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Born in South Orange, New Jersey
July 26, 1959
Spacey was born Kevin Spacey Fowler or Kevin Matthew Fowler in South Orange, New Jersey, the son of Kathleen A. (née Spacey; 5 December 1931 – 19 March 2003), a secretary, and Thomas Geoffrey Fowler (4 June 1924 – Atlanta, Georgia, 24 December 1992), a technical writer. He has two older siblings: a sister, Julie, and a brother, Randy.
Attended Chatsworth High School
August 5, 1977
Spacey attended Northridge Military Academy after he set his sister's treehouse on fire, but was asked to leave after throwing a tire at another student at the academy, and subsequently attended Chatsworth High School in Chatsworth, California. In the twelfth grade, he starred in the school's senior production of The Sound of Music, playing the part of Captain Georg von Trapp, opposite Maria (played by Mare Winningham).
Attended Juilliard School
August 25, 1979 - June 25, 1981
Spacey had tried to succeed as a stand-up comedian for several years, before attending the Juilliard School in New York City, where he studied drama, between 1979 and 1981. During this time period, Spacey performed stand-up comedy in bowling alley talent contests.
Henry VI, part 1
August 30, 1981
Spacey's first professional stage appearance was as a messenger in a New York Shakespeare Festival performance of Henry VI, part 1 in 1981.
Ghosts
August 30, 1982 - October 2, 1982
The following year he made his first Broadway appearance in a production of Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts.
Appearance in Crime Story
September 22, 1987
He made his first major television appearance in the second season premiere of Crime Story, playing a Kennedy-esque American senator.
The Murder of Mary Phagan
January 24, 1988
The role as Wes Brent in the made-for-television film The Murder of Mary Phagan, played opposite Jack Lemmon.
Wiseguy
September 1, 1988
Spacey earned an avid fan base following after playing the criminally insane arms dealer Mel Profitt on the television series Wiseguy.
See No Evil, Hear No Evil
May 12, 1989
Played the character Kirgo, in the Richard Pryor/Gene Wilder-starring comedy See No Evil, Hear No Evil.
Won a Tony Award
June 2, 1991
In 1991, he won a Tony Award for his portrayal of "Uncle Louie" in Neil Simon's Broadway hit Lost in Yonkers.
Role in L.A. Law
January 9, 1992
Had the role as Giles Keenan, a widowed eccentric millionaire on L.A. Law.
Glengarry Glen Ross
October 2, 1992
Also played the put-upon office manager in the all-star ensemble film Glengarry Glen Ross, gaining him positive notices by critics.
The Ref
March 9, 1994
He quickly developed a reputation as a character actor, and was cast in bigger roles, including one-half of the bickering Connecticut couple in the dark comedy The Ref.
Swimming with Sharks
March 21, 1995
Spacey plays a malicious Hollywood studio boss in the satire Swimming with Sharks.
Se7en
September 22, 1995
In 1995, Spacey appeared in Se7en with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, making a sudden and unexpected entrance late in the film as the serial killer John Doe after going unmentioned in the film's ads and opening credits.
Academy Award Best Supporting Actor
March 25, 1996
The crippled criminal Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects launched him to A-list status and won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
A Time to Kill
July 24, 1996
In 1996, Spacey played an egomaniacal district attorney in A Time to Kill.
Host of Saturday Night Live
January 11, 1997
Spacey hosted the long-running NBC sketch show Saturday Night Live twice: once in 1997 and again in the last episode of the 31st season with musical guest Nelly Furtado.
Directorial Debut of Albino Alligator
January 17, 1997
In 1996 he made his directorial debut with the film Albino Alligator. The film was a failure at the box office but Spacey's direction was praised.
Trigger Street Productions
May 1, 1997
Spacey founded Trigger Street Productions in 1997 with the purpose of producing and developing entertainment across various media.
Esquire
October 1, 1997
here has been persistent speculation about Spacey's sexual orientation, fueled by a 1997 Esquire article on the actor, which implied he was gay. Spacey denied the allegation, telling Playboy magazine that the story "...was a setup." While Spacey is a bachelor and reticent about his personal life, he has consistently asserted that he is heterosexual.
Best Actor Oscar for American Beauty
March 26, 2000
Spacey won universal praise and a Best Actor Oscar for his role as a depressed suburban father who re-evaluates his life in 1999's American Beauty; the same year, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Spacey also earned another Tony nomination the same year for his work in a Broadway production of "The Iceman Cometh".
Relationship with Diane Dryer
April 5, 2000
Currently reported to dating Diane Dryer.
President Clinton: Final Days
April 29, 2000
Spacey is a friend of former President Bill Clinton, having met Clinton before his presidency began. He additionally had a cameo appearance in President Clinton: Final Days, a light-hearted political satire produced by the Clinton administration for the White House Correspondents Dinner.
Pay It Forward
October 20, 2000
Spacey played a physically and emotionally scarred grade school teacher in Pay It Forward.
Unite for the Future Gala
June 1, 2001
In 2001, Spacey co-hosted with Dame Judi Dench Unite for the Future Gala, the UK's fundraiser for the British Victims of 9/11 and Medecins Sans Frontieres at London's Old Vic Theatre, produced by Harvey Goldsmith and Dominic Madden.
K-Pax
October 26, 2001
Played a patient in a mental institution who may or may not be an alien in K-Pax.
Director of the Old Vic
Feburary 5, 2003
In February 2003, Spacey announced that he was returning to London to become the artistic director of the Old Vic, one of the city's oldest theatres. He thus became the first Artistic Director of the newly formed Old Vic
Theatre Company, which stages shows eight months out of the year.
Cloaca
September 29, 2004
Its first season, at Old Vic, starting in September 2004, opened with the British premiere of the play Cloaca by Maria Goos, directed by Spacey, which opened to mixed reviews.
Golden Globe Nomination
December 13, 2004
He received mostly positive reviews for his singing, as well as a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in Beyond the Sea.
Beyond the Sea
December 29, 2004
Played the character of singer Bobby Darin in Beyond the Sea. Beyond The Sea was a lifelong dream project for Spacey, who took on co-writing, directing, and starring duties in the biography/musical about Darin's life, career, and relationship with late actress Sandra Dee.
Richard II
October 6, 2005
In the 2005 season, Spacey made his UK Shakespearean debut, to good notices, in the title role of Richard II (directed by Trevor Nunn).
Edison Force
November 11, 2005
Spacey also appeared in Edison Force (originally titled Edison), co-starring Morgan Freeman and Justin Timberlake; Edison Force received a direct-to-video release on July 18, 2006.
Awarded an Honorary Doctorate
November 11, 2005
Spacey was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by London South Bank University in November 2005.
Superman Returns
June 28, 2006
In 2006, Spacey played the nefarious Lex Luthor in the Bryan Singer-directed superhero film, Superman Returns. It recently was confirmed he will return in the sequel, scheduled for 2009.
Spacey Stays on at the Old Vic
September 1, 2006
In September 2006, Spacey announced his intention to stay on at the Old Vic for at least another nine years, and that due to his continuing UK residency he intends to take up British citizenship when it becomes available to him.
Forever Cool
August 14, 2007
Capitol/EMI's "Forever Cool" (2007) features two duets with Spacey and the voice of the late Dean Martin: "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" and "King of the Road."
Meets Venezuelan President
September 25, 2007
In September 2007, Spacey met Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez. Neither of them spoke to the press about their encounter, but hours later the actor visited the publicly funded movie studio, Cinema Villa.
Speed-the-Plow.
Feburary 28, 2008
For the spring part of the 2007-8 season American film actor Jeff Goldblum and British Laura Michelle Kelly joined Spacey as the three characters in David Mamet's 1988 play Speed-the-Plow.
21
March 28, 2008
In 2008, he played an MIT lecturer in the film 21, along with Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne, and Jim Sturgess. The film is based on Ben Mezrich's best seller, Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions, a story of student MIT card-counters who used mathematical probability to aid them in card games such as Black Jack.
