Kevin Spacey is one of the greatest actors out there. He is extremely versatile and picks roles not just for the money and/or fame they can bring him. Looking at his resume is like reading a list of some of the most interesting characters ever to grace the screen.
Over the years, Kevin has had roles in nearly 60 movies, television shows and video games. The Internet Movie Database lists his first role as that of a subway thief in the Jack Nicholson/Meryl Streep movie Heartburn (1986). From there he has played tough guys, corrupt cops, teachers, comic book villains...you name it, he has probably played it.
One of my favorite Kevin Spacey movies is The Life of David Gale. This movie blew me away. Spacey plays a death row inmate, a man who was a vocal activist against capital punishment, who convinces a reporter to look into his case...of course stating his innocence. The twists at the end of this movie are one thing, and his portrayal of a man willing to sacrifice everything to take a stand against the death penalty is at times heartbreaking.
Going in a whole other direction, Spacey plays crooner Bobby Darin in the movie Beyond the Sea. He does his own singing in this one, and who knew he had such amazing talent in that area. He sings, he dances...he produced, directed and wrote the movie...and he even wrote a song in the movie. Talk about multi-talented. This movie was about as close to perfection as you can get.
Another favorite of mine is K-PAX about a man who claims to be from an alien world (called K-PAX) and the psychiatrist who begins treating him (Jeff Bridges). I think this is the first movie of Spacey's I saw, and I was hooked. He was so good as the "alien" Prot, you find yourself hoping he's telling the truth and is from another planet.
I love how Spacey approaches acting in general. In the movie Se7en, he told them not to give him credit because moviegoers would spend the time waiting for him to show up. You had no idea he was the bad guy until he finally shows up toward the end. Worked perfectly.
And his private life is just that...very private. He says he tries to keep it that way as the less people know about him personally, the easier it is for them to believe he is the person they are watching on the screen. And ya' know what...it's true.
Besides winning two Oscars so far (Supporting Actor in The Usual Suspects, and Best Actor in American Beauty), he has won two Emmys (among other awards) and been nominated for the Golden Globe, the Grammy and many others. He is also a Tony Winning Broadway actor and has been named Artistic Director of the Old Vic Theatre in London, England. And though all of his movies haven't been the best in the world (and I'm thinking of Superman Returns here), his roles have been nothing but perfection.
Being a member of NetFlix, I have a nice list of Kevin Spacey movies just waiting to grace my mailbox. Movies I haven't seen yet, such as 21 and Hurly Burly, and movies I love to watch over and over such as The Usual Suspects and The Ref (another one of my absolute favorites), sit patiently waiting for me to reel them in. And I tingle with anticipation at the prospect of seeing each and every one of them.
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