Kevin Spacey

Following allegations of sexual misconduct towards younger House of Cards colleagues, MRC investigated and severed ties with Spacey. An arbitrator found that he had breached contractual obligations and anti-harassment policies, particularly in relation to five crew members, and awarded approximately $30.9 million to MRC; a judge upheld that award in 2022. An agreement reached in late 2023 and disclosed in 2024 reduced Spacey's payment obligation to $1 million, partly in exchange for cooperation in MRC's insurance litigation. After MRC lost that insurance case in March 2026, a judge vacated the approximately $31 million award in April 2026 at the parties' joint request.

Attribution

Personally implicated

Three men sued Spacey in the High Court for alleged sexual assaults between 2000 and 2013, including two men who had already testified in the 2023 criminal trial. In one case, a default judgment arising from an error by Spacey's legal team was set aside in May 2024. In early March 2026, the claimants sought to introduce testimony from seven additional men. On 13 March, as publicly reported on 19 March 2026, all three actions were stayed following a confidential settlement, cancelling the scheduled trial.

Attribution

Accused

Guy Pearce stated in February 2025 that Spacey had "targeted" him during the five months of filming L.A. Confidential in 1997, saying he had been afraid of him and had reconsidered those interactions following the 2017 revelations. He had already described Spacey as "handsy" in 2018.

Attribution

Personally implicated

The two-part Channel 4 documentary Spacey Unmasked presented new allegations by several men concerning inappropriate conduct by Spacey, some speaking publicly for the first time. The programme addressed alleged incidents different from those already tried in the United Kingdom.

Attribution

Directly implicated

Spacey was prosecuted in the United Kingdom on nine counts of sexual offences involving four men and alleged conduct between 2004 and 2013. Following a trial at Southwark Crown Court, the jury acquitted him on 26 July 2023 of all nine counts tried.

Attribution

Accused

Course of the proceedings

1. Formally charged — Formal charge before the current outcome

Anthony Rapp alleged in 2017 that Spacey had made an unwanted sexual advance towards him in 1986 when he was 14. Spacey said he did not recall the incident and offered a conditional apology for conduct which, if it had occurred as described, would have been deeply inappropriate. Rapp subsequently sued Spacey in New York civil court; in October 2022, the jury concluded that Rapp had not proved his claim and returned a verdict in Spacey's favour.

Attribution

Accused

An 18-year-old man accused Spacey of touching his genitals in a Nantucket bar in 2016. Spacey was charged with indecent assault and battery; in July 2019, Massachusetts prosecutors dropped the case after the complainant invoked his right not to testify at a hearing and evidential difficulties emerged concerning a telephone and messages.

Attribution

Accused

An anonymous masseur accused Spacey of sexually coercive conduct during a session at his Malibu home in October 2016 and brought a civil action. The complainant died in 2019 before trial; Los Angeles prosecutors declined criminal charges, stating that the allegations could not be proved without his participation. The administrator of his estate subsequently agreed to dismissal of the civil action with prejudice.

State of the evidence

Alleged

Attribution

Accused

An allegation of sexual assault in West Hollywood dating from October 1992 was investigated by Los Angeles authorities and referred to prosecutors. In September 2018, the Los Angeles County District Attorney announced that no charges would be filed because the alleged conduct fell outside the statute of limitations.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

An anonymous man recounted in 2017 that, as a teenager invited to Spacey's New York home in 1985, he had refused to share his bed and fallen asleep on a sofa before waking to find Spacey lying on him in his underwear. He described the experience as traumatic and said he had felt targeted or groomed for a sexual advance.

State of the evidence

Alleged

Attribution

Personally implicated

Director Tony Montana stated in 2017 that Spacey had sexually grabbed him in a Los Angeles bar in 2003. Montana explained that he had not filed a complaint at the time and had decided to speak out following Anthony Rapp's revelations.

State of the evidence

Alleged

Attribution

Personally implicated

Norwegian writer Ari Behn told radio station P4 that, after the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo, Spacey had reached under the table and grabbed his genitals. Behn said he had rejected the advance and did not bring public proceedings against Spacey.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Harry Dreyfuss, son of actor Richard Dreyfuss, alleged that in 2008, when he was 18, Spacey had touched him sexually without consent while his father was in the same room. He described the episode in an essay published in 2017.

State of the evidence

Alleged

Attribution

Personally implicated

British barman Daniel Beal alleged that in 2010 Spacey had exposed himself during a cigarette break, tried to make Beal touch his genitals and then given him a Swiss watch reportedly worth approximately £5 000. According to his account, Beal was 19.

State of the evidence

Alleged

Attribution

Personally implicated

After establishing a confidential reporting channel, the Old Vic, where Spacey served as artistic director from 2004 to 2015, announced that it had received 20 allegations of inappropriate behaviour against him, 14 of which were considered serious enough for those concerned to be advised to contact the police. The theatre acknowledged that a "cult of personality" surrounding the actor had helped prevent concerns from being reported.

State of the evidence

Allegations