Kevin Delaney Kline (born October
24, 1947 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American actor.
Born to Robert Joseph Kline (a German-born
Jew) and Agnes Delaney (an Irish American Catholic),
Kline was raised in his mother's faith and graduated
from the Roman Catholic Saint Louis Priory School
in 1965, afterwards attending Indiana University in
Bloomington, Indiana, where he began as an aspiring
classical pianist. He joined the on-campus theater
group the "Vest Pocket Players" and fell
in love with the theater as an undergraduate.
In 1970 he was awarded a scholarship
to the newly-formed Juilliard Drama School in New
York. In 1972, he joined with fellow Juilliard graduates,
including Patti Lupone and David Ogden Stiers, and
formed the City Center Acting Company (now The Acting
Company), under the aegis of famed British actor John
Houseman. The Company traveled across the U.S. performing
Shakespeare and other classical works, founding a
dedication and mission unparalleled in American repertory
theatre.
In 1976, Kline left The Acting Company
and settled in New York City, doing a brief stint
as the character "Woody Reed" in the now
defunct soap opera Search for Tomorrow. This was followed
in 1978 by a small role as "Bruce Granit",
a matinee' idol caricature, in Hal Prince's On The
Twentieth Century for which Kline won his first Tony
Award.
In 1981, Kline paired up with rock
diva Linda Ronstadt and singer Rex Smith in the New
York Shakespeare Festival's Central Park production
of The Pirates of Penzance, garnering another Tony
Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical, for his
comically dashing portrayal of the Pirate King. He
later played the role in a film version of the musical,
also with Ronstadt, which had a limited theatrical
release.
In ensuing years, Kline appeared many
times in New York Shakespeare Festival productions
of Shakespeare, including title roles in Richard III,
Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, and two productions
of Hamlet, one of which he also directed. Dubbed "the
American Olivier" by New York Times theater critic
Frank Rich for his stage acting, Kline finally ventured
into film in 1982, winning the coveted role of the
tormented and mercurial "Nathan" opposite
Meryl Streep in Alan Pakula's Sophie's Choice (Streep
won an Academy Award for her performance in the film)
During the 80s and early 90s, Kline
made several films with director Lawrence Kasdan,
including The Big Chill, Silverado, Grand Canyon,
I Love You To Death, and French Kiss. In 1989, Kline
won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for
his role in the British comedy, A Fish Called Wanda,
in which he played a caricature of a painfully stupid
American ex-CIA thug opposite John Cleese's genteel
British barrister. In 2000, the American Film Institute
ranked the film 21st on its list of the 100 funniest
movies ever made.
Though he has been offered many roles
that could have boosted him to box-office superstardom,
Kline has kept a wary distance from the Hollywood
star-making machine and developed a reputation for
picking parts with discrimination, leading to the
industry moniker "Kevin Decline".
Other awards have included New York
Drama Desk awards, Golden Globe awards, a Gotham Actor
Award, a Hasty Pudding Theatricals Man of the Year
Award, and a St. Louis International Film Festival
Lifetime Achievement Award.
Personal Life
Romantically linked to a succession of female performers
during his years as a stage actor, including Patti
Lupone, Gilda Radner, Mary Beth Hurt and Linda Ronstadt,
Kline married actress and former model Phoebe Cates,
who is 16 years younger than he, in 1989. The couple
make their home in New York City and have two children,
Owen, who had a featured role in The Squid and the
Whale, and Greta.
Since his son's diagnosis with juvenile
diabetes, Kline has been active with the Juvenile
Diabetes Research Foundation. In November 2004, he
was presented with the JDRF's Humanitarian of the
Year award by Meryl Streep for his volunteer efforts
on behalf of the organization.
Selected Filmography
Sophie's Choice (1982) Nathan
The Pirates of Penzance (1983) The Pirate King
The Big Chill (1983) Harold
Silverado (1985) Paden
Cry Freedom (1987) Donald Woods
A Fish Called Wanda (1988) Otto West
I Love You to Death (1990) Joey Boca
Hamlet (1990) Hamlet
Soapdish (1991) Jeffery Anderson/Dr. Rod Randall
Grand Canyon (1991) Mack
Consenting Adults (1992) Richard Parker
Chaplin (1992) Douglas Fairbanks
Dave (1993) Dave Kovic/President William Harrison
'Bill' Mitchell
The Nutcracker (1993) Narrator
Princess Caraboo (1994) Frixos
French Kiss (1995) Luc Teyssier
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) Captain Phoebus
The Ice Storm (1997) Ben Hood
Fierce Creatures (1997) Vince McCain/Rod McCain
In & Out (1997) Howard Brackett
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999) Nick Bottom
Wild Wild West (1999) U.S. Marshal Artemus 'Artie'
Gordon
The Road to El Dorado (2000) Tulio
The Anniversary Party (2001) Cal Gold
Life as a House (2001) George Monroe
The Emperor's Club (2002) William Hundert
De-Lovely (2005) Cole Porter
The Pink Panther Chief Inspector Dreyfus
A Prairie Home Companion (2006)
As You Like It (2006)
Welcome to America (2006)
The Great Buck Howard (2006)
source from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
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