Kevin Bacon

Kevin Norwood Bacon is a prolific American actor.

He is recognized for his work across many different film genres. His career spans decades of work in movies and television. He has earned many prestigious honors for his performances. These include a Golden Globe Award and an Actor Award. In 2003, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

This recognition highlights his lasting impact on the entertainment industry.

Bacon was born on July 8, 1958, in Philadelphia. He grew up in a close-knit family as the youngest of six children. His father, Edmund Bacon, was a famous urban planner. Edmund wrote the important book titled Design of Cities. His mother, Ruth Hilda, was a teacher and a liberal activist. Kevin attended the Julia R. Masterman School for his early education. At age 16, he won a full scholarship to the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts. This program was held at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Studying theater under Glory Van Scott helped solidify his passion for the arts.

His professional acting career began in the late 1970s. He moved to New York City at age 17 to pursue theater. His first feature film was the comedy National Lampoon's Animal House in 1978. He later appeared in the film Diner in 1982. This role made a deep impression on critics and audiences. His breakthrough came in 1984 with the musical-drama Footloose. To prepare for this role, Bacon actually enrolled in a high school. He used the name Ren McCormick and studied teenagers during the day. This dedication helped him earn strong reviews for his performance.

Following his early success, Bacon faced a period of typecasting. He often played roles similar to those in Diner and Footloose. To change his career path, he began choosing roles that were different. He wanted to work as a character actor rather than just a leading man. This strategy allowed him to work with high-level directors on major projects. In 1990, he appeared in the horror-comedy Tremors. He also played a medical student in the film Flatliners. By 1991, he performed in Oliver Stone's JFK as Willie O'Keefe. He also starred as a prosecutor in the courtroom drama A Few Good Men.

Bacon's career continued to expand through the 1990s and 2000s. He starred in the blockbuster Apollo 13 in 1995. He also made his directing debut with the film Losing Chase in 1996. This film was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and won one. In 2003, he appeared in the film Mystic River. He also received an Independent Spirit Award for his role in The Woodsman in 2004. On television, he won a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award. These awards were for his role as Michael Strobl in Taking Chance in 2009. He later starred in the series The Following from 2013 to 2015.

Beyond acting, Bacon is involved in several other creative fields. He is a musician and formed a band called The Bacon Brothers. He started this group in 1995 with his brother, Michael. The duo has released seven different albums over the years. He has also worked as an executive producer for the film Wild Things. In the United Kingdom, he serves as a brand ambassador for the mobile network EE. He has appeared in advertisements for the company using his famous film roles. He is also married to the actress Kyra Sedgwick.

Bacon is famously linked to the concept of interconnectedness. This is due to a trivia game called "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon." The game is based on the idea of six degrees of separation. Because he has worked in so many different types of films, he can be linked to almost any actor. This link is measured by a mathematical term called the Bacon number. The number represents how many steps away an actor is from him. This concept is similar to the Erdős number used in mathematics.

Bacon eventually embraced this fame by forming the charitable site SixDegrees.org.