in professional theatres. He also sits on the board of directors of the Motion Picture and Television Fund.

In mid-2006, Spacey was working at the Old Vic; at that point in his career, he said, he was "trying to do things now that are much bigger and outside yself. Spacey performed in productions of ''National Anthems'' by Dennis McIntyre, and '' The Philadelphia Story'' by Philip Barry, in which he played C.K. Dexter Haven, the Cary Grant role in the film version. Critics applauded Spacey for taking on the management of a theatre, but noted that while his acting was impressive, his skills and judgment as a producer/manager had yet to develop. In the 2006 season, Spacey suffered a major setback with a production of Arthur Miller's '' Resurrection Blues'', directed by Robert Altman. Despite an all-star cast (including Matthew Modine and future ''House of Cards'' co-star Neve Campbell) and the pedigree of Miller's script, Spacey's decision to lure Altman to the stage proved disastrous: after a fraught rehearsal period, the play opened to a critical panning, and closed after only a few weeks. Later in the year, Spacey starred in Eugene O'Neill's '' A Moon for the Misbegotten'', along with Colm Meaney and Eve Best. The play received excellent reviews for Spacey and Best, and was transferred to Broadway in 2007. For the spring part of the 2007–08 season, Jeff Goldblum and Laura Michelle Kelly joined Spacey as the three characters in David Mamet's 1988 play '' Speed-the-Plow''.

In 2009, he directed the premiere of Joe Sutton's '' Complicit'', with Richard Dreyfuss, David Suchet and Elizabeth McGovern. Later that year, Trevor Nunn directed Spacey in a revival of '' Inherit the Wind''. Spacey played defense lawyer Henry Drummond, a role that was made famous by Spencer Tracy in the 1960 film of the same name. Sam Mendes directed Spacey in Shakespeare's ''Richard III''; Spacey played the title role. The show began in June 2011, commencing a worldwide tour culminating in New York in early 2012. In March 2014, it was announced that Spacey would star in a one-man play at the Old Vic to celebrate his ten years as artistic director. He took on the part of Clarence Darrow in the play.

Film

1986–1994: Early roles and breakthrough

In 1986, Spacey made his first film appearance in Mike Nichols's ''Heartburn'' starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson. Spacey plays a small role credited as a subway thief. In 1988, Spacey also briefly appeared in another Nichols film, '' Working Girl'', as businessman Bob Speck. Some of Spacey's other early roles include a widowed millionaire on ''L.A. Law''; the television miniseries '' The Murder of Mary Phagan'' (1988), opposite Lemmon; and the comedy '' See No Evil, Hear No Evil'' (1989). Spacey quickly developed a reputation as a character actor, and was cast in bigger roles, including the malevolent office manager in the ensemble film adaptation of the David Mamet play '' Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1992) starring Al Pacino, as well as news reporter Harry Kingsley in a film based on a 1917 dog sled race '' Iron Will'' (1994) directed by Charles Haid. Spacey also played one-half of a bickering Connecticut couple alongside Judy Davis in the dark comedy Christmas film '' The Ref'' (1994), and a malicious Hollywood studio boss in the satire '' Swimming with Sharks'' (1995).

1995–1999: Rise to stardom and awards success

Spacey gained prominence for his role as the enigmatic criminal Verbal Kint in Bryan Singer's neo-noir film '' The Usual Suspects'' (1995). He starred opposite an ensemble cast including Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, and Chazz Palminteri. Todd McCarthy of '' Variety'' wrote, "Spacey is terrific as the mysterious weak link in the chain of thieves". The role won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role. That same year, Spacey also appeared in the David Fincher detective thriller '' Seven'' (1995) starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. Spacey made a sudden entrance late in the film as serial killer John Doe after going uncredited and unmentioned in the film's advertisements and opening credits. His work in ''Seven'', ''The Usual Suspects'' and '' Outbreak'' earned him Best Supporting Actor honors at the 1995 Society of Texas Film Critics Awards.

Spacey played an egomaniacal district attorney in '' A Time to Kill'' (1996) and founded Trigger Street Productions in 1997 with the purpose of producing and developing entertainment across various media. Spacey made his directorial debut with the film '' Albino Alligator'' (1996). The film was a box-office bomb, grossing with a budget of , but critics praised Spacey's direction. He starred in the Curtis Hanson directed neo-noir crime film '' L.A. Confidential'' (1997) acting alongside Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, and Kim Basinger. Spacey played the Detective Sergeant Jack Vincennes, an officer and technical advisor for a fictional TV police drama series. The ensemble cast received praise with Jack Matthews of ''Newsday'' citing Spacey as the highlight writing, "Best of all are Spacey striking an impossible balance of smarminess and charm". The role landed Spacey a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. The following year he voiced the intimidating grasshopper, Hopper in the animated Pixar film '' A Bug's Life'' (1998). Throughout his career, Spacey has been well known for playing villains; he remarked in 2013: "I think people just like me evil for some reason. They want me to be a son of a bitch."

In 1999, Spacey acted alongside Annette Bening in Sam Mendes's '' American Beauty''. In the film he played the role of Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father and advertising executive who becomes attracted to his teenage daughter's best friend. The film and its performance received widespread acclaim, particularly Spacey with critic Roger Ebert declaring, "Spacey, an actor who embodies intelligence in his eyes and voice, is the right choice for Lester Burnham. He does reckless and foolish things in this movie, but he doesn't deceive himself; he knows he's running wild--and chooses to, burning up the future years of an empty lifetime for a few flashes of freedom". For this role, Spacey won his second Oscar, this time for Best Actor in a Leading Role. In his acceptance speech he dedicated his Oscar to Jack Lemmon, praising him as an influence, mentor, and father figure. He also stated, " emmon'sperformance in '' The Apartment'' stands as one of the finest we've ever had". For his role he also received a BAFTA Award and Screen Actors Guild Award as well as a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. That same year, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2000–2016: Established actor

Spacey played a physically and emotionally scarred grade school teacher in '' Pay It Forward'' (2000), a patient in a mental institution who may or may not be an alien in '' K-Pax'' (2001), and singer Bobby Darin in '' Beyond the Sea'' (2004). The latter was a lifelong dream project for Spacey, who took on co-writing, directing, co-producing and starring duties in the biography/musical about Darin's life, career and relationship with actress Sandra Dee. Facing little interest for backing in the U.S., Spacey went to the United Kingdom and Germany for funding. Almost all of the film was made in Berlin. Spacey provided his own vocals on the film's soundtrack and appeared in several tribute concerts around the time of its release. Spacey received mostly positive reviews for his singing, as well as a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. However, reviewers debated the age disparity between Spacey and Darin, noting that Spacey was too old to convincingly portray Darin, particularly during the early stages of the singer's life depicted in the film.

In 2006, Spacey played Lex Luthor in the Bryan Singer superhero film '' Superman Returns'' starring Brandon Routh. He was to return for its 2009 sequel, but the series was instead rebooted with the 2013 film '' Man of Steel''. Spacey also appeared in '' Edison'', which received a direct-to-video release in 2006. The film was released in theaters in Netherlands on March 12, 2006. In 2008, Spacey played a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) lecturer in the film '' 21''. The film is based on Ben Mezrich's best seller '' Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions'', a story of student MIT card-counters who used mathematical probability to aid them in card games such as blackjack. In early 2010, Spacey went to China to star in writer-director Dayyan Eng's black comedy film '' Inseparable'', becoming the first Hollywood actor to star in a fully Chinese-funded film.

In 2011, Spacey starred in J.C. Chandor's financial thriller '' Margin Call'' alongside Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Demi Moore, and Stanley Tucci. The story at large takes place over a 24-hour period at a large Wall Street investment bank during the initial stages of the 2008 financial crisis. The film, which focuses on the actions taken by a group of employees during the subsequent financial collapse, made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim. Spacey received the Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award along with the cast. That same year, Spacey co-starred in the black comedy film '' Horrible Bosses'', which grossed over at the box office. In 2013 he executive-produced the biographical survival thriller film '' Captain Phillips'', which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

He starred as President Richard Nixon in the comedy-drama '' Elvis & Nixon'' (2016), which is based on the meeting that took place between Nixon and singer Elvis Presley ( Michael Shannon) in December 1970 wherein Presley requested that Nixon swear him in as an undercover agent in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. He next starred in the comedy film '' Nine Lives'', as a man trapped in the body of a cat. The film was released on August 5, 2016.

In January 2016 it was announced that Relativity Media, which was just emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, had acquired Trigger Street Productions and that Spacey would become chairman of Relativity Studios, while Dana Brunetti would become the studio's president. Spacey called the move "an incredible opportunity to make great entertainment" and said he considered it the "next evolution in my career". However, when the paperwork for the studio was filed for the court, it emerged that Spacey had opted out of assuming the chairmanship of the studios, and by the end of 2016 Brunetti had also left Relativity, while both remained executive producers on ''House of Cards'' and '' Manifesto''.

2017–present: Career controversy and comeback attempts

In March 2017, it was announced that Spacey would portray J. Paul Getty in Ridley Scott's '' All the Money in the World''. He shot his role in the film in ten days over the summer of 2017. But because of the sexual assault allegations against Spacey, it was announced on November 8, 2017, that all of his footage would be excised, and that Christopher Plummer would replace him in reshoots. Despite the very tight schedule, TriStar Pictures completed the new version of the film in time for a December 25 release. Spacey appeared in the film '' Billionaire Boys Club'', which had a limited release on August 17, 2018. Vertical Entertainment stated that it would take no action to remove Spacey from the film, as it had been completed in late 2016, before the allegations made in October 2017.

Following the allegations leveled against him, Spacey maintained a lower profile and his career stalled. In May 2021, it was announced that he had been cast in a supporting role as a police detective in the crime drama film '' The Man Who Drew God'', directed by and starring Franco Nero, which is about a blind artist who is wrongly accused of sexually abusing a child. The film reunited Spacey with Faye Dunaway, whom he directed in ''Albino Alligator''. In August 2021, Spacey was reportedly filming in California for a small production, '' Peter Five Eight'', in which he plays a "charismatic" serial killer.

On November 3, 2022, ''Variety'' reported that Spacey was set to speak at the National Museum of Cinema and was going to receive a lifetime achievement award on January 16, 2023, despite the allegations against him. On November 28, 2022, after winning a sexual battery lawsuit against him filed by Anthony Rapp, Spacey was cast in the British indie thriller '' Control''. Its director, Gene Fallaize, dismissed concerns about working with Spacey. In 2022, Spacey was cast as the late Croatian leader Franjo Tuđman in the political drama '' Once Upon a Time in Croatia'', directed by Jakov Sedlar. In 2024, notable industry members such as actors Sharon Stone, Liam Neeson, F. Murray Abraham, and Stephen Fry, film director Paul Schrader and theatre director Trevor Nunn vocally supported Spacey's attempts to return to acting.

Television

1987–1994: Television debut and early roles

In 1987, Spacey made his first major television appearance in the second-season premiere of '' Crime Story'', playing a Kennedy-esque American senator. That same year he appeared in spy thriller series '' The Equalizer'' as Detective Sergeant Cole in the episode "Solo". He earned a fan base after playing the manic depressive arms dealer Mel Profitt on the television series '' Wiseguy'' (1988).

2003–2012: HBO projects and other work

Spacey hosted ''Saturday Night Live'' twice: first in 1997 with musical guest Beck and special guests Michael Palin and John Cleese from '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'' and again in May 2006 with musical guest Nelly Furtado. In 2008 Spacey starred as Ron Klain in the HBO original political drama film '' Recount'' revolving around Florida's vote recount during the 2000 United States presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. The film was written by Danny Strong and directed by Jay Roach and starred Bob Balaban, Laura Dern, John Hurt, Denis Leary, and Tom Wilkinson. The television film won three Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Television Movie. For his performance in the film, Spacey was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film. That same year Spacey produced the TV movie '' Bernard and Doris'', an HBO semi-fictionalized account of the relationship that developed between socialite heiress and philanthropist Doris Duke and her self-destructive Irish butler Bernard Lafferty later in her life. The film starred Ralph Fiennes and Susan Sarandon and was directed by Bob Balaban. The film premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival to critical acclaim, and Spacey was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie. Spacey portrayed the antagonist

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