Kevin Spacey is a rarity. Sure, he’s an enormous talent, one of the leading actors of his generation, and a portrayer of some of film’s best villains in recent years, but to the press, he’s “enigmatic” and “mysterious,” one who refuses to discuss his private life in order not to distract audiences from his screen characters. He even had his name removed from the opening credits of “Se7en” to later catch audiences off guard.
Born Kevin Spacey Fowler in New Jersey in 1959, little Kevin was a bit of a troublemaker – he burnt down his sister’s tree house and a stint in military school proved short lived due to Kevin’s antics. He spent his formative years in southern California and graduated from Chatsworth High School with classmate Val Kilmer. During this time, he used Spacey (his mother’s maiden name) as his own last name. And it was Val Kilmer who suggested the acting school Julliard in New York, where he studied from 1979 to 1981.
Even in stage plays in high school, Kevin found the theatre to be his home. Following acting school, Kevin worked in the New York theatre scene and gradually found his way to television and film. His first movie role is in the 1986 film “Heartburn,” in which he’s credited as Subway Thief. He’s part of the impressive “Working Girl” cast which included Harrison Ford, Melanie Griffith, Sigourney Weaver, and Alec Baldwin. Also in 1988, Kevin gained greater recognition for his role as criminal mastermind Mel Profitt in the series “Wiseguy,” one of the first of the villainous parts he would undertake. In 1992, he’s cold Mr. Williamson, the office manager in “Glengarry Glen Ross,” and a Christmas hostage in “The Ref.” 1995 – a breakout year if there ever was one – proved Spacey had major talent: he won a Supporting Actor Oscar in Bryan Singer’s “The Usual Suspects,” with whom he would later collaborate with on “Superman Returns.” Following 1995, Kevin was everywhere and usually dominating the screen at the same time. Another Oscar came his way for “American Beauty” in 1999.
In 2004, Kevin began work as director of the Old Vic Theatre Company in London for a 10-year commitment. He also directed his personal project “Beyond the Sea,” the story of Bobby Darin in 2004. He continues to work on both sides of the Atlantic and maintain secrecy on his private life. While he claims theatre is his true love, it may be the characters he plays that he loves the most.
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Badass Bracket – Keyser Soze
In 2007, we created a Badass Bracket for 32 of the most badass characters from the movies and TV that we could think of. Keyser Soze was a natural addition to the bracket, even if he was a bit unconventional. He started out as a #12 but he ran into hitman Jules in the first round.
Here’s the Badass Bracket profile for Keyser Soze:
Kevin Spacey, “The Usual Suspects“
Forgive us if you have not yet seen “The Usual Suspects” because, well, we just ruined the movie for you. But you’ve had 12 years to see it, so the statute of limitations on keeping its big secret is long past. It’s difficult to describe the ways that a boogeyman is a badass, but when you consider the ways in which Keyser Soze, the brutal crime lord who hides in plain sight as the chatty cripple Verbal, manipulates a crew of thieves into taking out the only person who knows Keyser’s true identity, you have to admire both his smarts and determination to achieve his goal by any means necessary…even if it means threatening to castrate the nephew of one of the members of his reluctant crew. In Keyser’s world, there are no innocents: there are only people who can be used as weapons against others to make them do what you want. Bad, ass.Definitive badass moment: The story that Verbal tells Agent Kujan about goons threatening to kill Keyser’s family if their demands aren’t meant. Instead, Keyser kills his own family before the goons can, after which he kills the goons, their parents, their parents’ friends, and anyone who owed them money.
Classic badass line: “Keaton always said, ‘I don’t believe in God, but I’m afraid of him.’ Well I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Keyser Soze.”
Seed: #12
Occupation: Crime lord/boogeyman
Strengths: So manipulative, he could convince Jesus to kill God
Weaknesses: The element of surprise is his greatest weapon. Whoops.
Features
Top Ten Kevin Spacey Movies
Best of Kevin.
ALSO: See how Keyser Soze fared in our Badass Bracket!
Kevin on the Web
2014 interview with Kevin
Kevin discusses his roles in “House of Cards,” “American Beauty,” “Se7en,” “The Usual Suspects” and more.
Judge orders Kevin Spacey to pay nearly $31 million to ‘House of Cards’ production company
Allegations of misconduct had Kevin Spacey fired from this production, and he was then ordered to pay damages.
Kevin Spacey on the Screen
He’s Subway Thief in “Heartburn,” his first screen appearance in 1986. He worked television for the next few years, appearing as Mel Profitt for eight episodes of “Wiseguy.” That same year, he’s Bob Speck in Mike Nichols’ “Working Girl,” the title character in “Dad”, John Williamson in “Glengarry Glen Ross,” and the reporter in Disney’s “Iron Will.” His role as the producer in “Swimming with Sharks” led to an incredible streak for Kevin Spacey: the Oscar winning role in “The Usual Suspects,” “Outbreak,” “Se7en,” “A Time to Kill,” “L.A. Confidential,” and the Clint Eastwood film “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” He’s the title character in “The Negotiator,” and a year later would claim a second Oscar in perhaps his most well known role, Lester Burnham in “American Beauty.” His more recent roles include Larry Mann in “The Big Kahuna,” Eugene Simonet in “Pay It Forward,” Prox in “K-Pax,” and David Gale in “The Life of David Gale.” He’s also writer-producer-actor-director in “Beyond the Sea” and Lex Luthor for Bryan Singer in “Superman Returns.”
“Se7en” (1995)
Spacey delivers an unforgettable performance in this film. “Spacey famously was not included in the film’s opening credits or the publicity for the film in order to avoid giving away the story to unsuspecting audiences. Spacey has had an amazing career (potentially put on permanent pause due to his alleged personal misconduct), but this may be his best performance. The final scenes of this film, including the long car ride with Somerset and Mills transporting John Doe, are flawless.”
Kevin Says
On image:
“If I’m sick of me, I can only imagine how other people feel.”
On his end:
“One day I’ll fall over on the stage. That’s how I’ll go.”
On his private life:
“I find it sad that by not talking about who I sleep with, that makes me mysterious. There was a time when I would have been called a gentleman.”