Kevin Spacey (born Kevin Spacey Fowler on July 26, 1959) is a two-time Academy Award winning actor (film and stage) and director. Spacey grew up in California, and began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, before being cast in supporting roles in film and television.
He gained critical acclaim in the early 1990s, culminating in his first Oscar for 1995’s ‘The Usual Suspects’, followed by a Best Actor Oscar win for 1999’s ‘American Beauty’. Spacey has since spent time working on stage productions in London, and has remained in the public eye, starring in several major Hollywood films, including ‘Se7en’, ‘Pay It Forward’, ‘The Usual Suspects’, ‘L.A. Confidential’, and his most recent role in ‘Superman Returns’.
Acting career
Kevin Spacey started his professional career on stage, playing a messenger in a Shakespeare Festival production of Henry VI, part 1 in 1981, and made his Broadway debut in Henrik Ibsen’s ‘Ghosts’ in 1982.
Although he focused mainly on films, he continued to be actively involved in theate productions. He won a Tony Award for his portrayal of “Uncle Louie” in Neil Simon’s Broadway hit Lost in Yonkers in 1991.
Spacey gained popularity after playing the role of the criminally insane arms dealer Mel Profitt in the television series Wiseguy, and he became an A-list actor after his performance as the enigmatic criminal Verbal Kint in ‘The Usual Suspects’, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1995.
He won a Best Actor Oscar for his role as a depressed suburban father who re-evaluates his life in the 1999 film American ‘Beauty’, and the same year he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Spacey founded Trigger Street Productions in 1997 with the intention of producing and developing entertainment across various media.
In 2003, Spacey became the artistic director of the Old Vic Theatre in London, and he directed the new Old Vic Theatre Company, staging shows for eight months each year, beginning in 2004.
During his tenure at the Old Vic, Spacey directed a performance of the play Cloaca by Maria Goos, and performed in productions of National Anthems by Dennis McIntyre, and The Philadelphia Story by Philip Barry. He also starred in Richard II, directed by Trevor Nunn, during the 2005-06 season. He hosted the season finale of ‘Saturday Night Live’ in May 2006 and appeared in the Bryan Singer-directed superhero film, Superman Returns, playing the villainous Lex Luthor.
Spacey is known for his ability to impersonate celebrities, including Jimmy Stewart, Johnny Carson, Katherine Hepburn, and Clint Eastwood.
Personal life
Kevin Spacey’s sexual orientation has been a topic of media discussion for many years. In a 1999 interview with Lesley Stahl for 60 Minutes on CBS, Spacey refused to discuss his sexual orientation and questioned why it was even relevant.
Shortly after winning an Academy Award for ‘American Beauty’, The Star tabloid published photos allegedly proving his homosexuality. In 2006, a British tabloid reported that Spacey was mistakenly listed as a famous homosexual on a high school program dedicated to fighting homophobia. However, in a 1999 interview with Playboy, Spacey openly stated that he is heterosexual, contradicting a previous article in Esquire.
In 2004, Spacey reported to local police in London that he had been mugged by a young man in a park, but later retracted the statement and apologized, explaining that he had been conned into giving his mobile phone to a youth who had run away with it.
Spacey is a personal friend of former President Bill Clinton and has contributed $42,000 to Democratic candidates and committees, according to Federal Election Commission data. He has also announced that he intends to stay on at the Old Vic for at least another nine years and plans to take up dual British citizenship when it becomes available to him due to his continuing UK residency.
Despite his success, Spacey has also had some controversial moments, including allegations of sexual misconduct, and his father was alleged to have been a member of the American Nazi Party. Nonetheless, Spacey remains a respected and accomplished actor and director.