Kevin Spacey

**Kevin Spacey Fowler**,  (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor, director, screenwriter and producer.

## Early life

Spacey was born on July 26, 1959 in South Orange, New Jersey. He moved to Southern California at age four. The name "Spacey" was the surname of his grandmother, he took it as his acting surname in high school. He worked as an actor in the theatre before he worked in movies and shows.

## Career

Spacey's first professional stage appearance was in 1981. He was a spear carrier in a New York Shakespeare Festival performance of _Henry VI, Part 1_. In 1982, he made his first Broadway appearance, as Oswald in a production of Henrik Ibsen's _Ghosts_, starring Liv Ullmann. Then he played Philinte in Molière's _The Misanthrope_. In 1984, he appeared in a production of David Rabe's stage play _Hurlyburly_, in which he played each of the male parts on different nights. Next came Anton Chekhov's _The Seagull_. In 1986, he appeared in a production of _Sleuth_ in a New Jersey dinner theatre. He became best known as a stage actor in 1986, when he was cast opposite Jack Lemmon, Peter Gallagher and Bethel Leslie as Jamie, the eldest Tyrone son in Jonathan Miller's production of Eugene O'Neill's _Long Day's Journey into Night_. Lemmon became a mentor to Spacey. Although he had decided he liked making movies better, Spacey stayed active in live theater community. In 1991, he won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Uncle Louie in Neil Simon's Broadway hit _Lost in Yonkers_.

He got his Oscar Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in _The Usual Suspects_ and for Best Actor in _American Beauty_ (1999). A few of the other movies in which he played the main part are _Seven_, _L.A. Confidential_, _Pay It Forward_ and _Superman Returns_. He worked as the artistic director of the Old Vic theatre at London in 2003 and played Francis Underwood in the television drama series, _House of Cards_ until 2017 when allegations of sexual harassment arose about Spacey. Spacey was set to play J. Paul Getty in the 2017 crime drama movie _All the Money in the World_, but after sexual harassment statements were made against Spacey, director Ridley Scott decided to cut his scenes and Christopher Plummer replaced him.

## Personal life and sexual harassment allegations

Spacey came out as gay in October 2017.

In late October 2017, in a response for the #MeToo campaign, actor Anthony Rapp alleged that Spacey, while appearing drunk, made a sexual advance to him in 1986, when Rapp was 14 years old. After hearing of this, Spacey apologized on Twitter saying he did not remember the hebephilic incident, but that if he behaved as described by Rapp, he owes him "the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior."

Spacey ended the apology by saying that "I have had relationships with both men and women. I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man."

Afterwards, 13 others came forward saying similar episodes of abuse. On November 1, Spacey stated that he would be seeking "evaluation and treatment" for his behavior. One of the accusers was Norwegian royal Ari Behn.

In December 2018, Spacey was charged with sexually assaulting a male minor in Nantucket, Massachusetts in July 2016. Spacey appeared in court on January 7, 2019.

## Theatre

|Year|Title|Role|scope="col" class="unsortable"|Notes|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1981|_Henry IV, Part 1_|Messenger|||
|1982|_Ghosts_|Oswald Alving|||
|1982|_The Mousetrap_||||
|1983|_As You Like It_||||
|1983|_The Misanthrope_|Philinte|||
|1984|_Hurlyburly_|Understudy for Phil, Eddie and Mickey|||
|1985|_The Seagull_|Konstantin|||
|1991|_Lost in Yonkers_|Louie|||
|1997|_The Iceman Cometh_|Theodore "Hickey" Hickman|||
|2005|_Richard II_|Richard II|||
|2006|_A Moon for the Misbegotten_|Jim Tyrone|||
|2008|_Speed-the-Plow_|Charlie Fox|||
|2009|_Inherit the Wind_|Henry Drummond|||
|2011|_Richard III_|Richard III|||

## Filmography

|Year|Title|Role|Director(s)|Notes||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1986|_Heartburn_|Subway Thief|Mike Nichols|||
|rowspan="2"|1988|_Rocket Gibraltar_|Dwayne Hanson|Daniel Petrie||
|_Working Girl_|Bob Speck|Mike Nichols||||
|rowspan="2"|1989|_See No Evil, Hear No Evil_|Kirgo|Arthur Hiller||
|_Dad_|Mario|Gary David Goldberg||||
|rowspan="2"|1990|_A Show of Force_|Frank Curtin|Bruno Barreto||
|_Henry & June_|Richard Osborn|Philip Kaufman||||
|rowspan="2"|1992|_Glengarry Glen Ross_|John Williamson|James Foley||
|_Consenting Adults_|Eddy Otis|Alan J. Pakula||||
|rowspan="3"|1994|_Iron Will_|Harry Kingsley|Charles Haid||
|_The Ref_|Lloyd Chasseur|Ted Demme||||
|_Swimming with Sharks_|Buddy Ackerman|George Huang|Also co-producer|||
|rowspan="3"|1995|_The Usual Suspects_|Roger "Verbal" Kint|Bryan Singer||
|_Outbreak_|Casey Schuler|Wolfgang Petersen||||
|_Se7en_|John Doe|David Fincher||||
|rowspan="3"|1996|_A Time to Kill_|Rufus Buckley|Joel Schumacher||
|_Streak: Showdown of the Teams_|Maximilian van Statten III|Joss Whedon||||
|_Albino Alligator_||Himself|Directorial debut|||
|rowspan="2"|1997|_L.A. Confidential_|Jack Vincennes|Curtis Hanson||
|_Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil_|James Arthur Williams|Clint Eastwood||||
|rowspan="3"|1998|_The Negotiator_|Chris Sabian|F. Gary Gray||
|_Hurlyburly_|Mickey|Anthony Drazan||||
|_A Bug's Life_|Hopper (voice)|John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton||||
|rowspan="2"|1999|_American Beauty_|Lester Burnham|Sam Mendes||
|_The Big Kahuna_|Larry Mann|John Swanbeck|Also producer|||
|rowspan="2"|2000|_Ordinary Decent Criminal_|Michael Lynch|Thaddeus O'Sullivan|Also producer|
|_Pay It Forward_|Eugene Simonet|Mimi Leder||||
|rowspan="2"|2001|_K-PAX_|Prot / Robert Porter|Iain Softley||
|_The Shipping News_|Quoyle|Lasse Hallström||||
|2002|_Austin Powers in Goldmember_|Himself / Famous Dr. Evil ('Austinpussy')|Jay Roach|Cameo||
|rowspan="2"|2003|_The Life of David Gale_|David Gale|Alan Parker||
|_The United States of Leland_|Albert T. Fitzgerald|Matthew Ryan Hoge|Also producer|||
|2004|_Beyond the Sea_|Bobby Darin|Himself|Also director, producer and writer||
|2005|_Edison_|Levon Wallace|David J. Burke|Direct-to-video||
|2006|_Superman Returns_|Lex Luthor|Bryan Singer|||
|2007|_Fred Claus_|Clyde Northcut|David Dobkin|||
|rowspan="2"|2008|_21_|Mickey Rosa|Robert Luketic|Also producer|
|_Telstar: The Joe Meek Story_|Major Wilfred Banks|Nick Moran||||
|rowspan="3"|2009|_Shrink_|Henry Carter|Jonas Pate|Also producer|
|_Moon_|GERTY (voice)|Duncan Jones||||
|_The Men Who Stare at Goats_|Larry Hooper|Grant Heslov||||
|rowspan="2"|2010|_Father of Invention_|Robert Axle|Trent Cooper|Also producer|
|_Casino Jack_|Jack Abramoff|George Hickenlooper||||
|rowspan="3"|2011|_Margin Call_|Sam Rogers|J.C. Chandor||
|_Horrible Bosses_|Dave Harken|Seth Gordon||||
|_Inseparable_|Chuck|Dayyan Eng|Mandarin Chinese title: _Xing ying bu li_ Also executive producer|||
|2012|_Envelope_|Evgeniy Petrov|Aleksey Nuzhny|Short movie||
|2014|_Horrible Bosses 2_|Dave Harken|Sean Anders|||
|rowspan="2"|2016|_Elvis & Nixon_|Richard Nixon|Liza Johnson||
|_Nine Lives_|Tom Brand / Mr. Fuzzypants|Barry Sonnenfeld||||
|rowspan="2"|2017|_Rebel in the Rye_|Whit Burnett|Danny Strong||
|_Baby Driver_|Doc|Edgar Wright||||
|rowspan="1"|2018|_Billionaire Boys Club_|Ron Levin|James Cox||
|rowspan="1"|N/A|_Gore_|Gore Vidal|Michael Hoffman|Cancelled (2017 production)|

### Television

|Year|Title|Role|Notes|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1987|_The Equalizer_|Detective Sgt. Cole|Episode: "Solo"|
|1987|_Long Day's Journey into Night_|James "Jamie" Tyrone Jr|Television film|
|1987|_Crime Story_|Senator Rourke|Episode: "The Senator, the Movie Star, and the Mob"|
|1988|_The Murder of Mary Phagan_|Wes Brent|Miniseries|
|1988|_Wiseguy_|Mel Profitt|7 episodes|
|1989|_Unsub_|Benton|Episode: "Clean Slate"|
|1990|_When You Remember Me_|Wade|Television film|
|1990|_Fall from Grace_|Jim Bakker|Television film|
|1991|_Darrow_|Clarence Darrow|Television film|
|1991-1997|_Streak_|Maximilian van Statten III|Recurring cast|
|1992|_L.A. Law_|Giles Keenan|Episode: "Guess Who's Coming To Murder"|
|1993|_TriBeCa_|Chris Boden|Episode: "Heros Exoletus"|
|1994|_Doomsday Gun_|Jim Price|Television film|
|1997, 2006|_Saturday Night Live_|Himself (host)|2 episodes|
|2008|_Recount_|Ron Klain|Television film|
|2013–2017|_House of Cards_|Francis "Frank" Underwood|Main role; also executive producer|
|2014|_The Colbert Report_|Frank Underwood|Episode: "1,394"|
|2017|_71st Tony Awards_|Himself (host)|Television special|
|2017|_Manhunt: Unabomber_||Miniseries; executive producer|

### Director

- _Albino Alligator_ (1997)

### Producer

- _Interstate 84_ (2000)
- _The Sasquatch Gang_ (2006)
- _The Good Student_ (2006)
- _Mini's First Time_ (2006)
- _Bernard & Doris_ (2006)
- _Columbus Day_ (2008)
- _Hackers Wanted_ (2009)
- _Fanboys_ (2009)
- _The Social Network_ (2010)
- _Safe_
- _Captain Phillips_ (2013)

### Live performances

- "Mind Games" — _Come Together: A Night for John Lennon's Words and Music_ — October 2, 2001 – Radio City Music Hall

## Awards and nominations

|Year|Nominated work|Award|Result|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|rowspan="5"|1995|rowspan="12"|_The Usual Suspects_|Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor||
|National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble and Supporting Actor||||||
|New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor||||||
|Seattle International Film Festival Award for Best Actor||||||
|Society of Texas Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor||||||
|rowspan="7"|1996|Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor||||
|Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture||||||
|Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role||||||
|Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor||||||
|Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor||||||
|Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor||||||
|Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor||||||
|rowspan="2"|1997|rowspan="7"|_L.A. Confidential_|Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor||
|Society of Texas Film Critics Award for Best Actor||||||
|rowspan="5"|1998|BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role||||
|Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor||||||
|Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor||||||
|Empire Award for Best Actor||||||
|Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast||||||
|rowspan="3"|1999|rowspan="21"|_American Beauty_|Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor||
|San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor||||||
|Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor||||||
|rowspan="18"|2000|Academy Award for Best Actor||||
|American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture||||||
|BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role||||||
|Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - Drama||||||
|Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor||||||
|Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor||||||
|Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor||||||
|Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor||||||
|Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama||||||
|Jupiter Award for Best International Actor||||||
|Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor||||||
|London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor||||||
|Online Film and Television Association Award for Best Actor||||||
|Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor||||||
|Russian Guild of Film Critics Award for Best Foreign Actor||||||
|Satellite Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama||||||
|Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role and Cast in a Motion Picture||||||
|Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor||||||
|rowspan="2"|2013|rowspan="2"|_House of Cards_|Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series||
|Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Series, Drama||||||

## Other websites

- Interview with Kevin Spacey from April 2007
- Kevin Spacey interview in the UK Independent on Sunday

## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Kevin Spacey
- **image**: Governor Tours the House of Cards Set (8769358329) (cropped).jpg
- **caption**: Spacey in 2013
- **birth name**: Kevin Spacey Fowler
- **birth place**: South Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
- **education**: Juilliard School
- **years active**: 1981–present
- **works**: Kevin Spacey on screen and stage, Filmography
- **awards**: List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Spacey, Full list