Spacey, Kevin

▪ 2001

      For his masterful performance as a frustrated husband and father in the dark comedy American Beauty, American actor Kevin Spacey was presented with the 2000 Academy Award for best actor. The role was a significant departure for Spacey, who had been known primarily for his skillful portrayals of bad guys. He had, for example, won a 1991 Tony Award for featured actor for his performance as the mobster Uncle Louie in Lost in Yonkers and a 1996 Oscar for best supporting actor for his portrayal of a double-talking con man in The Usual Suspects. In American Beauty, however, Spacey was allowed to explore a quite different character. His ability to show the alienation and vulnerability of his character, Lester Burnham—a middle-class family man obsessed with a beautiful classmate of his teenage daughter—brought Spacey enthusiastic critical acclaim as well as widespread popular recognition.

      Kevin Spacey Fowler was born on July 26, 1959, in South Orange, N.J. His family moved frequently, and young Kevin had difficulty finding his way in life. Feelings of being an outsider sometimes resulted in misbehaviour, and he was expelled from California's Northridge Military Academy, where his parents had sent him in hopes he would gain some discipline. At Chatsworth High School in Los Angeles, Spacey was steered toward drama classes and finally found his direction; he appeared in numerous school productions and exploited his talent for impersonation by performing in comedy clubs. Following graduation he attended Los Angeles Valley College for a while, but in 1979 he moved to New York City and enrolled at the Juilliard School there. After two years Spacey felt that he was ready to move on and soon made his professional debut in a small part in Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part I. He took a job with the New York Shakespeare Festival as an assistant to the festival's founder and director, Joseph Papp, but after witnessing Spacey's performance in an “off-off-off-Broadway” production, Papp fired him so that Spacey would be compelled to intensify his search for acting jobs. In 1982 Spacey made his Broadway debut in Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts. Notable roles in Hurlyburly (1985) and Long Day's Journey into Night (1986) followed, as did appearances in the films Heartburn (1986) and Working Girl (1988) and in several 1988 episodes of the television series Wiseguy.

      Following his theatrical success in Lost in Yonkers, Spacey earned praise for his performances in such films as Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), Swimming with Sharks (1994), Seven (1995), A Time to Kill (1996), and, especially, L.A. Confidential (1997). In 1998 Spacey returned to the stage and received the Evening Standard, London Theatre Critics' Circle, and Laurence Olivier best actor awards for his performance as Hickey in Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh.

      Spacey maintained a busy acting schedule in 2000. He released The Big Kahuna, finished shooting Pay It Forward, and was scheduled to star in the film adaptation of author E. Annie Proulx's award-winning 1993 novel The Shipping News.

Barbara Whitney

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▪ American actor

in full  Kevin Spacey Fowler 

born July 26, 1959, South Orange, N.J., U.S.

      American actor of stage and screen who was especially known for his dynamic roles in dark comedies.

      As a young boy, Spacey's family moved frequently, ultimately settling in southern California. In high school he began taking drama classes and subsequently appeared in numerous school productions. He also displayed his impersonation talent in comedy club performances. Following graduation he attended Los Angeles Valley College, but in 1979 he moved to New York City and enrolled in the Juilliard School. After two years Spacey moved on and soon made his professional debut in Shakespeare (Shakespeare, William)'s Henry IV, Part I. In 1982 he appeared in his first Broadway production, Henrik Ibsen (Ibsen, Henrik)'s Ghosts. Notable stage roles in Hurlyburly (1985) and Eugene O'Neill (O'Neill, Eugene)'s Long Day's Journey into Night (1986) followed, as did appearances in the films Heartburn (1986) and Working Girl (1988).

      In 1991 Spacey won a Tony Award for featured actor for his performance as the mobster Uncle Louie in Neil Simon (Simon, Neil)'s hit Lost in Yonkers. Following his theatrical success, he earned praise for his work in such films as Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), Swimming with Sharks (1994), and Se7en (1995). His performance in The Usual Suspects (1995) as a double-talking con man earned him an Academy Award for best supporting actor. After appearing in the well-received crime drama L.A. Confidential (1997), Spacey returned to the stage in 1998 and received the Evening Standard, London Theatre Critics' Circle, and Laurence Olivier best actor awards for his portrayal of Hickey in O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh. In 1999 he starred as a frustrated husband and father in the dark comedy American Beauty. His ability to show the alienation and vulnerability of his character, Lester Burnham—a middle-class family man obsessed with a beautiful classmate of his teenage daughter—brought Spacey enthusiastic critical acclaim, and he won an Academy Award for best actor.

Barbara Whitney

      Spacey maintained a busy acting schedule in the early 21st century. He starred opposite Helen Hunt (Hunt, Helen) and Haley Joel Osment in Pay It Forward (2000) and appeared as a newspaper reporter in The Shipping News (2001), a film adaptation of E. Annie Proulx (Proulx, E. Annie)'s award-winning novel. In 2003 Spacey was appointed artistic director of The Old Vic Theatre (Old Vic) in London. He was the first American to serve as director of the British theatre company. In 2004 he directed and starred in the film Beyond the Sea, a biopic about pop legend Bobby Darin (Darin, Bobby). Spacey returned to Broadway in 2007 to star in his third O'Neill play, A Moon for the Misbegotten. The following year he portrayed Mickey Rosa, an MIT professor who teaches his students to count cards in the thriller 21. In 2008 he also starred in the HBO television movie Recount, which was set in the aftermath of the 2000 U.S. presidential election.

Ed.

 

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