Kevin Kline

Season 7, Episode 713

Original Airdate: November 1, 2001

Kevin Kline was born in Saint Louis, Missouri on October 24, 1947 and had been active in local theater throughout his youth. In 1972, he moved to New York to study acting at New York's Acting Company with John Houseman. Kline toured with the company starring in many Shakespearean productions and received particular acclaim for Romeo and Hamlet.

In 1978, Kline won his first Tony Award for On the Twentieth Century. In 1981, he won his second Tony for The Pirates of Penzance, a role he later reprised for the 1983 film adaptation. In 1982, Kline made his film debut opposite Meryl Streep in Alan Pakula's Sophie's Choice and earned his first Golden Globe nomination.

The following year, Kline starred in Lawrence Kasdan's The Big Chill. The all-star cast included Glenn Close, William Hurt, Jeff Goldblum and Meg Tilly. In 1988, Kline won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his hilarious portrayal of Otto in A Fish Called Wanda. Up to that point, Kline was primarily known as a serious dramatic actor but this film and award showed he also had a flare and the talent for comedy. Subsequent comedic roles included I Love You to Death (1990), Soapdish (1991) and Dave (1993).

In 1997, he starred in the comedy In & Out. Kline played a sexually confused smalltown teacher who is “outed” when a former student thanks his gay mentor on national television. The performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination and an MTV Award nomination for “Best Kiss” with Tom Selleck.

Dramatic performances include Grand Canyon (1991), Chaplin (1992), Ang Lee's The Ice Storm (1997) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999). His latest film is the drama Life as a House, co-starring Kristen Scott Thomas. Kline has been married to actress Phoebe Cates since 1989 and they have 2 children.