Kevin Spacey Fowler was born on July 26, 1959, in South Orange, New Jersey, the third child of a mother who worked as secretary and a father who was a technical writer. Kevin proved to be a high spirited child, quite a handful who was briefly sent to Northridge Military Academy when he set his sister's playhouse on fire. He settled down a little by the time he went to Chatsworth High School, where he channeled his high spirits into the drama and acting opportunities offered there. As a Senior, he got the part of Captain von Trapp in the school's production of "The Sound Of Music" playing opposite of Mare Winningham, who had the part of Maria.

From high school, Kevin Spacey briefly went to Los Angeles Valley College, until listening to the advice of fellow student Val Kilmer, that he should go to Juilliard in New York, which is what he did for two years. Anxious to work, he left Juilliard and jumped into roles on the stage, starting with "New York Shakespeare Festival," which led to Broadway shows such as "Ghosts," "Hurly Burly," AND "Long Day's Journey into Night," with Jack Lemon.

While keeping a hand in stage work, Spacey eased on into the film acting in the early 1990's. Kevin Spacey found great success in playing character parts, usually dark, manipulative, slimy, sinister characters. By the mid-nineties, his talent was much in demand, with plenty of scripts flying into his hands to chose from. Kevin Spacey won critical accolades for his performance in "L.A. Confidential." However, it was his performance in "American Beauty" which thrust him firmly into the leading man category.