Kevin Fowler was born July 26, 1959, in South Orange, New Jersey, to parents Kathleen and Thomas Spacey. While it was rumored that the origin of his last name is the combination of "Spencer" and "Tracey," Spacey is in fact his mother's maiden name.
The youngest of three children, Spacey was always the troublemaker during his childhood. Because his father was a technical writer, the Fowler family was forced to move all around the country, and finally settled down in Southern California, where a young Kevin set his sister's tree house on fire.
Kevin's father sent him off to Northridge Military Academy as a punishment, but he didn't last there too long as he was expelled for throwing a tire at a classmate's head. Perhaps this was for the best, since he next attended Chatsworth High School in the San Fernando Valley, where he honed his acting skills.
Spacey participated in drama while in high school, and was Captain Von Trapp to fellow actress Mare Winningham's Maria in a school production of The Sound of Music. The high school valedictorian headed off to Julliard thanks to classmate Val Kilmer's encouragement, but the seemingly antsy aspiring actor didn't last there long (from 1979 until 1981), because he was anxious to pursue his acting career.
The Julliard student (not graduate -- he left before receiving his diploma) next signed up with the New York Shakespeare Festival, where he performed with fellow thespians John Goodman and Mandy Patinkin.
Spacey made his theatrical debut with the production of Henry VI and became a regular on the theater circuit, but Shakespeare in the Park Festival head, Joseph Papp, threw him out into the real acting world, so that he could act in the big leagues. Spacey finally made his Broadway debut in Ibsen's Ghosts, and while auditioning for a part in another play, he caught the attention of director Mike Nichols, who cast him in his production of Hurly Burly (in which Spacey eventually portrayed all the male leads, and later starred in the film version of the story).
One of the most meaningful roles for Spacey was his co-starring part in a 1986 production of O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night, where he worked with Jack Lemmon, his future mentor.
Spacey made his film debut as a subway thief in 1986's Heartburn, which he followed up with a TV role in Wiseguy. He then returned to Mike Nichols' direction in 1988's Working Girl, as a sleazy businessman. The beginning of the '90s were marked by small, yet memorable roles by Spacey, in films such as 1990's Henry & June, and 1992's Glengarry Glen Ross and Consenting Adults, but he earned great respect and critical acclaim in 1994's Swimming with Sharks, a film which he co-produced and portrayed the boss from hell.
The role garnered Spacey a New York Film Critics Circle Award, and marked the beginning of an era for Spacey, and Hollywood, for that matter.
1995 was a banner year for Spacey, with a starring a role in Outbreak; an eerie portrayal of John Doe in the thriller Se7en (he didn't want his name in the credits as he felt it would give away the surprise ending); and the role of Roger "Verbal" Kint in The Usual Suspects, which garnered him Best Supporting Actor awards by the Academy Awards, the National Board of Reviews, the New York Film Critics Circle, the Boston Society of Film Critics, and the Broadcast Film Critics Association, to name a few. These were in addition to the awards he won by the same associations for his role in Se7en.
In 1996, Spacey starred in A Time to Kill (with Sandra Bullock), Looking for Richard, which was directed by Al Pacino, and followed these up with an outstanding performance in 1997's critical favorite, LA Confidential. His portrayal as Sergeant Jack Vincennes raked in even more awards, such as the Boston Society of Film Critics and the Society of Texas Film Critics, both for Best Supporting Actor. He also won the latter for his role in 1997's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
After 1998's The Negotiator and A Bug's Life, Spacey blew worldwide audiences away with his monumental portrayal of Lester Burnham in the suburban satire, American Beauty.
The role of the hard on his luck father and husband who starts to smoke pot and work out, and turn his life around, was a change from the usually villainous characters he has portrayed, and it was his brilliant work that garnered him a list of awards, namely the Oscar for Best Actor, and the Screen Actors Guild award for Male Actor in a Leading Role. To prove that Spacey was made for this role (or the other way around), he was the director's first choice for the role. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame four days after the movie opened.
After making such a splash with American Beauty, Spacey starred in The Big Kahuna, (which he produced), and Pay It Forward, co-starring Helen Hunt and wonderkid Haley Joel Osment.
Despite Spacey's success in Hollywood, he still delved into the theater world throughout his film career, with roles in a 1991 Broadway production of Lost in Yonkers (for which he won a Tony Award), and his role in 1999's Broadway adaptation of The Iceman Cometh, which also received critical acclaim. He also delved into directing with 1996's Albino Alligator.
Spacey can now be seen in the much-anticipated film K-PAX, which features Spacey as a man who claims he's from the planet Prot and is therefore deemed delusional by his doctor and those on earth. He will also be seen in The Shipping News and The Life of David Gale in 2002.
07/23/2009 David Letterman and Twitter: Kevin Spacey can't make 'Late Show ... - Chicago Tribune Kevin Spacey Tries, Fails To Explain Twitter To Letterman (VIDEO)Huffington PostKevin Spacey tries to explain Twitter to David Letterman to no availThe Express Times - LehighValleyLive.comGawker -SmartBrief -Digital Media - Australasiaall 29 news articles » http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ch..
07/15/2009 Kelly Preston goes back to work - The Press Association Preston 'channels grief' for film roleDigital SpyKelly Preston returns to workChina Dailyall 50 news articles » http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5i-gq9ECejl..
07/02/2009 "Moon": Inspired lunacy from Sam Rockwell - Seattle Times Moon: Lunar lunacy courtesy the cousin of HALNational Post'Moon': On a human level, it shines extremely brightHeraldNetCityNews -CBC.ca -Dallas Observerall 62 news articles » http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/movies/2009412676_mr03moon...
Ed McMahon dies at 86Washington Post, United StatesLOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Kevin Spacey will star in and produce "Father of Invention," an ensemble comedy whose cast includes Heather Graham as a lesbian who sleeps with his character. The story follows a humble inventor-turned-egomaniacal
06/24/2009 Heather Graham, Johnny Knoxville join Spacey film - Reuters Kevin Spacey to Star and Produce Father Of InventionScreenCrave.comKevin Spacey Recruits A Comedy TeamCinema Blend/FILM -Cinematical -ComingSoon.netall 32 news articles » http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE55N0PD200..
Actor Kevin Spacey to receive Pell Award in NewportProvidence Journal, RIAlso being honored is Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey, who will be getting the National Pell Award. Spacey is, of course, known for his stage and film work and more recently as artistic director of London's Old Vic Theatre.
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