Who is Kevin Norwood Bacon? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Kevin Bacon

Age: 65 Years, 65 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Kyra Sedgwick (m. 1988)

father: Edmund Norwood Bacon

mother: Ruth Hilda

siblings: Elinor Bacon, Hilda Bacon, Karin Bacon, Kira Bacon, Michael Bacon

children: Sosie Bacon, Travis Bacon

Born Country: United States

Actors American Men

Height: 5'10" (178 cm), 5'10" Males

U.S. State: Pennsylvania

Notable Alumni: Circle In The Square Theatre School

City: Philadelphia

More Facts

education: Bucknell University, Circle In The Square Theatre School

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Childhood & Early Life

Kevin Norwood Bacon was born on 8th July 1958 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the US. His father Edmund Bacon was an urban planner and architect, while his mother Ruth Hilda Holmes was a teacher and social activist. He is the youngest of six siblings.

At the age of sixteen, Bacon earned a scholarship to study at the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts at Bucknell University. He soon began his career as an actor on theatre. He eventually began appearing in TV soap operas as well, such as ‘Search for Tomorrow’ and ‘Guiding Light’.

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Acting Career

After appearing in a few minor roles on the big screen, Kevin Bacon played his first important role in the 1980 slasher film ‘Friday the 13th’. Directed by Sean S Cunningham, the film was a huge commercial success, earning around $60 million on a budget of a mere $550 thousand. It was met with mixed to positive reviews. The film has earned a cult status over the years.

He next appeared in films, such as ‘Diner’ (1982), ‘Forty Deuce’ (1982), ‘Footloose’ (1984), ‘Criminal Law’ (1988), ‘The Big Picture’ (1989) and ‘Flatliners’ (1990). Bacon earned huge popularity for his role in the 1991 conspiracy film ‘JFK’. The film showed the events that led to the US President John F Kennedy’s assassination, and how multiple people tried to cover it up. Directed by Oliver Stone, the film was a commercial success and won two Oscars out of eight nominations. The film also kindled considerable controversy.

The following year, he played one of the main roles in ‘A Few Good Men’, a 1992 legal drama film, which was directed by Rob Reiner. It revolved around the court martial of two US Marines charged with the murder of a fellow Marine, and how their lawyers prepare a case to defend them. The film was a huge success commercially, and was met with positive reviews. It was also nominated for four Oscars, including one in the category of ‘Best Film’.

Bacon appeared in the 1994 comedy film ‘The Air Up There’, where he played a basketball coach. The film was a mild success commercially, and was met with negative reviews. His next appearance was in the docudrama film ‘Apollo 13’ where he played an important role. The film did well commercially, and was nominated for nine Oscars, out of which it won two.

Over the years, he appeared in several other films, such as ‘Telling Lies in America’ (1997), ‘Wild Things’ (1998), ‘We Married Margo’ (2000), ‘Trapped’ (2002), ‘The Woodsman’ (2004), ‘Frost/Nixon’ (2008) and ‘Super’ (2010). He portrayed the super villain Sebastian Shaw in the 2011 superhero film ‘X-Men: First Class’. The film was a commercial success, and earned positive reviews. It also earned several awards and nominations.

Kevin Bacon’s works on TV include his lead role in the historical drama TV film ‘Taking Chance’. His work in the film won him the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a TV film or Miniseries. He next appeared in the TV series ‘The Following’, which aired from 2013 to 2015. He played the lead role of a former FBI agent in the series. He was also seen in the TV series ‘I Love Dick’ which aired from 2016 to 2017.

Bacon’s most recent works include the lead role in the supernatural horror film ‘The Darkness’ in 2016. The film was a commercial success, but was met with negative reviews. The same year, he also played one of the main roles in the film ‘Patriots Day’.

Other Works

Along with his brother, Kevin Bacon formed a band named ‘The Bacon Brothers’. They have released six albums together.

Bacon has directed two feature films: ‘Losing Chase’ (1996) and ‘Loverboy’ (2005). He also directed a few episodes of the TV series ‘The Closer’.

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He is the founder of a charitable organization called SixDegrees.org that enables people to donate or raise money for any charity in the United States.

Major Works

Kevin Bacon came to popularity for his role in the conspiracy thriller film ‘JFK’. Directed by Oliver Stone, the film revolved around the events that led to the assassination of John F Kennedy, the 35th US President. The film was a commercial success and also earned eight Oscar nominations, out of which it won two: ‘Best Cinematography’ and ‘Best Film Editing’. The film starred actors, such as Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones, Laurie Metcalf and Gary Oldman besides Bacon.

‘X-Men—First Class,’ a 2011 superhero film, was another important film in Kevin Bacon’s career. Directed by Matthew Vaughn, the film was based on the Marvel Comics characters known as the X-Men. The movie depicts the X-Men’s fight against the Hellfire Club which is led by an evil mutant named Sebastian Shaw, portrayed by Bacon. The film did well commercially and was met with positive reviews. The film also earned several awards and nominations.

Bacon’s most successful work on TV so far is his lead role in the HBO series ‘The Following.’ He played the role of a former FBI agent who is trying to recapture a serial killer named Joe Caroll. The series aired on HBO from 2013 to 2015, covering three seasons. It earned mostly positive reviews. Bacon’s role earned him the Saturn Award for Best Actor.

Awards & Achievements

Kevin Bacon won the Obie Award in 1982 for his role in the film ‘Forty Deuce’.

In 1996, he won ‘The Broadcast Film Critics Association Award’ for Best Actor for his role in the film ‘Murder in the First’. The same year, he also won the ‘Screen Actors Guild Award’ for ‘Best Cast’ for his role in ‘Apollo 16’.

He won a ‘Boston Society of Film Critics Award’ for his role in the film ‘Mystic River’ in 2003.

He won the Golden Globe Award in 2010, in the ‘Best Actor in a TV film or Miniseries’ category for his performance in the TV film ‘Taking Chance’. He also won a Screen Actors Guild Award for the same role.

Bacon won the ‘Saturn Award’ for ‘Best Actor on TV’ for his performance in the HBO TV series ‘The Following’ in 2013.

Personal Life

Kevin Bacon married actress Kyra Sedgwick in 1988. The couple has two children, Travis Sedgwick and Sosie Ruth. Bacon and his wife have worked together in several projects.

Kevin Norwood Bacon Biography