Kevin Spacey was one of the most recognised faces in Hollywood before his name made headlines for a different reason, after he was accused of multiple sex offences.
On Wednesday, the Oscar-winning actor was found not guilty of nine sex offences on four men between 2001 and 2013, following a trial at Southwark Crown Court.
The Hollywood star, 64, began his career on the stage before trying his hand at film and TV, with great success.
During his time on Broadway he picked up a Tony Award in 1991 for best featured actor in a play for his performance as “Uncle” Louie in Lost In Yonkers, and the best actor Olivier Award in 1999 for The Iceman Cometh.
He was first awarded the Academy Award for best supporting actor in 1996 for his role as Roger “Verbal” Kint in the mystery thriller The Usual Suspects.
A few years later he picked up the coveted best actor Oscar in 2000 for the dark drama American Beauty, when he played Lester Burnham, an advertising executive who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter’s best friend, played by Mena Suvari.
However, he is arguably best known for his starring role as Francis “Frank” Underwood in hit Netflix political drama series House Of Cards.
He was awarded a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award and was nominated for a series of Emmys.
In 2017, following allegations of sexual misconduct against Spacey, streaming giant Netflix cut ties with the actor.
The sixth and final season of the show was released in 2018 without his involvement.
Spacey was also cut from Sir Ridley Scott’s thriller All The Money In The World after filming had wrapped, with Christopher Plummer having to reshoot scenes at the last minute when he was brought in to replace him.
Born in New Jersey to Kathleen and Thomas Fowler, Spacey previously described his father as a “white supremacist” and “neo-Nazi”.
During a court appearance in New York last October, the actor was asked if he has been private about his personal life during his career.
“I grew up in a very complicated family dynamic,” he said, saying rants by his father when he was young led him to hate bigotry and intolerance.
“My father was a white supremacist and neo-Nazi,” Spacey added.
“It meant that my siblings and I were forced to listen to hours and hours of my father lecturing us about his beliefs.”
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