The controversial life and times of Kevin Spacey

Kevin Spacey: his rise, fall, and... comeback?
A troubled childhood
Scared of his father
Determined to become an actor at a young age
Drama at Juilliard, theater actor
Kevin Spacey's first screen role: subway thief in 'Heartburn'
Recognized for his acting talent
'The Usual Suspects' and 'American Beauty'
Golden Globe and two SAG awards for 'House of Cards'
The fall of Kevin Spacey: accused in 2017
Anthony Rapp alleges assault by Kevin Spacey
Rapp's lawsuit against Spacey fails
30 accusations
Allegations from London theater
Harry Dreyfuss alleged that Kevin Spacey groped him
Kevin Spacey accused of assaulting an 18-year-old male in 2016
The impact of the allegations on Spacey’s career was swift
November 2017: Netflix kills character in 'House of Cards'
Spacey's role as J. Paul Getty given to Christopher Plummer
June 2023: Spacey on trial in U.K. with accusations from four men
July 26, 2023: Spacey acquitted of all charges in the U.K.
The decline of a once illustrious career
The future of Kevin Spacey in Hollywood
Kevin Spacey: his rise, fall, and... comeback?

Kevin Spacey has been cleared of several accusations of abuse. A London court decided that there was not enough evidence to support four allegations of sexual misconduct. After his rise to Hollywood stardom and colossal fall from grace in 2017, might the actor now make a comeback?

A troubled childhood

Kevin Spacey was born ‘Kevin Spacey Fowler’ on July 26th, 1959 in New Jersey. He's told several media that he had a complicated childhood. His father was often unemployed and they frequently had to move.

Scared of his father

Spacey has described how, as a child, he felt terrified of his father. He characterized him as being a racist, homophobic, and antisemitic neo-Nazi. He has also claimed that it was his father’s judgemental views that led him to keep his sexual orientation private until 2017.

Determined to become an actor at a young age

While his father did not approve of his goal of becoming an actor, Spacey began to develop his acting skills in high school. Following his graduation, he explored his comedic skills by performing stand-up.

Drama at Juilliard, theater actor

In 1981, after his time at Juilliard, he had his first professional stage acting role in ‘Henry VI, Part 1.’ He then played Broadway for the first time in 1982 as Oswald in ‘Ghosts.’

Kevin Spacey's first screen role: subway thief in 'Heartburn'

His first film role was in Mike Nichols’ 1986 movie ‘Heartburn’ in which he shared the screen with Hollywood superstars Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson.

Recognized for his acting talent

Over the course of his career, Kevin Spacey has been nominated for and won several prestigious awards. He won a Tony award in 1991 for his role in ‘Lost in Yonkers.’ He received his first Academy Award for his supporting role in ‘The Usual Suspects’ in 1995.

'The Usual Suspects' and 'American Beauty'

His second Oscar came in 1999 for his lead role in 'American Beauty.' By that time, Kevin Spacey was a highly popular character actor in Hollywood.

Golden Globe and two SAG awards for 'House of Cards'

Starting in 2013, Kevin Spacey brought the charismatic and homicidal politician Frank Underwood to the television screen through the successful Netflix series 'House of Cards.'

The fall of Kevin Spacey: accused in 2017

Starting in 2017, a large number of men began to accuse Kevin Spacey of inappropriate or illegal sexual conduct. They spoke out in the era of the 'Me Too' movement.

Anthony Rapp alleges assault by Kevin Spacey

‘Rent’ and ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ actor Anthony Rapp attended a party at Kevin Spacey’s home when he was just 14 years old. He alleged in 2017 that Kevin Spacey had made inappropriate advances toward him at that party.

Rapp's lawsuit against Spacey fails

The civil case, filed in 2020, went to trial in October 2022 with Anthony Rapp taking the stand to share details about his experience with Spacey. Rapp sued Spacey for 40 million dollars in damages. A jury found that there was insufficient evidence to prove the allegation of sexual battery and Spacey was acquitted.

30 accusations

Since Anthony Rapp's first allegation, more than 30 people have shared their own allegations against Spacey with claims that range from harassment to attempted r a p e. Spacey has denied all allegations.

Image: Netflix

Allegations from London theater

Kevin Spacey held the role of Artistic Director at the Old Vic Theatre in London from 2004-2015. Following an investigation into that period, Spacey faced 20 accusations of 'inappropriate behaviour' by individuals associated with the theatre.

Harry Dreyfuss alleged that Kevin Spacey groped him

Harry Dreyfuss, the son of actor Richard Dreyfuss, has written about his claim that Spacey groped him when they were together with his father at Spacey's apartment in 2008. Harry was 18 at the time. He says that Spacey was directing his father in a play at the Old Vic Theatre in London. Harry shared that his father did not see Spacey touch and grab him until years later. Kevin Spacey has denied these allegations.

Kevin Spacey accused of assaulting an 18-year-old male in 2016

Heather Unruh, a former TV anchor, alleged that her son had an encounter with Spacey at a bar in Nantucket. It was alleged that Spacey bought her son multiple drinks and then when her son was intoxicated, Spacey grabbed the 18-year-old's private parts. Sexual assault charges and a civil suit were filed but eventually dropped after problems arose with the case, including the victim's refusal to testify in court.

The impact of the allegations on Spacey’s career was swift

Following the initial allegations in 2017, Kevin Spacey was denied the International Emmy Founders Award that he was slated to receive. In November 2017, Netflix made the decision to cut ties with Spacey amid the climbing allegations.

November 2017: Netflix kills character in 'House of Cards'

Eventually, Netflix determined that the final season of ‘House of Cards’ would continue without Spacey, and his character was killed off the show. Netflix also decided not to release the film 'Gore' in which Spacey played the lead role of Gore Vidal.

 

Spacey's role as J. Paul Getty given to Christopher Plummer

With the release date for 'All the Money in the World' only six weeks away, and trailers for the movie featuring Kevin Spacey already in circulation, Director Ridley Scott made the decision to edit Spacey's scenes out of the film. The role was quickly recast with Christopher Plummer, refilmed, and edited. Christopher Plummer received great praise for his role and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

June 2023: Spacey on trial in U.K. with accusations from four men

Spacey was facing nine charges including sexual assault, indecent assault, and causing a person to engage in p e n e t r a t i v e activity. The trial lasted almost four weeks and included character reference testimony from 10 witnesses including Elton John and his husband David Furnish.

July 26, 2023: Spacey acquitted of all charges in the U.K.

Spacey denied all accusations when he took the stand for two days in his defence. On July 26, 2023, a jury found him not guilty of all charges following two days of deliberation.

The decline of a once illustrious career

Once sought after for high-profile films and television projects, Kevin Spacey has all but disappeared from Hollywood. Apart from some small roles in foreign films, his opportunities to work as an actor have been limited.

The future of Kevin Spacey in Hollywood

With a series of acquittals behind him, many are debating whether Kevin Spacey can rehabilitate his Hollywood career or whether the sheer number of allegations against him have damaged his reputation and career beyond repair.

 

"Ready to move forward"

Prior to his acquittal, Spacey told German 'Zeit Magazin': "I know that there are people right now who are ready to hire me the moment I am cleared of these charges in London. The second that happens, they're ready to move forward."