Two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey, who was acquitted of sex offences by a UK jury, became a household name playing dangerous, darkly charismatic antiheroes in hits from "The Usual Suspects" to "House of Cards".

Spacey, who turned 64 on Wednesday, first honed his craft on stage, before scoring major box office hits as a middle-aged father lusting after a teen in "American Beauty," a serial killer in "Se7en" and the villain in "Superman Returns."

But he has barely been seen except at courthouses in the United States and the UK since 2017, when he was among the first stars caught up in the global #MeToo movement, accused of sexual assault by multiple young men. 

On Wednesday, a UK jury found him not guilty of nine alleged sex offences. Last year, a US court dismissed separate sexual allegations in a civil case.

- Breakthrough -

Born in New Jersey in 1959, Kevin Spacey Fowler grew up in California, where he briefly attended, and was kicked out of, military school.

He has spoken about a troubled childhood, with a father he described as a "white supremacist" and a "neo-Nazi," who disliked gay people and did not appreciate his son's interest in theater.

Nevertheless, in 1979, a young Spacey entered New York's elite Juilliard performing arts school.

His biggest early stage success came opposite Jack Lemmon in a 1986 production of "Long Day's Journey Into Night."

His first film role was a tiny part as a subway thief that same year in "Heartburn", before venturing into television and winning breakthrough acclaim as a paranoid, psychotic and incestuous young crime boss in "Wiseguy."

- Big-screen success -

That set the tone for a string of pitch-black Hollywood hits culminating in 1995, when Spacey memorably appeared as a fanatical serial killer in David Fincher's "Se7en,". 

He also earned global recognition playing a mysterious gangster in "The Usual Suspects" -- for which he won his first Oscar for best supporting actor.

Spacey's crowning big-screen success came with 1999's "American Beauty," in which he played a sexually frustrated father trying to escape suburban drudgery who becomes obsessed with his teenage daughter's friend.

He claimed his second Oscar -- this time for best actor -- as the movie racked up five Academy Awards, including best picture.

In subsequent years, Spacey briefly pivoted toward gentler movie roles, including a romantic lead in "Pay It Forward" with Helen Hunt, and oddball sci-fi mystery "K-PAX." The results were mixed.

- Old Vic to Netflix - 

Spacey, who won accolades for stage performances in plays such as "Lost in Yonkers" and "The Iceman Cometh," announced in 2003 he was to take over as artistic director of London's Old Vic.

His decade-long tenure at the historic theater would be widely acclaimed.

He starred in and lured A-list actors and directors to diverse and daring productions, reveling in playing Shakespeare's "Richard III" and staging American classics by Eugene O'Neill, Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams.

During that period, he also struck big-screen gold again as the nefarious Lex Luthor in "Superman Returns."

In 2013, Spacey helped launch Hollywood's streaming revolution, taking the lead role in Netflix's first-ever major exclusive series "House of Cards," as a ruthless US congressman who will stop at nothing to become president.

The series became a cultural phenomenon. It was the first online-only series to be nominated for, and win, an Emmy, and ushered in the binge-watching era.

- #MeToo - 

Spacey's empire began to unravel in October 2017.

Barely three weeks after #MeToo allegations broke against Harvey Weinstein, Spacey too was hit with sexual assault claims.

Actor Anthony Rapp was the first to go public, alleging he had been assaulted as a 14-year-old at a New York party by Spacey in 1986.

Spacey swiftly apologised, but drew criticism for appearing to try to deflect the story by finally confirming that he was gay -- an open secret in Hollywood for years.

Within a month, Spacey had been accused of assault by multiple men on both sides of the Atlantic, was dropped by Netflix, and stunningly removed at the last minute from the film "All the Money in the World."

Since then, Spacey has rarely been seen in public, with the exception of court appearances.

In 2019, assault charges against the actor were dropped in Massachusetts. In October 2022, a New York court dismissed Rapp's $40 million sexual misconduct lawsuit. 

And a UK jury on Wednesday lifted the remaining criminal allegations hanging over him, clearing the actor of nine charges.

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