Kevin Kline

Kevin Kline Bio

Kevin Delaney Kline (born October 24, 1947) is an American actor whose career has spanned more than five decades across stage and screen. He is widely regarded as one of the most versatile leading men of his generation, equally comfortable in classical theater, mainstream comedies, and dramatic features. His accolades include an Academy Award and three Tony Awards, along with nominations for two British Academy Film Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Golden Globe Awards. In 2003, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

Early Life and Background

Kevin Delaney Kline was born on October 24, 1947, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Margaret Agnes Kirk and Robert Joseph Kline. His father was a classical music enthusiast and amateur opera singer who owned The Record Bar, a record store in St. Louis that opened in 1942, and the family also operated Kline’s Inc., a department store chain. Kevin Kline has described his mother as the dramatic theatrical character in the family, and his upbringing combined his father’s German-Jewish heritage with his mother’s Catholic faith, the latter being the tradition in which he was raised. He has an older sister, Kate, and two younger brothers, Alexander and Christopher.

Kline graduated from the Saint Louis Priory School in 1965, a school that later named its auditorium the Kevin Kline Theater in his honor. He then attended Indiana University Bloomington, where he studied music before switching to a theater and speech major for his final two years, graduating in 1970. While an undergraduate, he co-founded the Vest Pocket Players, an off-campus theatrical troupe that signaled his early devotion to the craft.

Path to Acting

In 1970, Kevin Delaney Kline won a scholarship to the newly formed drama division of the Juilliard School in New York, where he studied singing and stagecraft. Two years later, in 1972, he joined fellow Juilliard graduates, including Patti LuPone and David Ogden Stiers, to form the City Center Acting Company, now known as The Acting Company, under the mentorship of John Houseman. The repertory group toured the United States performing Shakespeare, other classical works, and the musical The Robber Bridegroom, earning a reputation as one of the most widely praised ensembles in American theater.

By 1976, Kline had settled in New York City and began transitioning toward larger stages and broader recognition. He took a brief role on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow that year and returned to the theater in 1977 for a Hudson Guild Theater production of Dance on a Country Grave. His breakout came in 1978 when he played Bruce Granit in Harold Prince’s On the Twentieth Century, earning his first Tony Award and establishing him as a major Broadway talent.

Kevin Kline Career

Early Career (1970–1981)

During the early 1970s, Kevin Delaney Kline built his reputation as a stage actor through his work with The Acting Company and in Shakespeare festivals. He studied at the Juilliard School and appeared in numerous New York Shakespeare Festival productions, including Richard III, Much Ado About Nothing, and Henry V. In 1978, he won his first Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for On the Twentieth Century.

In 1980, he appeared in the New York Shakespeare Festival’s Central Park production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, which moved to Broadway and earned him another Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of the Pirate King. By the end of this period, The New York Times theater critic Frank Rich had dubbed him the American Olivier for his commanding stage presence.

Breakthrough (1982–1999)

Kevin Delaney Kline made his film debut in 1982 in Sophie’s Choice, playing the tormented Nathan opposite Meryl Streep. The role earned him a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year and a BAFTA nomination for Most Outstanding Newcomer to Film. He went on to collaborate with director Lawrence Kasdan on The Big Chill (1983), Silverado (1985), and other features throughout the decade.

In 1988, Kline played a painfully inept American ex-CIA thug in the British comedy A Fish Called Wanda, opposite John Cleese and Jamie Lee Curtis. The performance earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, as well as a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He continued to take comedic and dramatic roles through the 1990s, including Dave (1993), The Ice Storm (1997), and In & Out (1997), the latter earning him another Golden Globe nomination.

Notable Works and Milestones

Among Kevin Delaney Kline’s signature screen performances are Sophie’s Choice (1982), A Fish Called Wanda (1988), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), and Beauty and the Beast (2017), the last of which grossed $1.2 billion worldwide. On stage, his Tony-winning turns in On the Twentieth Century, The Pirates of Penzance, and Present Laughter define a career of range and consistency.

Kevin Kline Award Nominations

Kevin Delaney Kline has received nominations for two British Academy Film Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Golden Globe Awards across the course of his career. His BAFTA nominations include Most Outstanding Newcomer to Film for Sophie’s Choice and Best Actor in a Leading Role for A Fish Called Wanda. His Golden Globe nominations span Sophie’s Choice, In & Out, and De-Lovely, along with additional recognition in musical or comedy categories.

Kevin Kline Awards Won

Kevin Delaney Kline has won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for A Fish Called Wanda, along with three Tony Awards for his Broadway work. He was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 2003, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in December 2004.

Kevin Kline Family

Kevin Delaney Kline was born to Robert Joseph Kline and Margaret Agnes Kirk. His father owned The Record Bar in St. Louis and was a classical music lover and amateur opera singer, while his mother was the theatrical presence in the household. He grew up with an older sister, Kate, and two younger brothers, Alexander and Christopher, in a family that blended German-Jewish and Catholic traditions.

Personal Life

Kevin Delaney Kline met actress Phoebe Cates in 1983, and they began dating in 1985 before marrying on March 5, 1989, in a private New York wedding. The couple lives on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. They have two children: Owen Joseph Kline, born in 1991, and Greta Kline, born in 1994, who fronts the band Frankie Cosmos.