What is Kevin Kline best known for?

Kevin Kline, born October 24, 1947, is an American actor known for his versatility in both dramatic and comedic roles. Before his film career, Kline was a respected stage actor. He studied drama at Juilliard and then spent four years touring with The Acting Company. Kline's film debut was in Sophie's Choice (1982), and he later won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for A Fish Called Wanda (1988). He is also known for his roles in The Big Chill (1983), Silverado (1985), Dave (1993), The Ice Storm (1997), and In & Out (1997). Kline has also won Tony Awards for his performances on Broadway, including for On the Twentieth Century in 1978 and The Pirates of Penzance in 1980–81.

Which famous movies has Kevin Kline acted in?

Kevin Kline, born in St. Louis, Missouri, on October 24, 1947, is an American actor celebrated for his versatile performances on stage and screen. Some of his notable movies include Sophie’s Choice (1982), The Big Chill (1983), Silverado (1985), and A Fish Called Wanda (1988), for which he won an Academy Award for best supporting actor. Kline has also appeared in comedies such as I Love You to Death (1990) and Soapdish (1991), as well as dramas like Grand Canyon (1991).

Has Kevin Kline won any major acting awards?

Yes, Kevin Kline has received major acting awards for both stage and screen. His performance in A Fish Called Wanda (1988) earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He has also won three Tony Awards : one in 1978 for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, another in 1981 for Best Actor in a Musical, and a third in 2017 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play.

What types of roles does Kevin Kline often play?

Kevin Kline is an American actor known for his versatility in both dramatic and comedic roles. He gained recognition as a well-rounded and respected stage actor before transitioning to film. Kline has demonstrated his skill in physical comedy and his ability to portray characters with "low-key intensity" in dramatic roles. Throughout his career, Kline has taken on leading roles in comedies such as I Love You to Death and Soapdish , as well as dramas like Grand Canyon .

How has Kevin Kline contributed to American theater and film beyond acting?

Kevin Kline is an accomplished American actor celebrated for his dramatic roles and comedic talent. Before his film career, Kline was a respected stage actor. He studied drama at Indiana University and later at Juilliard under John Houseman. In 1972, Kline joined The Acting Company, cofounded by Houseman, where he toured for four years, performing in classical and contemporary plays. His Broadway debut was in 1973, and he received a Tony Award in 1978 for On the Twentieth Century . Kline also won a Tony Award for his role as the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance . Additionally, Kline directed an episode of Great Performances in 1990.

Kevin Kline

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Images

Michelle Pfeiffer as Titania gazes at Kevin Kline as Nick Bottom, who has donkey ears and fur, in a forest setting from the film A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999).

Kevin Kline as Richard III wears a dark, ornate costume and crown while seated on stage at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park, with set pieces visible in the background.

Quick Facts

In full:: Kevin Delaney Kline

Born:: October 24, 1947, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. (age 79)

Awards And Honors:: Tony Awards (2017); Academy Award (1989); Tony Awards (1981); Tony Awards (1978); Academy Award (1989): Actor in a Supporting Role; Tony Award (2017): Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play; Tony Award (1981): Best Actor in a Musical; Tony Award (1978): Best Featured Actor in a Musical

Married To:: Phoebe Cates (1989–present)

Movies/Tv Shows (Acted In):: "Chaplin" (1992); "James McNeill Whistler and the Case for Beauty" (2014); "The Conspirator" (2010); "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1996); "The Extra Man" (2010); "Jiminy Glick in Lalawood" (2004); "Darling Companion" (2012); "The CBS Festival of Lively Arts for Young People" (1977); "Sophie's Choice" (1982); "French Kiss" (1995); "Last Vegas" (2013); "Soapdish" (1991); "Freedom: A History of US" (2003); "Trade" (2007); "Fierce Creatures" (1997); "Dave" (1993); "Joueuse" (2009); "As You Like It" (2006); "No Strings Attached" (2011); "The Pink Panther" (2006); "The Last of Robin Hood" (2013); "The Big Chill" (1983); "The Pirates of Penzance" (1983); "De-Lovely" (2004); "The Tale of Despereaux" (2008); "The Anniversary Party" (2001); "In & Out" (1997); "The Nutcracker" (1993); "The Ice Storm" (1997); "Grand Canyon" (1991); "Beauty and the Beast" (2017); "The Emperor's Club" (2002); "Silverado" (1985); "Maya & Marty" (2016); "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1999); "Great Performances" (1990–2008); "Bob's Burgers" (2011–2019); "A Fish Called Wanda" (1988); "Violets Are Blue..." (1986); "(Dean)" (2016); "Present Laughter" (2017); "A Prairie Home Companion" (2006); "Search for Tomorrow" (1951); "Definitely, Maybe" (2008); "The Road to El Dorado" (2000); "I Love You to Death" (1990); "My Old Lady" (2014); "Ricki and the Flash" (2015); "Wild Wild West" (1999); "Consenting Adults" (1992); "The January Man" (1989); "Princess Caraboo" (1994); "Life as a House" (2001); "Cry Freedom" (1987)

Kevin Kline

American actor

Also known as: Kevin Delaney Kline

Written by

Patricia Bauer

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 25, 2026 •History

Education and early roles

Kline studied piano as a child and began acting while he was in high school. He attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where he initially intended to major in music, but he switched his focus to drama, graduating in 1970. He then moved to New York City and studied (1970–72) under John Houseman in the drama division of the Juilliard School. In 1972 Kline joined The Acting Company, a repertory theater group cofounded that year by Houseman, and he spent the next four years touring with that troupe, acting in classical and contemporary plays.

Kline continued to perform in smaller theaters in New York City while also working in television commercials and appearing (1976) in a recurring part on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow. Kline first appeared on Broadway in 1973. His 1978 performance in the musical comedy On the Twentieth Century earned him a Tony Award for best featured actor in a musical. He won a second Tony Award (for best lead actor in a musical) for his turn as the Pirate King in a 1980–81 revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance. Kline reprised the role in the 1983 film adaptation of the play.

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Empty movie theater and blank screen (theatre, motion pictures, cinema).

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Sophie’s Choice, A Fish Called Wanda, and The Ice Storm

Kline’s film debut was opposite Meryl Streep, as Sophie’s mentally unbalanced lover in the acclaimed movie Sophie’s Choice (1982). He went on to play leading roles in The Big Chill (1983), the western Silverado (1985), the romance Violets Are Blue… (1986), and Richard Attenborough’s Cry Freedom (1987). Kline’s performance in the British-American heist comedy A Fish Called Wanda (1988; with John Cleese and Jamie Lee Curtis) netted him an Academy Award for best supporting actor.

Kline later appeared in such comedies as I Love You to Death (1990) and Soapdish (1991) and the drama Grand Canyon (1991). He portrayed Douglas Fairbanks in the biopic Chaplin (1992), and he won praise for his performance as both the U.S. president and his look-alike in the political comedy Dave (1993). Kline’s films also included Ang Lee’s drama The Ice Storm (1997) and Frank Oz’s social comedy In & Out (1997). He played Bottom in Michael Hoffman’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999) and Artemus Gordon in Wild Wild West (1999).

Later credits

In the 21st century Kline appeared in Life as a House (2001), The Emperor’s Club (2002), and The Pink Panther (2006), as well as Kenneth Branagh’s As You Like It (2006). He also performed in Robert Redford’s The Conspirator (2010), played Errol Flynn in The Last of Robin Hood (2013), and portrayed Belle’s father Maurice in the Disney live-action remake Beauty and the Beast (2017). Kline’s credits from 2021 include The Good House, a dramedy in which he starred with Sigourney Weaver. In 2024 he played a grieving husband and father who seeks to expose the secrets of a successful journalist (Cate Blanchett) in Alfonso Cuarón’s miniseries Disclaimer.

In addition, Kline continued to work in theater, notably performing with the New York Shakespeare Festival, and in 2017 he earned a Tony Award for best lead actor in a play for his portrayal of an aging movie star in a revival of Noël Coward’s Present Laughter. He joined a star-studded cast in The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts (2019), playing Robert Mueller in a dramatic reading of the special counsel’s report to the Department of Justice regarding the investigation of possible Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election of 2016.

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