Kevin Spacey Biography

news-detailsHighly lauded for his formidable acting talent coupled with the outstanding skills in carrying the complex characters he has finely displayed throughout his prolific career, Kevin Spacey Fowler certainly stands out among other Hollywood actors of his generation to become one of the most substantial thespians in the history of American film-making. The youngest of three children, he was born on July 26, 1959 in South Orange, New Jersey to Kathleen Spacey and Thomas Geoffrey Fowler whose irregular job as a technical writer often forced the family to move from one place to another before finally settled in Southern California by 1963. Spending his early life rather problematic there, he thus was sent away to the state's Northridge Military Academy but soon found himself being expelled to later attend Chatsworth High School where the troublesome youngster was persuaded to channel his misspent energy into acting by a guidance counselor.

Already planted an interest in entertainment industry from the moment he sneaked downstairs at night to watch late shows on TV during his childhood, Kevin subsequently heeded the suggestion and began to hone his skills persistently during his study at the school, even taking the male lead in its stage production of "The Sound of Music" opposite Mare Winningham by his senior year. Though so, his attention at that time was rather focused on comedy for he was often spotted doing some celebrity impersonations which then prompted him to audition for a slot in "The Gong Show" following his graduation in 1977. It was only when the teen did not make it that he eventually returned to drama upon entering Juilliard School after briefly enrolled in Los Angeles Valley College, thanks to the advice of his Chatsworth classmate, Val Kilmer.

As Kevin underwent the intense and competitive trainings at Juilliard, his desire to establish a professional acting career became really hard to resist so that he boldly left in his second year to join the New York Shakespeare Festival in which he encountered his theatrical debut through its 1981 presentation of "Henry VI." Gradually became a regular on the circuit while also carried out some office works there, he surprisingly came into the notice of the festival founder Joseph Papp who, upon sensing his great potentiality to grow more than he had achieved up to that time, decided to 'fire' him with the intention of giving the guy larger chance to flourish in the field. The older man's instinct was wonderfully proven right for he shortly thereafter was able to earn his Broadway debut in Hendrik Ibsen's "Ghosts" by 1982 followed by a handful performances in other productions, like "Uncle Vanya", "As You Like It", plus "Le Misanthrope."

Much to Kevin's joy, things delightfully turned better in 1986 as he not only managed to experience his first taste in film-making with "Heartburn" but also scored well in his performance in London's Theatre Royal production of "Long Day's Journey into Night" which brought him to secure a role in the acclaimed mob series "Wiseguy" by 1988. Following this, other stints started to flow continuously either on big screen, such as "Working Girl" (1988), "See No Evil, Hear No Evil" (1989), and "Glengarry Glen Ross" (1992) or on small one, like "Fall from Grace" (1990) and "Darrow" (1991). Also successfully acquired a Tony Award for Actor (Feature Role - Play) category in 1991 through his enactment in "Lost in Yonkers", he kept striving to satisfyingly garner larger attention in "Swimming with Sharks" (1994) that subsequently enabled him to join the star-studded cast of Bryan Singer's 1995 effort of "The Usual Suspect."

Delivered such a brilliant portrayal of a fast-talking yet enigmatic con man named Roger 'Verbal' Kint in the crime thriller picture, Kevin this time really made his way to impress both critics and audience so profoundly that it was not quite surprising to find him being bestowed a pile of accolades in turn, notably the triple nods of Golden Globes, Actors, and Oscar in supporting role category by 1996. Eventually winning the latter one, the attainment consequently catapulted the brown-eyed actor right away to the worldwide prominence which undoubtedly led him to more high-profile roles like those in "A Time to Kill" (1996), "L.A. Confidential" (1997), also "The Negotiator" (1998). As if these appearances were not great enough, he struck harder in 1999 with an extremely stunning turn in Sam Mendes' "American Beauty" to gain his second Academy Award in 2000 aside from his triumph at BAFTA Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards, all for the leading role category.

As the third millennium rolled its early period, Kevin had already seen himself shine radiantly with a series of performances he nailed down effortlessly such as those in "Pay It Forward" (2000) and "K-Pax" (2001), even fantastically garnered another Golden Globes also BAFTA Award nominations in 2002 through his fine enactment in "The Shipping News" (2001). Next starred in "The Life of David Gale" (2003) and "Edison" (2006), this charming man's run joyously glided in a steady pace for he then was billed to play the Man of Steel nemesis, Lex Luthor, in the highly-anticipated "Superman Returns" (2006) followed by roles in Fred Claus" (2007), "Telstar" (2008), and "21" (2008). In the meantime, he also smoothly moved on to maintain his other profession as a film producer that he has carried on since 1994, taking the seat in films like "Mini's First Time" (2006), "Fanboys" (2008), and "Columbus Day" (2008).

While Kevin's involvement either onstage or onscreen has received wide exposure, little is known about his private life as the actor has always kept the details of it close to himself so that this inevitably raised public speculation concerning his sexual orientation, moreover after The Star published a collection of his pictures fondling a young guy in Los Angeles. Though continuously being asked on the matter, he remains silent and often gives the same response saying that his sexuality should not matter despite some scorns from those who felt that he ought to offer comments on it. "It's not that I want to create some bullshit mystique by maintaining a silence about my personal life," he explained. "It is just that the less you know about me, the easier it is to convince you that I am that character on screen. It allows an audience to come into a movie theatre and believe I am that person."