13 Jun 08

Kevin Spacey will be the third American to hold the Visiting Professorship

Accepting the appointment Kevin Spacey said: 'It really is an honour for me to have been invited to follow such illustrious names and take up this role at Oxford.  The university is steeped in tradition and has a great heritage in the arts and I look forward to working with the students and staff. I am delighted that Cameron thought of me, I relish the challenge ahead and am excited for term to begin.'

Born in 1959 in South Orange, New Jersey, USA, Kevin Spacey was appointed Artistic Director of The Old Vic Theatre Company in London in 2003, where he directed its inaugural production Cloaca. Subsequently he has appeared in National Anthems, The Philadelphia Story, Richard II, A Moon for the Misbegotten and Speed-the-Plow.  Previous theatre roles include: The Iceman Cometh (Evening Standard and Olivier Awards for Best Actor); Lost in Yonkers (Tony Award, Best Supporting Actor); Long Day’s Journey into Night, directed by Jonathan Miller and The Seagull. 

His many screen credits include Superman Returns, Beyond the Sea (director and actor), The Usual Suspects (Academy Award, Best Supporting Actor), American Beauty (Academy and BAFTA Awards, Best Actor), and LA Confidential.  His latest film appearance in Recount, a co-production between Trigger Street productions – which he founded - and HBO, is a behind-the-scenes account of the 36-day battle for the US Presidency in 2000 between George W Bush and Al Gore.

The Chair of Contemporary Theatre, founded through a grant from the Mackintosh Foundation at St Catherine's College, aims to promote interest in, and the study and practice of, contemporary theatre. The Visiting Professorship has previously been held by actors, writers, directors, and producers including Stephen Sondheim, Alan Ayckbourn, Richard Eyre, Diana Rigg and Sir Tim Rice.  Kevin Spacey will be the third American to take up the role since its inception in 1990.