Editing Kevin Spacey (section)

=== Theatre ===
==== 1981–1986: Career beginnings in theatre ====
Spacey's first professional stage appearance was as a [[spear carrier]] in a [[New York Shakespeare Festival]] performance of ''[[Henry VI, Part 1]]'' in 1981.<ref>{{cite web|last=Spacey|first=Kevin|url=http://www.kevinspacey.com/theatre/item/henry-iv-part-one/|title=Henry IV Part One|website=kevinspacey.com|access-date=October 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171103185058/http://www.kevinspacey.com/theatre/item/henry-iv-part-one/|archive-date=November 3, 2017}}</ref> The following year, he made his first [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] appearance, as Oswald in a production of [[Henrik Ibsen]]'s ''[[Ghosts (play)|Ghosts]]'', starring [[Liv Ullmann]] and director [[John Neville (actor)|John Neville]], which opened at the [[Eisenhower Theater]] in Washington's [[Kennedy Center]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Richards |first1=David |title='Ghosts' in a New Age |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/07/20/ghosts-in-a-new-age/19b9383d-668f-4c2f-b5bb-211ffffd8437/ |access-date=March 28, 2022 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=July 20, 1982 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ghosts |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/ghosts-4181 |website=Internet Broadway Database |access-date=October 19, 2021 |archive-date=January 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220130/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/ghosts-4181 |url-status=live }}</ref> He then portrayed Philinte in [[Molière]]'s ''[[The Misanthrope]]''. In 1984, Spacey appeared in a production of [[David Rabe]]'s ''[[Hurlyburly]]'', in which he rotated through each of the male parts (he would later play Mickey in the [[Hurlyburly (film)|film version]]). Next came [[Anton Chekhov]]'s ''[[The Seagull]]'' alongside [[David Strathairn]] and [[Colleen Dewhurst]]. In 1986, Spacey appeared in a production of ''[[Sleuth (play)|Sleuth]]'' in a [[New Jersey]] [[dinner theatre]].<ref name="cornucopia">{{cite magazine |first=Pat |last=Cerasaro |url=http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/FLASH-FRIDAY-A-Kevin-Spacey-Cornucopia-Stage-Big-Screen-Small-Screen-NOW-20140502 |title=Flash Friday: A Kevin Spacey Cornucopia — Stage, Big Screen, Small Screen & Now |magazine=Broadway World |location=New York City |date=May 2, 2014 |access-date=November 15, 2015 |archive-date=November 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117020616/http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/FLASH-FRIDAY-A-Kevin-Spacey-Cornucopia-Stage-Big-Screen-Small-Screen-NOW-20140502 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== 1986–1991: Broadway success and Tony win ====
Spacey's prominence as a stage actor began in 1986, when he was cast opposite [[Jack Lemmon]], [[Peter Gallagher]], and [[Bethel Leslie]], as Jamie, the eldest Tyrone son, in [[Jonathan Miller]]'s lauded production of [[Eugene O'Neill]]'s ''[[Long Day's Journey into Night]]''. Lemmon in particular would become a mentor to Spacey<ref name="parade">{{cite news|first=James|last=Brady|url=https://www.kevinspacey.com/press/item/parade/|title=In Step With: Kevin Spacey|magazine=[[Parade (magazine)|Parade]]|via=kevinspacey.com|date=December 5, 2004|access-date=February 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171103185934/http://www.kevinspacey.com/press/item/parade/|archive-date=November 3, 2017}}</ref> and was invited, along with Spacey's high school drama teacher, to be present when Spacey received his star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in 1999.<ref>{{cite magazine | first = Michael | last = Buckley | url = http://www.playbill.com/article/stage-to-screens-kevin-spacey-talks-about-his-new-film-and-his-idols-com-163095 | title = Stage to Screens: Kevin Spacey Talks About His New Film, and His Idols | magazine = [[Playbill]] | date = July 27, 2009 | access-date = October 30, 2017 | archive-date = November 7, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171107022247/http://www.playbill.com/article/stage-to-screens-kevin-spacey-talks-about-his-new-film-and-his-idols-com-163095 | url-status = live }}</ref>

Spacey remained actively involved in the live theatre community. In 1991, he won a [[Tony Award]] for his portrayal of Uncle Louie in [[Neil Simon]]'s Broadway hit ''[[Lost in Yonkers]]''. His father was unconvinced that Spacey could make a career for himself as an actor and did not change his mind until Spacey became well known.<ref name="abc" /> In 1999, Spacey won the [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor]] and earned another Tony Award nomination in 1999 for ''[[The Iceman Cometh]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.playbill.com/article/1999-tony-nominee-kevin-spacey-leading-actor-play-the-iceman-cometh-com-82301|title= 1999 Tony Nominee: Kevin Spacey (Leading Actor, Play, The Iceman Cometh)|website= [[Playbill]].com|access-date= May 21, 2020|archive-date= August 18, 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200818053444/https://www.playbill.com/article/1999-tony-nominee-kevin-spacey-leading-actor-play-the-iceman-cometh-com-82301|url-status= live}}</ref>

====2003–2015: Artistic director of the Old Vic====
[[File:Waterloo the old vic 1.jpg|thumb|[[The Old Vic]] theatre in [[Waterloo, London]]]]
In February 2003, Spacey announced that he was to become the artistic director of the [[Old Vic]], one of London's oldest theatres.<ref name="bbc20030203">{{cite news |title=Spacey 'to run Old Vic' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/2723437.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |date=February 3, 2003 |access-date=June 2, 2008 |archive-date=March 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320102706/https://server-uk.imrworldwide.com/a1.js |url-status=live }}</ref> Appearing at a press conference with [[Judi Dench]] and [[Elton John]], Spacey promised both to appear on stage and to bring in big-name talent.<ref name="bbc20030206">{{cite news |title=Spacey becomes London theatre boss |work=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/2727845.stm |date=February 6, 2003 |access-date=June 2, 2008 |archive-date=June 4, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070604155242/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/2727845.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> He undertook to remain in the post for a full ten years. The Old Vic Theatre Company staged shows eight months out of the year. Spacey's first season started in September 2004, opening with the British premiere of the play ''[[Cloaca (film)|Cloaca]]'' by [[Maria Goos]], directed by Spacey, which opened to mixed reviews.<ref name="firstseason">{{cite web|title=A Brief History of the Old Vic |work=Old Vic Theatre |url=http://www.oldvictheatre.com/history.php |year=2008 |access-date=June 2, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516082930/http://www.oldvictheatre.com/history.php |archive-date=May 16, 2008}}</ref> In the 2005 season, Spacey made his UK Shakespearean debut, to good notices, in the [[Richard II of England|title role]] of ''[[Richard II (play)|Richard II]]'', directed by [[Trevor Nunn]].<ref name="firstseason" />

On June 16, 2016, Spacey was awarded an [[wikt:Special:Search/honorary|honorary]] [[knighthood]] for his services to theatre, arts education, and international culture in the [[2015 Queen's Birthday Honours]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/434651/Birthday_Honours_2015_FCO_press_release.pdf|title=FCO Press Release: Honours for the best of Britain overseas|website=Gov.uk|date=June 12, 2015|access-date=January 13, 2023|archive-date=April 6, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240406063910/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/434651/Birthday_Honours_2015_FCO_press_release.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The honour, [[Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire]], was given at [[Clarence House]] by then-[[Prince Charles]]. As a non-[[Commonwealth Realm]] citizen, the award is honorary and he is not entitled to the [[honorific]] "Sir".<ref>{{cite news|first=Maria|last=Puente|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2015/06/12/kevin-spacey-gets-honorary-knighthood-from-queen/71150620/|title=Kevin Spacey gets honorary knighthood|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|date=June 12, 2015|access-date=October 10, 2018|archive-date=August 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802212100/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2015/06/12/kevin-spacey-gets-honorary-knighthood-from-queen/71150620/|url-status=live}}</ref> Spacey had previously been awarded the lesser rank of honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to drama in 2010.<ref>{{cite news |first=JJ|last=Nattrass|title=Kevin Spacey: The UK's 'adopted son' |website=[[BBC News]]|location=London, England|date=June 12, 2015}}</ref> Spacey was a patron of the [[Shakespeare Schools Festival]], a charity that enables school children across the UK to perform Shakespeare in professional theatres. He also sits on the board of directors of the [[Motion Picture and Television Fund]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mptvfund.org/cm/about-us/board-of-directors/foundation-board-of-directors.html |title=Foundation Board of Directors |website=Motion Picture & Television Fund |access-date=May 4, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416222504/http://www.mptvfund.org/cm/about-us/board-of-directors/foundation-board-of-directors.html |archive-date=April 16, 2009}}</ref>

In mid-2006, Spacey was working at the Old Vic; at that point in his career, he said, he was "trying to do things now that are much bigger and outside [myself]".<ref name="nyt-oldvic">{{cite news |first=Sarah |last=Lyall |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/29/theater/29spac.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318221449/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/29/theater/29spac.html |archive-date=March 18, 2009 |url-access=limited |url-status=live| title=Beyond a Sea of Criticism, All's Well for Kevin Spacey at Old Vic |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 29, 2006 |access-date=June 2, 2008}}</ref> Spacey performed in productions of ''National Anthems'' by Dennis McIntyre, and ''[[The Philadelphia Story (play)|The Philadelphia Story]]'' by [[Philip Barry]], in which he played C.K. Dexter Haven, the [[Cary Grant]] role in the [[The Philadelphia Story (film)|film version]]. Critics applauded Spacey for taking on the management of a theatre, but noted that while his acting was impressive, his skills and judgment as a producer/manager had yet to develop.<ref name="richardiii">{{cite web |first=Gazelle |last=Emami |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/10/kevin-spacey-richard-iii_n_1196493.html |title=Kevin Spacey As Richard III: BAM Production Of Sam Mendes Play Begins Its Run |work=[[HuffPost]] |date=October 1, 2012 |access-date=November 15, 2015 |archive-date=November 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117020348/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/10/kevin-spacey-richard-iii_n_1196493.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 2006 season, Spacey suffered a major setback with a production of [[Arthur Miller]]'s ''[[Resurrection Blues]]'', directed by [[Robert Altman]].<ref name="bbc20060413">{{cite news |title=Spacey defends Old Vic management |work=[[BBC News]] |date=April 13, 2006 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4905638.stm |access-date=June 2, 2008 |archive-date=December 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210003757/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4905638.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite an all-star cast (including [[Matthew Modine]] and future ''House of Cards'' co-star [[Neve Campbell]]) and the pedigree of Miller's script, Spacey's decision to lure Altman to the stage proved disastrous: after a fraught rehearsal period, the play opened to a critical panning, and closed after only a few weeks.<ref name="nyt-oldvic" /> Later in the year, Spacey starred in [[Eugene O'Neill]]'s ''[[A Moon for the Misbegotten]]'', along with [[Colm Meaney]] and [[Eve Best]]. The play received excellent reviews for Spacey and Best, and was transferred to Broadway in 2007. For the spring part of the 2007–08 season, [[Jeff Goldblum]] and [[Laura Michelle Kelly]] joined Spacey as the three characters in [[David Mamet]]'s 1988 play ''[[Speed-the-Plow]]''.<ref name="stage20071210">{{cite news |first=Alistair |last=Page |url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/19128/goldblum-to-join-spacey-in-the-old-vics |title=Goldblum to join Spacey in the Old Vic's Speed-the-Plow |work=[[The Stage]] |date=December 10, 2007 |access-date=June 2, 2008 |archive-date=March 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306200511/http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/19128/goldblum-to-join-spacey-in-the-old-vics |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2009, he directed the premiere of [[Joe Sutton]]'s ''[[Complicit (play)|Complicit]]'', with [[Richard Dreyfuss]], [[David Suchet]] and [[Elizabeth McGovern]].<ref name="richardiii" /> Later that year, Trevor Nunn directed Spacey in a revival of ''[[Inherit the Wind (play)|Inherit the Wind]]''. Spacey played defense lawyer Henry Drummond, a role that was made famous by [[Spencer Tracy]] in the [[Inherit the Wind (1960 film)|1960 film of the same name]].<ref name="richardiii" /> [[Sam Mendes]] directed Spacey in Shakespeare's ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]''; Spacey played the [[Richard III of England|title role]]. The show began in June 2011, commencing a worldwide tour culminating in New York in early 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://oldvictheatre.com/whatson.php?id=75 |title=The Old Vic  |date=July 22, 2002 |access-date=October 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111017163921/http://www.oldvictheatre.com/whatson.php?id=75 |archive-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref> In March 2014, it was announced that Spacey would star in a one-man play at the Old Vic to celebrate his ten years as artistic director. He took on the part of [[Clarence Darrow]] in the play.<ref>{{cite news | first = Nancy | last = Groves | url = https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/mar/18/kevin-spacey-star-one-man-play-old-vic | title = Kevin Spacey to star in one-man play at Old Vic | newspaper = [[The Guardian]] | date = March 18, 2014 | access-date = March 18, 2014 | archive-date = March 19, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140319084000/http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/mar/18/kevin-spacey-star-one-man-play-old-vic | url-status = live }}</ref>