Kevin Spacey Video Showcase

Kevin Spacey (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and crooner. He grew up in California, and began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, before being cast in supporting roles in film and television. He gained critical acclaim in the early 1990s, culminating in his first Academy Award for The Usual Suspects (Best Supporting Actor), followed by a Best Actor Academy Award win for American Beauty (1999). His other starring roles in Hollywood include Seven, L.A. Confidential, Pay It Forward, and Superman Returns in a career which has eventually earned him Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Since 2003, he has been artistic director of the Old Vic theatre in London.

Beyond the Sea is a 2004 biographical film loosely based on the life of singer/actor Bobby Darin. Kevin Spacey, who stars in the lead role and used his own singing voice for the musical numbers, co-wrote, directed, and co-produced the film, which takes its title from the Darin song of the same name. Beyond the Sea depicts Darin's rise to teen idol success in both the music and film industry during the 1950s and 60s, as well as his marriage to Sandra Dee, portrayed by Kate Bosworth.

As early as 1986, Barry Levinson intended to direct a film based on the life of Darin, and he began pre-production on the project in early 1997. When he eventually vacated the director's position, Spacey, along with Darin's son Dodd, acquired the film rights. Beyond the Sea was released in December 2004 to mixed reviews from critics and bombed at the box office. However, Dodd Darin, Sandra Dee and former Darin manager Steve Blauner responded with enthusiastic feedback to Spacey's work on the film. Despite the mixed reviews, some critics praised Spacey's performance, largely due to his decision to use his own singing voice. He also received a Golden Globe nomination.

Austin Powers in Goldmember is a 2002 American comedy film that is the third film of the Austin Powers series starring Mike Myers in the title role. The movie was directed by Jay Roach, and co-written by Mike Myers and Michael McCullers. Myers also plays the roles of Dr. Evil, Goldmember and Fat Bastard. The movie co-stars Beyoncé Knowles, Robert Wagner, Seth Green, Michael York, Verne Troyer, Michael Caine and Fred Savage. There are a number of cameo appearances including Steven Spielberg, Kevin Spacey, Britney Spears, Quincy Jones, Tom Cruise, Katie Couric, Gwyneth Paltrow, John Travolta, Nathan Lane and The Osbournes.

In a self-parody of the Austin Powers series, there is a film within the film in the opening. Austin Powers is featured in a bio-pic called Austinpussy (a parody of the James Bond film Octopussy) directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise as Austin Powers, Gwyneth Paltrow as Dixie Normous, Kevin Spacey as Dr. Evil, Danny DeVito as Mini-Me, and John Travolta as Goldmember.

Goldmember is a loose parody of the James Bond movies Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice, also incorporating elements of The Spy Who Loved Me and GoldenEye. The film took in approximately $296 million from movie tickets worldwide.

American Beauty is a 1999 American dramady, directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball. The film stars Kevin Spacey as Lester Burnham, a middle-aged office worker who has a midlife crisis and becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend. Co-stars Annette Bening and Thora Birch play Lester's wife and daughter, respectively; Mena Suvari, Wes Bentley and Chris Cooper also feature. A satire of American middle class notions of beauty and personal satisfaction, the film explores materialism, conformity, sexuality and redemption. In 1998, DreamWorks acquired Ball's script for $250,000 after outbidding several other production entities. The studio financed the $15 million production and served as the North American distributor. Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen produced. American Beauty marked acclaimed theater director Mendes' film directorial debut; Mendes joined the production after 20 other directors were considered and several A-listers turned down the opportunity. It was also Ball's first produced film screenplay, after spending several years writing for television. As well as his professional frustrations, Ball cited the media circus around the Amy Fisher trial in 1992 as an influence on the story's genesis. An experienced playwright, Ball initially intended the story for the stage before recasting it for the screen.

Spacey was Mendes' first choice for the role of Lester, though DreamWorks had urged the director to consider better-known actors; similarly, the studio suggested several actors for the role of Carolyn?Lester's wife?until Mendes cast Bening without DreamWorks' knowledge. Principal photography took place between December 1998 and February 1999 on soundstages at the Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank, California and on location in Los Angeles. The film underwent several changes during editing that affected its tone and eliminated expository bookend scenes. American Beauty was positively received by critics and audiences alike; it was the best-reviewed American film of 1999 and grossed over $350 million worldwide. It won the 1999 Academy Award for Best Picture, and was nominated for and won numerous other awards and honors, mainly for the direction, writing, and acting.

L.A. Confidential is a 1997 American film based on the 1990 crime fiction novel of the same title by James Ellroy, the third in his L.A. Quartet novel cycle. Both the book and the film tell the story about a group of Los Angeles police in the 1950s, and police corruption bumping up against Hollywood celebrity. The film adaptation was produced and directed by Curtis Hanson and co-written by Hanson and Brian Helgeland.

At the time, Australian actor Guy Pearce and New Zealander Russell Crowe were relatively unknown in North America, and one of the film's backers, Peter Dennett, was worried about the lack of established stars in the lead roles. However, he supported Hanson's casting decisions and this gave the director the confidence to approach Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger, and Danny DeVito.

Critically acclaimed, the film holds a 99% rating at Rotten Tomatoes with 73 out of 74 reviews positive, as well as an aggregated rating of 90% based on 28 reviews on Metacritic. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won two, Basinger for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Hanson and Helgeland for Best Screenplay - Adapted.

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The Usual Suspects is a 1995 American neo-noir film written by Christopher McQuarrie and directed by Bryan Singer. The film tells the story of Roger "Verbal" Kint (Kevin Spacey), a small-time con man who is the subject of a police interrogation. He tells his interrogator, U.S. Customs Agent David Kujan (Chazz Palminteri), a convoluted story about events leading to a massacre and massive fire that have just taken place on a ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro Bay. Using flashback and narration, Kint's story becomes increasingly complex as he tries to explain why he and his partners-in-crime were on the boat.

The film, shot on a $6 million budget, originally began as a title taken from a column in Spy magazine called "The Usual Suspects," after one of Claude Rains's most memorable lines in Casablanca. Singer thought that it would be a good title for a film, the poster for which he and McQuarrie had developed as the first visual idea.

The Usual Suspects was shown out of competition at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, and then initially released in few theaters. It received favorable reviews, and was eventually given a wider release. McQuarrie won an Academy Award for the screenplay and Spacey won the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance.