Kevin Spacey is about to stand trial in London on sex charges. Heres what to know
Double Academy Award-winner Kevin Spacey, whose stellar acting career was derailed by sex assault allegations, goes on trial in London this week, accused of sexual offenses against four men in Britain.
WHAT IS HE ACCUSED OF? Spacey, 63, faces a dozen charges, including of sexual assault, indecent assault and causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
The actor, charged under his full name of Kevin Spacey Fowler, has pleaded not guilty to all 12 counts, which relate to alleged incidents between 2001 and 2013.
At an earlier hearing, Spaceys lawyer said the actor strenuously denies the charges. The attorney said Spacey would face the UK court to establish his innocence and proceed with his life.
His trial before a jury at Southwark Crown Court opens Wednesday and is scheduled to last for four weeks.
WHY IS THE TRIAL IN BRITAIN? Spacey spent more than a decade living in Britain, where he was artistic director of the Old Vic Theatre from 2004 to 2015.
He was a high-profile figure in London, starring in productions including William Shakespeares Richard III and David Mamets Speed-the-Plow, and hosting star-studded fundraising events for the 200-year-old venue.
Spacey was questioned by British police in 2019 about claims by several men that he had assaulted them.
He was charged in May 2022 with five counts against three alleged victims. Another seven charges, all against a fourth man, were added in November.
Spacey, who has addresses in Britain and the US, has been free on unconditional bail as he awaited trial.
WHATS SPACEYS FUTURE? From the 1990s, Spacey became one of the most celebrated actors of his generation, starring in films including Glengarry Glen Ross and LA Confidential.
He won a best supporting actor Academy Award for the 1995 film The Usual Suspects and a lead actor Oscar for the 1999 movie American Beauty.
After allegations emerged in the US amid the growing #MeToo movement, Spacey was fired or removed from projects most notably House of Cards, the Netflix political thriller where for five seasons he played lead character Frank Underwood, a power-hungry congressman who becomes president.
He was cut from the completed film All the Money in the World, and the scenes reshot with Christopher Plummer.
Spacey is adamant that his career is not over. He had his first film role for several years in Italian director Franco Neros The Man Who Drew God, and also starred in as-yet unreleased US film Peter Five Eight.
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