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Don't make fun of his last name or else.
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“Any idiot can get laid when they're famous. That's easy. It's getting laid when you're not famous that takes some talent.”
—Kevin Bacon
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Kevin Bacon is a name you will hear not because breakfast is being served, but because he has been a film actor since the 1970s. Known for being in a lot of famous films, but seldom the lead role, unfortunately. This may make him even more famous. Doesn't stop Mr. Bacon from snatching a few leads, though.
His first role was in Animal House, as the source of the quote "Thank you sir, may I have another?" According to an interview on the film's DVD release, he wasn't able to get into the premiere with the other actors because no one recognized him as a cast member.
Trope Namer for the Bacon Number phenomenon, aka Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, a mathematical calculation of a celebrity's closeness to Kevin Bacon. Regarding the popularity of this, he's said that people like to meet him to reduce their "Bacon Number" to one, misunderstanding that they have to be in a movie with him for that. He seems to be a pretty good sport about it, given that he's expressed a fear that his obituary will read "Inspired a game, also acted."
Bacon has been married to Kyra Sedgwick, star of The Closer since 1988; they have two children. Unfortunately, Bacon and Sedgwick were victims of scam artist Bernie Madoff.
And no, he is not an example of Bacon Addiction, despite how much we wish he was.
Some of the films he has appeared in includes:[]
- Animal House
- Apollo 13
- Balto
- A Few Good Men
- Flatliners
- Footloose
- Friday the 13 th
- Frost/Nixon
- Hollow Man
- Murder in the First
- Mystic River
- The River Wild
- Stir of Echoes
- Super
- Tremors
- Wild Things
- X-Men: First Class
Tropes associated with this actor:[]
- Cloudcuckoolander: Just peep this meta Logitech commercial where he plays a rabid Kevin Bacon fan. Hearing him imitate his own accent from Tremors is something to behold.
- His Funny Or Die sketch: "YOU JUST GOT BACOOOOOOON'D!!!!"
- Complete Monster: Has played His fair share. Even His "good" characters are rarely ideal protagonists
- Ensemble Darkhorse: In a lot of his films.
- Happily Married: To Kyra Sedgewick
- He Really Can Act: Proved this in The Woodsman if not earlier.
- I Am Not Leonard Nimoy/ I Am Not Spock: A rare case where both are averted. He's had some famous parts but none of them have been so iconic that it eclipsed the man's career and likewise he plays so many types of characters so well that you buy him in each part and don't just see Kevin Bacon. However, on the DVD commentary for Footloose, Bacon noted that when attending weddings or other DJ'd social events, he'd have to slip the DJ $20 to avoid having to dance for the partygoers.
- Mean Character, Nice Actor
- Male Frontal Nudity: In Wild Things.
- Older Than They Look: A few wrinkles and bags under his eyes aside, he still looks damn good for a man in his fifties.
- One Degree of Separation
- Playing Against Type: Has played so many different archetypes that his exact performer persona is difficult to pinpoint. He's done everything from hamming in light-hearted comedies (Beauty Shop) to going to dark places few actors can go (The Woodsman)
- Rule of Sean Connery: Pretty much anything he's in is worth watching.
- Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon (Bacon Number)
- Typecasting: Averted. See Playing Against Type above.