Kevin Kline

Kevin Kline was born on October 24, 1947, in St. Louis, Missouri. Studying music and drama at Indiana University Bloomington, he joined the inaugural drama division class at the Juilliard School in New York City under John Houseman, co-founding The Acting Company in 1972 and touring Shakespearean classics across America.

Kline conquered Broadway early in his career, winning his first Tony Award in 1978 for Harold Prince’s musical 'On the Twentieth Century', followed by a second Tony in 1981 for his iconic swashbuckling performance as the Pirate King in 'The Pirates of Penzance'. Making his film debut opposite Meryl Streep in Alan J. Pakula’s tragic masterpiece 'Sophie's Choice' (1982), he demonstrated effortless gravitas before starring in Lawrence Kasdan’s ensemble classic 'The Big Chill' (1983) and Western 'Silverado' (1985).

In 1988, Kline delivered a masterclass in manic comedy as the psychotic pseudo-intellectual Otto West in John Cleese’s 'A Fish Called Wanda', winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He followed this with acclaimed roles in 'Dave' (1993), 'In & Out' (1997), and 'De-Lovely' (2004 portraying Cole Porter). Returning to Broadway, he won his third Tony Award in 2017 for Noël Coward’s 'Present Laughter'. Kline is widely regarded as the American Laurence Olivier for his peerless command of both stage and screen.