The creative path of a star: Kevin Bacon

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

Kevin Bacon is a famous Hollywood actor known to every self-respecting cinephile. The actor tried himself in different genres. The most high-profile projects with his participation are Flatliners, The Invisible Man, Echoes, Tremors of the Earth … And that's not all.

Biography

Kevin Bacon grew up in a large family - he had five brothers and sisters. His mother, Ruth Hilda, was a junior school teacher and his father, Edmund Bacon, was an eminent and respected architect.

At 16, Kevin attended Bucknell University School of the Arts on a full scholarship. It was after this that young Bacon got the idea to become an actor. At 17, he moved to New York to pursue his dream.

The beginning of an acting career

Kevin Bacon made his film debut in 1978 with a small role in the comedy The Menagerie. The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed over $140 million at the box office on a budget of $3 million

The picture "The Menagerie" was successful in all respects, howeveran almost cameo role in it did not bring fame to Kevin Bacon. After an unsuccessful debut in big cinema, Bacon worked in the theater, playing mostly small roles. He also appeared in the soap operas Searching for Tomorrow and Guiding Light.

In 1980, Kevin played a small but memorable role in the horror movie Friday the 13th. Despite critical disapproval, the film became a horror classic and spawned numerous sequels. The box office can also be called more than successful: with a modest budget of 700 thousand dollars, the film grossed almost 40 million at the box office.

Recognition and leading roles

The next project in Kevin's filmography was the comedy "The Diner" by Barry Levinson. The picture received positive reviews from critics and viewers and was even nominated for a Golden Globe. Kevin Bacon played the role of Timothy Fenwick in the film. His co-stars were such Hollywood stars as Daniel Stern, Mickey Rourke and Steve Guttenberg.

The next few years, the actor tried himself in different genres - musicals ("Free"), thrillers ("The Broker"), comedies ("The Big Picture"), dramas ("Lemon Sky"). All of these films starred Kevin Bacon. The filmography of the actor was replenished with another horror - "Tremors". The film, contrary to the expectations of the actor himself, was well received by critics and became a classic of the genre, like "Friday the 13th".

In 1990, Bacon got a role inpsychological thriller "Flatliners" by Joel Schumacher. The film was greeted with admiration of moviegoers and critics. To this day, Flatliners is considered one of the best projects Kevin Bacon has worked on.

Two years later, the actor got the lead role in A Few Good Men. Director Rob Reiner assembled a great cast for the film - in addition to Bacon, Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Jack Nicholson played in it. A Few Good Men received four Oscar nominations and became one of the highest-grossing movies of 1992.

In the crime drama Sleepers, the role of brutal prison guard Sean Knox was played by Kevin Bacon. Films with the participation of this actor were very popular, his name alone in the credits already guaranteed box office success. And "Sleepers" was no exception - the box office was many times over the budget, and some critics still consider it the best project of Barry Levinson.

In 1998, the thriller "Wildness" was released, and Kevin Bacon acted as an executive producer. The filmography of the actor in the same year was replenished with another horror - Kevin was approved for the main role in the film "Echoes", based on the novel by Richard Matheson. Renowned critic Robert Ebert called the role in this film one of the best of Bacon's career. The film received generally mixed reviews, mainly because it differed greatly from the literary source.

2000s

In 2000, the actor starred inerotic thriller "Where the Truth Lies" along with Colin Firth, and also starred in the science fiction film "The Invisible Man" by Paul Verhoeven.

In 2004, Kevin played the main antagonist in the drama The Woodcutter. Critics liked the film, but did not gain much popularity.

Kevin has been cast as the lead in Death Sentence, an adaptation of Brian Garfield's novel of the same name. The protagonist of the film, Nick Hume, is an excellent worker and an exemplary family man. But after the brutal murder of his son by a gang of thugs, Nick's views change dramatically. Now he is ready for the most terrible and desperate deeds, just to avenge his son and protect his loved ones.

In the same year, Kevin Bacon was awarded the "Golden Globe" for his role in the military drama "Volunteers". The film is based on real events.

Private life

In 1988, Bacon married Kyra Sedgwick. The actors starred together in several films ("The Woodcutter", "Murder in the First Degree", "Pirates").

The couple has two children: Travis and Sosie Bacon. Sozi is an actress, like her parents. She first appeared on screen at the age of 12.

As Kevin Bacon himself said, children are the most important thing for him. The family lives in Manhattan.

Kevin Bacon is not only a talented actor, but also a successful musician. Together with his brother, he has already released six albums.