Kevin Bacon Biography

Kevin Bacon, Actor

Birthdate: July 8, 1958

Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Sign: Cancer

Kevin Norwood Bacon was born on July 8, 1958 to Ruth Hilda and Edmund Bacon. He is the youngest of six children born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bacon left home at 13 to pursue a theater career in New York. He was one of the youngest students admitted to the Circle in the Square Theater School.

His movie debut, "Animal House," in 1978 had been disappointing to him. He did not get the instant fame he was hoping for and he returned to waiting tables. He had been offered a television series based on the film but refused in order to stay on the New York stage. His early theater works include "Getting Out" and "Flux."

In 1982, Bacon won an Obie Award for his role in "Forty-Deuce." He made his Broadway debut in "Slab Boys," costarring Sean Penn and Val Kilmer, both who were still unknown then. But it was not until he starred as Timothy Fenwick in "Diner" that he was noticed by film critics and movie watchers. The film told the story about six young men who were close friends since childhood but headed off to different directions. Film critics called Bacon's performance "amazing." Bacon went on to star in "Footloose," a 1984 box-office smash hit. The movie also got him critical acclaims.

Bacon had been typecasted after the two roles. He had been seen as an "angst-ridden teenager" after playing the roles that made him a household name. According to Bacon, he experienced a career slump for the next several years. In 1999, he starred in the comedy film "The Big Picture." The film had successfully redeemed Bacon's versatility as an actor, with the weekly periodical The Nation commenting Bacon has the "perfect face and unfailing charm as Nick," and he can "play just about anything."

In 1990, he starred in two successful movies, "Tremors" and "Flatliners." Then he played opposite Elizabeth Perkins in the 1991 romantic comedy "He Said, She Said."

In 1991, Bacon wanted to remake himself as a character actor. He gave up the idea of playing leading men in big budget films because according to him, the only way he was going to be able to work on "A" projects with "A" directors was if that he wasn't the leading man. He then portrayed a gay prostitute in "JFK," which received another round of critical acclaim. He also played a prosecutor in "A Few Good Men" in 1992, which not surprisingly, gathered critical acclaim again.

It was in 1994 that Bacon felt more confident about his career when he starred in "The River Wild" opposite Meryl Streep. He earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for his compulsive liar character.

Bacon's other film success came in 1995 when he played a petty thief imprisoned in Alcatraz in "Murder In The First." The film was given good reviews for his performance and did very well at the box office.

He went on to star in numerous other box-office and critical success films including "Apollo 13" and "Sleepers" among others.

A trivia game had been named and subjected after him, called "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon." It was based on the idea that due to his prolific screen career, any Hollywood actor can be connected to him. He was initially dismayed with the game but he eventually embraced it, even forming "Six Degrees," a social networking site intended to link people to charities and each other.

Bacon is married to actress Kyra Sedgwick. They were married on September 4, 1988. They starred together in "Pyrates," "Murder In The First," and "The Woodsman." The couple has two children together, Travis (born June 23, 1989) and Sosie Ruth (born March 15, 1992).