Kevin Spacey Fowler born July 26, [ 1 ] is an American actor. Spacey began his film career with small roles in Mike Nichols 's comedy-drama films Heartburn and Working Girl He has also directed the films Albino Alligator and Beyond the Sea He won a Tony Award in for his role in Lost in Yonkers. In , he hosted the 71st Tony Awards.
In , Spacey faced several allegations of sexual misconduct. In and , Spacey faced multiple criminal investigations; however, in each case Spacey was either not charged or the charges against him were dropped. In a separate case in London, he was acquitted by a jury of sexual assault charges in He started using his middle name "Spacey", which was his paternal grandmother's maiden name. During this time period, he performed comedy in bowling alley talent contests.
In , Spacey appeared in a production of David Rabe 's Hurlyburly , in which he rotated through each of the male parts he would later play Mickey in the film version. In , Spacey appeared in a production of Sleuth in a New Jersey dinner theatre.
Lemmon in particular would become a mentor to Spacey [ 28 ] and was invited, along with Spacey's high school drama teacher, to be present when Spacey received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Spacey remained actively involved in the live theatre community. His father was unconvinced that Spacey could make a career for himself as an actor and did not change his mind until Spacey became well known. In February , Spacey announced that he was to become the artistic director of the Old Vic , one of London's oldest theatres.
The Old Vic Theatre Company staged shows eight months out of the year. Spacey's first season started in September , opening with the British premiere of the play Cloaca by Maria Goos , directed by Spacey, which opened to mixed reviews. On June 16, , Spacey was awarded an honorary knighthood for his services to theatre, arts education, and international culture in the Queen's Birthday Honours.
