Kevin Spacey: Who is the Oscar-winning actor?

Before allegations of sexual harassment were first publicly made against him in 2017, Kevin Spacey was one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood.

The 64-year-old struck the delicate balance of being both acclaimed and popular – his name regularly drew crowds to the box office, while his performances were praised by critics.

Spacey was well known for roles in Seven, American Beauty, LA Confidential, 21, Horrible Bosses, Baby Driver and the TV series House of Cards, one of Netflix’s biggest and earliest hits.

The actor was regularly rewarded for his work – winning two Oscars during his career – one for lead actor (for 1999’s American Beauty) and one for supporting actor (for 1995’s The Usual Suspects).

In Sam Mendes’ directorial debut, American Beauty, Spacey starred as Lester Burnham, an advertising executive who has a mid-life crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter’s best friend.

In The Usual Suspects, a mystery about five criminals who plan a dangerous heist, he portrayed petty con artist Roger ‘Verbal’ Kint, a role that had been written for him.

Actor Kevin Spacey holding his Oscar trophy for best supporting actor for his role in The Usual Suspects in 1996

Spacey acting opposite Annette Bening in the 1999 movie American Beauty

His performances on stage and screen also won him a Tony, an Olivier, a Golden Globe, a Bafta, a Critics Choice and several Screen Actors’ Guild Awards. He was given his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999.

In addition to his performance work, Spacey was the artistic director at the Old Vic theatre in London between 2004 and 2015.

The US star was recognised for his work by being made an honorary Commander and Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2010 and 2015, respectively.

Kevin Spacey pictured attending the 2000 Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles

But a string of allegations of sexual misconduct made against him – part of a Hollywood reckoning which began with a Harvey Weinstein exposé in October 2017 – brought his career to a halt.

Spacey, who always denied the claims, then came out as a gay man – a move he was criticised for by some figures in the gay community, who suggested he was attempting to shift the focus away from the allegations. The actor later expressed his regret for this, saying that was never his intention.

One of the allegations was made by actor Anthony Rapp, who said he was 14 when Spacey invited him to a party and made a sexual advance towards him. His claims reached court in New York last year, but after a three-week civil trial, the lawsuit was dismissed.

Spacey’s tenure at the Old Vic was also scrutinised after 20 male staff members at the theatre alleged he had behaved inappropriately towards them.

As a result of the sexual misconduct claims against Spacey – some of which formed part of his recent trial in London – the projects he was appearing in at the time they were made were thrown into doubt.

Scenes from a film which was already in the can, All The Money in the World, were re-shot with a new actor, Christopher Plummer, replacing Spacey.

The actor was also fired from his role as Frank Underwood in the Netflix political drama series House of Cards, and production on the show’s sixth season was suspended for several months.

When it finally resumed, the number of episodes had been cut from 13 to six, with Spacey’s co-star Robin Wright taking over the lead role.

Spacey had been effectively ostracised from Hollywood, and worked only rarely in the years following the accusations.

However, the actor found some solace in Italy, where he still enjoyed a pocket of support.

His first high-profile appearance in the country came in 2019 when he recited Gabriele Tinti’s poem The Boxer for members of the public at a museum in Rome. The poem is about a boxer lamenting the loss of his once-glorious career.

Spacey’s performance came less than three weeks after prosecutors in New York dropped a criminal case relating to charges of indecent assault and battery.

He went on to work with Italian director Franco Nero on 2022’s L’uomo Che Disegnò Dio (The Man Who Drew God), marking his return to acting with a role as a police detective.

In January 2023, he was given a lifetime achievement award by Italy’s National Museum of Cinema.

The museum, in Turin, said it gave the prize in recognition of Spacey’s “personal aesthetic and authorial contribution to the development of the art of drama”.

In his acceptance speech, the actor thanked the museum for having the “balls” to present him with the award.

But by the summer, he was appearing in Southwark Crown Court in London, denying nine sexual offences between 2001 and 2013.

The trial lasted nearly four weeks and heard from multiple witnesses, including Spacey himself.

On Wednesday, Spacey was found not guilty on all counts.

So what could be next for Kevin Spacey? Hollywood is no stranger to comeback stories, so it is certainly possible we could see him on screen again before long.

But Spacey’s future will ultimately come down to whether or not the public will still have the appetite to see his films – and whether or not he still wants to make them.