Kevin Bacon
From Footloose to The Following, Kevin Bacon's career spans decades and genres.
Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor whose career spans stage, film, and television, earning him a Golden Globe Award and two Actor Awards. The youngest of six children, Bacon was raised in Philadelphia by a liberal activist mother who taught elementary school and a father who was an urban planner and author. He attended the Julia R. Masterman School and, at age sixteen, won a full scholarship to a five-week arts program at Bucknell University, where studying theater solidified his passion for acting. Leaving home at seventeen for New York City, he pursued theater, appearing at the Circle in the Square Theater School. His feature film debut came in the fraternity comedy *National Lampoon’s Animal House* (1978), but fame did not immediately follow; he returned to waiting tables and auditioning, with brief stints on the soap operas *Search for Tomorrow* and *Guiding Light*. In 1980, he appeared in the slasher film *Friday the 13th*. His breakthrough came with the role of Timothy Fenwick in Barry Levinson’s *Diner* (1982), which earned critical notice and led to his starring role in the musical-drama *Footloose* (1984). To prepare, Bacon enrolled as a transfer student at a high school to study teenagers. After *Footloose*, he experienced typecasting and a career slump, deliberately choosing roles that defied his image. The 1990s brought successful turns in *Tremors* (1990) and *Flatliners* (1990). By 1991, he shifted his focus to character acting, reasoning that working with top directors on major projects required him to not be the lead. This strategy yielded acclaimed performances in *JFK* (1991), *A Few Good Men* (1992), *Apollo 13* (1995), and *Mystic River* (2003). He also directed the films *Losing Chase* (1996) and *Loverboy* (2005). On television, he won a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for his role in the HBO film *Taking Chance* (2009), and starred in the Fox series *The Following* (2013–2015), the Amazon series *I Love Dick* (2016–2017), and the Showtime series *City on a Hill* (2019–2022). In 2003, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His prolific work across genres inspired the trivia game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,” reflecting the concept of interconnectedness. He is married to actress Kyra Sedgwick and serves as a brand ambassador for British mobile network operator EE.
- born
- July 8, 1958
- field
- Acting, directing
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Footloose, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon
Lore & Background
Bacon made his feature film debut in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) and performed in Diner (1982) before his breakthrough role in the musical-drama film Footloose (1984). Since then, he has starred in critically acclaimed films such as JFK (1991), A Few Good Men (1992), Apollo 13 (1995), Mystic River (2003), and Frost/Nixon (2008). Other credits include Friday the 13th (1980), Tremors (1990), The River Wild (1994), Balto (1995), The Woodsman (2004), Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011), X-Men: First Class (2011), and Patriots Day (2016). Bacon has also directed the films Losing Chase (1996) and Loverboy (2005). On television, Bacon received a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his role as Michael Strobl in the HBO original film Taking Chance (2009). He starred in the Fox drama series The Following from 2013 to 2015. Bacon played the title role in Amazon Prime Video series I Love Dick from 2016 to 2017. From 2019 to 2022, he starred in the Showtime series City on a Hill. In 2003, Bacon received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His prolific career in a variety of genres has led him to become associated with the concept of interconnectedness among people, as evidenced by the trivia game 'Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon'. He is a brand ambassador for British mobile network operator EE and has been featured in advertisements for the company. Bacon is married to actress Kyra Sedgwick.
Reader's Guide
Bacon was born and raised in a close-knit family in Philadelphia. He is the youngest of six children. His mother, Ruth Hilda (née Holmes; 1916–1991), taught at an elementary school and was a liberal activist, while his father, Edmund Bacon (1910–2005), was an urban planner who served as executive director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and authored the seminal text Design of Cities. Bacon attended Julia R. Masterman School in the Spring Garden section of Philadelphia for middle and high school. At age 16, in 1975, Bacon won a full state-funded scholarship to the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, a five-week arts program where he studied theater under Glory Van Scott. The experience solidified Bacon's passion for the arts.
Did You Know?
- Bacon left home at age 17 to pursue a theater career in New York City.
- He made his feature film debut in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978).
- Bacon won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his role in Taking Chance (2009).
- He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003.
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