Kevin Bacon has been featured in a number of interesting films. The actor often played bad guys but his filmography is filled with diverse characters that not everyone pays attention to. The man did not always dream of a career in cinema, although an acting future was his desire since childhood. Read more about his career on philadelphianka.
Early years
The future conqueror of women’s hearts was born on July 8, 1958 in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was the sixth and youngest child. The atmosphere in the family was incredibly friendly and warm. The mother, Ruth Hilda Holmes, was a qualified teacher and taught at school. She was also a representative of the liberal movement. His father, Edmund Norwood Bacon, was a famous Philadelphia architect. For many years, he was the executive director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and wrote the book Design of Cities. He was called ‘The Father of Modern Philadelphia’. Edmund was even placed on the cover of Time magazine in 1964, which made the man an important person in society.
Later, Kevin learned that his family is closely related to the history of Bristol, England. The man’s twenty-second great-grandfather was King Edward I Longshanks of the Plantagenet dynasty. However, the connection with England is not the last important page in his biography. The actor’s ancestors contributed to the history of America, as they became directly involved in key moments during the signing of the Declaration of Independence, as well as during the struggle against the abolition of slavery.
Kevin studied at a high school in Philadelphia. While gaining knowledge, he loved to copy and imitate his classmates and teachers. They were not offended by this. On the contrary, they were delighted and always laughed at his pranks. Kevin understood that copying people is an interesting activity but it was not enough. He wanted to experience other destinies and embody different characters, such as a villain, a lover, a comedian, a killer, etc. Therefore, since childhood, Bacon understood that his future was an acting career because it could give him everything he wanted in life and the realization of his dreams. Another fact that played a significant role in choosing a career was a desire to travel. When shooting, he can be anywhere, from incredibly spectacular islands to abandoned places and forests. This allows seeing different parts of the world, which under usual circumstances he would not be able to visit.
Studying and pursuing a dream
At the age of 16, Kevin gets a chance to study at a prestigious art school. He won a full government scholarship. The institution was the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts. The boy moved to the city and began a five-week study in the art program under the guidance of Glory Van Scott. This summer program for artistically and academically talented high school students was an incredible opportunity for Kevin, as it helped him develop his acting skills for a future career. However, not everything was as bright as Bacon would have thought. This lucky situation also became a difficult test for him because there were funds for life only from a scholarship.
The last years of high school were a long wait. He was counting the minutes when he would be able to leave the family and start paving his personal path step by step, straight to the top of stardom. Thus, at the age of 18, immediately after graduation, Bacon put all the necessary things in a bag, looked back at his past life for the last time and boldly set out to meet his future. He chose New York as a place to make his dreams come true. However, he did not know that his previous experience in Pennsylvania, where he had to count every penny, would come in handy. The new city arranged even more endurance tests.
Life in a big city was incredibly expensive and Bacon was not a wealthy young man. Of course, he could ask his parents for financial help but his pride guided him and prevented him from giving up at the first obstacle. This was not the only reason why the actor decided to handle everything by himself. First of all, the family was never rich, so Kevin could not ask for financial support. His parents would never refuse but they were poor. Thus, it would lead to a feeling of guilt on the part of Kevin. In addition, Bacon set out on his own as a man who knows what kind of future he wants to build. Therefore, he wished to cope with everything on his own. If it were not possible, then he shouldn’t have left his parents.
Living in a new city and first roles
Both interesting and challenging times began for the future actor in New York. There, he started to feel that money rules the world. In order to live, one needs to accept any job. Bacon worked as a bus driver and as a waiter. He ran between tables serving customers and unloaded cars in a warehouse. He handled all his duties in the second half of the day. In the first half, he had to get up at dawn because he studied at the incredibly prestigious acting courses of Julia R. Masterman. The actor entered without any effort and gave his best to get to know his profession. At that time, he was more interested in the theater and considered cinema a frivolous art. In his opinion, the theater stage gave more opportunities for improvisation and finding interesting characters. The actor could be new, different every time and improvise with his character, which is interesting for every viewer. Therefore, in the second year of study, Kevin began to look for a theater where he could realize his dream. Broadway was out of the question because even famous actors cannot always get on the stage of a famous theater. However, Kevin was lucky. The director of the Manning Street Actor’s Theater was interested in him. He saw incredible potential in the young man but said he couldn’t promise a breakthrough right away. Bacon immediately agreed to such an opportunity, even if it promised to be on stage only in a crowd scene. Still, he did not have to wait long for career changes. A little more than a year later, Kevin got what he wanted. It was only an episodic role but the day the actor first appeared on the stage as an independent character, without being shadowed by the extras, he realized that it was one of the best events in his life.
Cinematographic career
Kevin’s dream became a reality. He got roles in the theater and played various characters. His next achievement was a production on Broadway, where he played side-by-side with Sean Penn and Val Kilmer. However, the acting career was just beginning to gain momentum.
Cinema in Bacon’s life happened by chance. He appeared in the right place at the right time. An actor did not show up for the episodic role in National Lampoon’s Animal House. Casting assistants had to look for a replacement quickly. Kevin appeared at hand and it was his first movie role. He was interested in working on the set because he could develop his character as well as in the theater. However, the role in the first film did not give the impetus that Kevin had hoped for. Therefore, he continued to work in the theater. Still, directors noticed Bacon and the next role was proposed to him soon. In 1979, he was quite successful in the cinema. It turned out to be the next step in his career. From this moment, the number of roles and films increased. Moreover, on one of the film sets, he even met his future wife. It happened while filming the movie Lemon Sky.
Acquaintance with the wife
When he saw Kyra Sedgwick for the first time, he did not like her. Bacon admitted that she was too beautiful and knew about it. Thus, she was condescending to those around her. As for Kevin, he preferred simpler, fun and easy-going women. However, one cannot command the heart. Every day they saw each other on the set and built friendly relations. At one point, their relationship reached a new level and the actors began to get closer. The couple fell in love with each other and they exchanged vows and got married in 1988. They spend every minute together and support each other. Their passion never fades and they are one of the sincerest couples in Hollywood.
The fate of Kevin Bacon tested him more than once. Not everyone would be able to bravely withstand all the tests but the actor did not give up and continued to make his way to popularity. He had many versatile roles, as he had no desire to play only one-sided characters. Bacon is not often seen in leading roles but this is one of his wishes. In his opinion, a secondary character can overshadow everyone with his performance and remain in the memory of the audience for a long time. He confirmed his words more than once.