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American actor Kevin Spacey was born in New Jersey in 1959. The mischievous Spacey settled in California with his family and proceeded to cause no end of trouble before following his instinct and passion and making his way into theater in High School. Fun trivia fact: Spacey starred opposite actress Mare Winningham in their High School production of The Sound of Music, his Captain Von Trapp opposite her Maria.
Brief stints at Los Angeles Valley College and Juilliard preceded the enthusiastic actor’s entry into the working world.
Kevin Spacey in 2009
In 1981 Spacey made his profession debut on stage as part of the New York Shakespeare Festival. He was a messenger in a production of Henry VI. Throughout the 1980s Spacey’s stage career blossomed. He appeared opposite Jack Lemmon, an idol turned mentor, in Long Day’s Journey Into Night. Even after becoming a major film star, Spacey would return to his stage roots. In 2003 he became the Artistic Director of London’s Old Vic Theatre Company, a role that produced a few spectacular flops as well as some great successes.
Spacey’s film career began like most – with a small role. He was a subway thief in the 1986 film Heartburn. He went on to solidify his reputation as a stellar film weasel in roles in TV’s Wiseguy and the films Swimming With Sharks, The Ref and Glengarry Glen Ross. His quintessential weasels, however, were still to come. In 1995 Spacey inhabited a pair of characters that solidified his position as one of Hollywood’s A-List actors. He played an uncredited (at his own insistence so as not to spoil the suspence of the film)role in David Fincher’s powerhouse thriller Se7en and followed that up with his role as Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects, earning himself an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
With the world (well, Hollywood) now at his beck and call, Spacey went on to star in critical and box office successes such as Outbreak, A Time to Kill, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and L.A. Confidential. He even branched out into voice acting in A Bug’s Life. Only 4 short years after his first Oscar, Spacey starred as Lester Burnham in Sam Mendes’ critical blockbuster American Beauty. Again, Spacey found himself on stage accepting and Academy Award, this time for Best Actor.
His years of toiling as the gritty weasel now firmly over, Spacey has continued to produce, direct and star in offbeat films (The Big Kahuna, The Life of David Gale, The United States of Leland, Shrink) as well as major Hollywood productions (Pay It Forward, Superman Returns and the upcoming Margin Call). Though splitting his time between film and stage, Spacey has also made time for television, starring in HBO’s critically acclaimed Recount in 2008 and most recently slated to re-team with David Fincher for Netflix first Original Production, House of Cards.
Spacey keeps his personal life closely guarded. He is a long time Democrat, active in the political process but not outspoken about his role. He splits his time between London and Los Angeles.
Fun Kevin Spacey factoids:
He was rejected by The Gong Show in 1978
He’s well known for his celebrity impersonations
He was the first Academy Award winner ever to appear on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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