Kevin Spacey

Kevin Spacey is an American actor whose screen career was built on characters who rarely reveal everything at once. Born in South Orange, New Jersey, on July 26, 1959, he moved with his family to Southern California as a child and later studied drama at the Juilliard School from 1979 to 1981. His professional roots were in theatre. Spacey made his first stage appearance in a 1981 New York Shakespeare Festival production of Henry VI, Part 1, followed by his Broadway debut in Ghosts. He won a Tony Award for playing Uncle Louie in Lost in Yonkers, establishing the stage as a continuing part of his career rather than a stop on the way to film work. After small screen roles in Heartburn and Working Girl, Spacey became known as a character actor with a particular talent for charm edged by calculation. That quality served him well as Buddy Ackerman in Swimming with Sharks, Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects and John Doe in Seven. The Usual Suspects earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He later played Detective Sergeant Jack Vincennes in L.A. Confidential and voiced Hopper in A Bug's Life. Spacey won a second Academy Award for his performance as Lester Burnham in American Beauty. His later film work ranged from Pay It Forward and K-Pax to Superman Returns, Margin Call and Horrible Bosses. Beyond acting, he directed Albino Alligator and took on writing, directing, producing and starring duties for the Bobby Darin film Beyond the Sea. Theatre remained central to his work. Spacey became artistic director of London's Old Vic in 2003 and held the position for ten years, appearing in productions including Richard II, A Moon for the Misbegotten and Richard III. On television, he played politician Frank Underwood in House of Cards, winning a Golden Globe for the role. He was fired after the fifth season following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, and his career subsequently stalled. He later returned to screen work through productions including Peter Five Eight, released in 2024.