Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor and producer.
Spacey played defense lawyer Henry Drummond, a role that was made famous by Spencer Tracy in the 1960 film of the same name.
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 Nixon swear him in as an undercover agent in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.
He graduated co-valedictorian (along with Mare Winningham) of the class of 1977 of Chatsworth High School in Chatsworth, California.
He started using his middle name "Spacey", which is also 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.
He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles in film and television.
He got his film career started in the late 1980s after small parts in Mike Nichols' films Heartburn (1986) and Working Girl (1988).
He started using his middle name "Spacey", which is also 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 stand-up comedy in bowling alley talent contests. ==Career== ===1980s: Early film and theater roles=== 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.
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).
Confidential (1997), the drama Pay It Forward (2000), the science fiction-mystery film K-PAX (2001), the musical biopic Beyond the Sea (2004), the superhero film Superman Returns (2006), and the action film Baby Driver (2017). In Broadway theatre, Spacey starred in Long Day's Journey into Night in 1986 alongside Jack Lemmon.
From 2013 to 2017, Spacey played Frank Underwood in the Netflix political drama series House of Cards, which won him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and two consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series as well as five consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Best Actor in a Drama Series. In October 2017, actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of making a sexual advance toward him in 1986, when Rapp was 14.
In 1986, Spacey appeared in a production of Sleuth in a New Jersey dinner theatre. 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.
Spacey's 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. Also in 1986, Spacey made his first film appearance in Mike Nichols' Heartburn starring Meryl Streep, and Jack Nicholson.
In 1988 Spacey also briefly appeared in another Nichols' film Working Girl, as sleazy businessman Bob Speck.
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.
He gained critical acclaim in the 1990s, with an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the neo-noir crime thriller The Usual Suspects (1995) and an Academy Award for Best Actor for the midlife-crisis-themed drama American Beauty (1999).
He also sits on the board of directors of the Motion Picture and Television Fund. On March 18, 2011, it was announced that Spacey was cast as Frank Underwood in the Netflix series House of Cards, adapted from a 1990 BBC political drama of the same name.
In 1991, he won a Tony Award for his role in Lost in Yonkers.
In 1991, he won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Uncle Louie in Neil Simon's Broadway hit Lost in Yonkers.
He then expressed sympathy for people struggling amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and promoted two suicide and substance abuse hotlines. ===Legal issues=== The Los Angeles District Attorney's office stated in April 2018 that it would investigate an allegation that Spacey had sexually assaulted an adult male in 1992.
Spacey's performance as the enigmatic criminal Verbal Kint in Bryan Singer's 1995 neo-noir film The Usual Suspects won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 1995, Spacey also appeared in the David Fincher detective thriller Seven, making 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.
In the 90s he had supporting roles in films such as Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) opposite Jack Lemmon and Al Pacino and the black comedy film The Ref, before being cast in the role of Roger "Verbal" Kint in 1995's The Usual Suspects, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
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.
However, reviewers criticized 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. 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.
He continued to act in theatre receiving his second Tony Award nomination for The Iceman Cometh in 1999.
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.
They want me to be a son of a bitch." In 1999, Spacey acted alongside Annette Bening in Sam Mendes' American Beauty.
Spacey won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor and earned another Tony Award nomination in 1999 for The Iceman Cometh. === 2000s: Continued success === 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).
Spacey won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor and earned another Tony Award nomination in 1999 for The Iceman Cometh. === 2000s: Continued success === 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).
Confidential (1997) alongside Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce, Clint Eastwood's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997), and American Beauty (1999), for which he earned his second Academy Award, this time for Best Actor. In the 2000s he appeared in the films Pay It Forward with Helen Hunt (2000), Superman Returns as Lex Luthor (2006), and 21 with Jim Sturgess (2008), the last of which he also produced.
In 2000, Spacey brought Dreyer to the Academy Awards; during the acceptance speech for his Best Actor award, Spacey stated, "Dianne, thank you for teaching me about caring about the right things, and I love you." In 2007, Gotham magazine quoted Spacey saying:I've never believed in pimping my personal life out for publicity.
He additionally made a cameo appearance in the short film President Clinton: Final Days, a light-hearted political satire produced by the Clinton Administration for the 2000 White House Correspondents Dinner. Spacey met Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez in September 2007, but never spoke to the press about their encounter.
Rapp had also shared this story in a 2001 interview with The Advocate, but Spacey's name was redacted from publication to avoid legal disputes and public outing.
In 2002, he and fellow actor Chris Tucker accompanied Bill Clinton on a trip throughout several African countries to promote AIDS awareness on the continent.
Spacey has not commented on the role. ===Artistic director of the Old Vic=== In February 2003, Spacey announced that he was returning to London to become the artistic director of the Old Vic, one of the city's oldest theatres.
He was the artistic director of the Old Vic theatre in London from 2004 until stepping down in mid-2015.
Spacey's first season started in September 2004, and opened with the British premiere of the play Cloaca by Maria Goos, directed by Spacey, which opened to mixed reviews.
In 2004 he wrote, directed and starred in the biopic musical Beyond the Sea (2004).
In the 2005 season, Spacey made his UK Shakespearean debut, to good notices, in the title role of Richard II directed by Trevor Nunn. While serving as artistic director, Spacey was photographed with Ghislaine Maxwell sitting in the throne room of Queen Elizabeth II during a private tour of Buckingham Palace.
However, reviewers criticized 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. 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 2006, Spacey played Lex Luthor in the Bryan Singer superhero film Superman Returns.
Spacey also appeared in Edison, which received a direct-to-video release in 2006. In 2008, Spacey played an MIT lecturer in the film 21.
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 September 2006, Spacey said that he intended to take up British citizenship when it is offered to him.
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.
Spacey also starred in the HBO television film Recount (2008) and produced the 2006 film Bernard and Doris. == Awards and nominations == Spacey has won two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award, four Screen Actors Guild Awards and a British Academy Film Award.
In December 2007, Spacey co-hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert along with Uma Thurman. ===2010s–2020s: House of Cards and other roles=== Spacey is a patron of the Shakespeare Schools Festival, a charity that enables school children across the UK to perform Shakespeare in professional theatres.
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.
In 2000, Spacey brought Dreyer to the Academy Awards; during the acceptance speech for his Best Actor award, Spacey stated, "Dianne, thank you for teaching me about caring about the right things, and I love you." In 2007, Gotham magazine quoted Spacey saying:I've never believed in pimping my personal life out for publicity.
He additionally made a cameo appearance in the short film President Clinton: Final Days, a light-hearted political satire produced by the Clinton Administration for the 2000 White House Correspondents Dinner. Spacey met Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez in September 2007, but never spoke to the press about their encounter.
Spacey also appeared in Edison, which received a direct-to-video release in 2006. In 2008, Spacey played an MIT lecturer in the film 21.
He also participated in several fundraisers for HIV/AIDS healthcare, including amfAR Cinema Against AIDS in 2016 and the 25th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Party in 2017. In October 2008, Spacey started the Kevin Spacey Foundation in the UK to encourage youth involvement in the arts.
He was to return for its 2009 sequel, but the series was instead rebooted with the 2013 film Man of Steel.
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.
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 September 2006, Spacey said that he intended to take up British citizenship when it is offered to him.
Spacey had previously been awarded the lesser rank of honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to drama in 2010. Spacey is well known in Hollywood for his impressions.
He also sits on the board of directors of the Motion Picture and Television Fund. On March 18, 2011, it was announced that Spacey was cast as Frank Underwood in the Netflix series House of Cards, adapted from a 1990 BBC political drama of the same name.
Spacey went on to win the Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a Television Series Drama at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards and Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series at the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards for his season 2 performance. In July 2011, Spacey co-starred in the black comedy film Horrible Bosses, which grossed over $209.6 million at the box office.
The show began in June 2011, commencing a worldwide tour culminating in New York in early 2012.
In 2011 he co-starred with Paul Bettany and Jeremy Irons in the drama film Margin Call.
In March 2011, following Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko's crackdown on the Belarusian democracy movement, Spacey joined Jude Law in a street protest in London against Lukashenko's regime. Spacey has undertaken activism in the domain of HIV/AIDS.
The show began in June 2011, commencing a worldwide tour culminating in New York in early 2012.
The show's production company had implemented "an anonymous complaint hotline, crisis counsellors, and sexual harassment legal advisors for the crew", and stated that in 2012, "someone on the crew shared a complaint about a specific remark and gesture made by Kevin Spacey.
From 2013 to 2017, Spacey played Frank Underwood in the Netflix political drama series House of Cards, which won him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and two consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series as well as five consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Best Actor in a Drama Series. In October 2017, actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of making a sexual advance toward him in 1986, when Rapp was 14.
He also voiced Hopper in the animated 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.
He was to return for its 2009 sequel, but the series was instead rebooted with the 2013 film Man of Steel.
He was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2013, becoming the first lead actor to be Primetime Emmy-nominated from a web television series.
He executive produced the biographical survival thriller film Captain Phillips in 2013, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Spacey portrayed the antagonist Jonathan Irons in the 2014 video game Advanced Warfare through motion capture.
He played Doc in the 2017 film Baby Driver with Ansel Elgort. From 2013–2017 he played Francis "Frank" Underwood in the Netflix series House of Cards alongside Robin Wright.
He executive produced the biographical survival thriller film Captain Phillips in 2013, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Spacey portrayed the antagonist Jonathan Irons in the 2014 video game Advanced Warfare through motion capture.
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.
That same year he played antagonist Dave Harken in the comedy Horrible Bosses with Jason Bateman, a role he reprised in the 2014 sequel film Horrible Bosses 2.
When asked about the UK's 2016 European Union membership referendum, Spacey replied, "I appreciate you asking me the question, but I am not a British citizen, I am a resident of Great Britain.
I think it's inappropriate for me as a, really as a guest, in Great Britain, so I'll leave that to the British people." On June 16, 2016, Spacey was awarded an honorary knighthood for his services to theatre.
The film was released on August 5, 2016. In March 2017, it was announced that Spacey would portray J.
Vertical Entertainment stated that they would be taking no action to remove Spacey from the film, as it had been completed in late 2016, prior to the allegations made in October 2017. In May 2021, it was announced that a crime drama film titled L'uomo che disegnò Dio (Italian for "The Man Who Drew God") would be directed by Franco Nero.
He took on the part of Clarence Darrow in the play. ===Other works=== 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.
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. == Filmography == Spacey's career has spanned thirty years across film, television, video games and theater.
He also participated in several fundraisers for HIV/AIDS healthcare, including amfAR Cinema Against AIDS in 2016 and the 25th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Party in 2017. In October 2008, Spacey started the Kevin Spacey Foundation in the UK to encourage youth involvement in the arts.
In September 2018, a lawsuit filed at Los Angeles Superior Court claimed that Spacey sexually assaulted an unnamed masseur at a house in Malibu, California, in October 2016. In December 2018, Spacey was charged with a felony for allegedly sexually assaulting journalist Heather Unruh's 18-year-old son in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in July 2016.
In 2017, he hosted the 71st Tony Awards.
From 2013 to 2017, Spacey played Frank Underwood in the Netflix political drama series House of Cards, which won him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and two consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series as well as five consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Best Actor in a Drama Series. In October 2017, actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of making a sexual advance toward him in 1986, when Rapp was 14.
The film was released on August 5, 2016. In March 2017, it was announced that Spacey would portray J.
He shot his role in the film in ten days over the summer of 2017.
However, due to 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 Spacey as Getty in reshoots.
Vertical Entertainment stated that they would be taking no action to remove Spacey from the film, as it had been completed in late 2016, prior to the allegations made in October 2017. In May 2021, it was announced that a crime drama film titled L'uomo che disegnò Dio (Italian for "The Man Who Drew God") would be directed by Franco Nero.
He played Doc in the 2017 film Baby Driver with Ansel Elgort. From 2013–2017 he played Francis "Frank" Underwood in the Netflix series House of Cards alongside Robin Wright.
He also participated in several fundraisers for HIV/AIDS healthcare, including amfAR Cinema Against AIDS in 2016 and the 25th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Party in 2017. In October 2008, Spacey started the Kevin Spacey Foundation in the UK to encourage youth involvement in the arts.
That's all I can say, because that's it." The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences reversed its decision to honor Spacey with the 2017 International Emmy Founders Award.
On November 2, 2017, Variety reported that his publicist Staci Wolfe and talent agency Creative Artists Agency were ending their relationships with him. ====Christmas Eve YouTube videos==== Beginning in 2018, Spacey has posted one new video to his YouTube channel on Christmas Eve.
On June 4, 2019, the defense learned that when Unruh gave her son's cell phone to police in 2017, she admitted she had deleted some of the text messages.
In 2018, Billionaire Boys Club (which had been completed before the allegations surfaced) was released with Spacey's role unchanged, and as of 2021, remains his last film. ==Early life 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.
In spite of 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.
The show had been due to end in 2018.
On November 2, 2017, Variety reported that his publicist Staci Wolfe and talent agency Creative Artists Agency were ending their relationships with him. ====Christmas Eve YouTube videos==== Beginning in 2018, Spacey has posted one new video to his YouTube channel on Christmas Eve.
On December 24, 2018, Spacey uploaded a video titled "Let Me Be Frank", in which he – while in character as Frank Underwood – appeared to deny the real-life allegations leveled against him.
He then expressed sympathy for people struggling amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and promoted two suicide and substance abuse hotlines. ===Legal issues=== The Los Angeles District Attorney's office stated in April 2018 that it would investigate an allegation that Spacey had sexually assaulted an adult male in 1992.
In July 2018, three more allegations of sexual assault against Spacey were revealed by Scotland Yard, bringing the total number of open investigations in the UK to six.
In September 2018, a lawsuit filed at Los Angeles Superior Court claimed that Spacey sexually assaulted an unnamed masseur at a house in Malibu, California, in October 2016. In December 2018, Spacey was charged with a felony for allegedly sexually assaulting journalist Heather Unruh's 18-year-old son in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in July 2016.
As of August 2020, the video has over 12 million views. One year later, on December 24, 2019, Spacey posted another video, titled "KTWK" (short for "kill them with kindness"), to his YouTube channel, once again in character as Underwood.
Spacey pleaded not guilty to the charge on January 7, 2019.
In mid-May 2019, Unruh's son's personal attorney informed the court that the cell phone in question is "missing".
On June 4, 2019, the defense learned that when Unruh gave her son's cell phone to police in 2017, she admitted she had deleted some of the text messages.
On July 5, 2019, he voluntarily dismissed the claims with prejudice. On July 17, 2019, the criminal assault charge against Spacey was dropped by the Cape and Islands prosecutors.
In 2020, Maxwell would be arrested and held without bail on child sex-trafficking charges.
As of August 2020, the video has over 12 million views. One year later, on December 24, 2019, Spacey posted another video, titled "KTWK" (short for "kill them with kindness"), to his YouTube channel, once again in character as Underwood.
In 2020, Spacey posted a third Christmas Eve video, titled " XMAS", in which he spoke in Underwood's accent before breaking character and speaking in his natural voice.
When the anonymous massage therapist who accused him died, the last remaining criminal case against Spacey was closed. On September 9, 2020, Rapp sued Spacey for sexual assault, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress under the Child Victims Act, which extended New York's statute of limitations for civil suits related to child sexual abuse.
In 2018, Billionaire Boys Club (which had been completed before the allegations surfaced) was released with Spacey's role unchanged, and as of 2021, remains his last film. ==Early life 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.
Vertical Entertainment stated that they would be taking no action to remove Spacey from the film, as it had been completed in late 2016, prior to the allegations made in October 2017. In May 2021, it was announced that a crime drama film titled L'uomo che disegnò Dio (Italian for "The Man Who Drew God") would be directed by Franco Nero.
All text is taken from Wikipedia. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License .
Page generated on 2021-08-05