Early life

Kline was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Margaret Agnes Kirk (1918-2000) and Robert Joseph Kline. His father was a classical music lover and an amateur opera singer who owned and operated The Record Bar, a record store in St. Louis that opened in the early 1940s, and sold toys during the 1960s and 1970s; his father's family also owned Kline's Inc., a department store chain. Kline has described his mother as the "dramatic theatrical character in our family". Kline's father was Jewish, from a family that had emigrated from Germany, and had become an agnostic. Kline's mother was a Roman Catholic of Irish descent, the daughter of an emigrant from County Louth. Kline was raised in his mother's Catholic faith. He has three siblings, Alex, Christopher, and Kate. He graduated from the Saint Louis Priory School in 1965.

In 1997, the school named its new auditorium the Kevin Kline Theater, and Kline did a benefit performance of selections from Shakespeare at the dedication.

He attended Indiana University, Bloomington, where he began studying composing and conducting music, but switched to a theater and speech major for his last two years, graduating in 1970. Kline remembers: "When I switched to the Theater Department, all I did was theater...I could barely make it to class because this was my passion." While an undergraduate, he was a co-founder of the Vest Pocket Players, an off-campus theatrical troupe.

Career

In 1970, Kline was awarded a scholarship to the newly formed Drama Division at the Juilliard School in New York. In 1972, he joined with fellow Juilliard graduates, including Patti LuPone and David Ogden Stiers, and formed the City Center Acting Company (now The Acting Company), under the aegis of John Houseman.

The Company traveled across the U.S. performing Shakespeare's plays, other classical works, and the musical The Robber Bridegroom, founding one of the most widely praised groups in American repertory theatre. At Juilliard he studied singing with Beverley Peck Johnson.

In 1976, Kline left The Acting Company and settled in New York City, doing a brief appearance as the character "Woody Reed" in the now-defunct soap opera Search for Tomorrow. He followed this with a return to the stage in 1977 to play Clym Yeobright opposite Donna Theodore as Eustacia Vye in The Hudson Guild Theater production of Dance on a Country Grave, Kelly Hamilton's musical version of Thomas Hardy's The Return of the Native. In 1978 he played the role of Bruce Granit, a matinée idol caricature, in Harold Prince's On the Twentieth Century, for which he won his first Tony Award. In 1981, Kline appeared with rock diva Linda Ronstadt and singer Rex Smith in the New York Shakespeare Festival's Central Park production of The Pirates of Penzance, winning another Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical, for his comically dashing portrayal of the Pirate King. In 1983, he played the role in a film version of the musical, also with Ronstadt, Smith and Angela Lansbury, which had a limited theatrical release.

In the ensuing years, Kline appeared many times in New York Shakespeare Festival productions of Shakespeare plays, including starring roles in Richard III (1983), Much Ado About Nothing (1988), Henry V (1984) and two productions of Hamlet, in 1986 and 1990 (which he also directed).

He also appeared in a Lincoln Center production that combined the two parts of Henry IV on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre in 2003 as Falstaff. Kline was nominated for the 2004 Tony Award, Actor in a Play.

Dubbed "the American Olivier" by New York Times theater critic Frank Rich for his stage acting, Kline finally ventured into film in 1982 in Sophie's Choice. He won the coveted role of the tormented and mercurial Nathan opposite Meryl Streep. Streep won an Academy Award for her performance in the film. Kline was nominated for a 1983 Golden Globe award (New Star of the Year) and BAFTA Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer To Film.

During the 1980s and early 1990s, Kline made several films with director Lawrence Kasdan, including The Big Chill, Silverado, Grand Canyon, I Love You to Death, and French Kiss. He played Donald Woods in Richard Attenborough's Cry Freedom opposite Denzel Washington about the friendship between Activist Stephen Biko and editor Donald Woods.

In 1989, Kline won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the British comedy A Fish Called Wanda, in which he played a painfully inept American ex-CIA thug opposite John Cleese's genteel British barrister and Jamie Lee Curtis' femme fatale/con woman. In 2000, the American Film Institute ranked the film twenty-first on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs.

Kline had a reputation for being so picky about his roles that it was actually detrimental to his career, and thus earned himself the nickname "Kevin Decline". Other awards have included Drama Desk Awards, Golden Globe awards, a Gotham Award, a Hasty Pudding Theatricals Man of the Year Award, and a St. Louis International Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award. He was inducted in the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 2003. He has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. Film reviewers have praised Kline. Newsday critic Lynn Darling wrote on July 13, 1988 that Kline "has proved himself to be one of the most talented and versatile American actors of his generation."

Kline played the title role in King Lear at the Public Theater, and took the lead role in a Broadway production of Cyrano de Bergerac opposite Jennifer Garner. That production was forced to close temporarily after only 11 performances as a result of the Broadway stagehands' strike, but subsequently reopened. Cyrano was filmed in 2008 and aired as part of PBS's Great Performances series in January 2009.

In January 2008, Kline won a Screen Actors Guild award for his portrayal of Jaques in Kenneth Branagh's film As You Like It, adapted from Shakespeare's play. The film premiered theatrically in 2006 in Europe. It bypassed theatres and was sent straight to HBO in the U.S. Kline's film The Conspirator premiered during the Toronto International Film Festival in 2010 and was described as an "old fashioned historical thriller". It was well received by most critics. Kline also starred in the 2012 comedy Darling Companion alongside Diane Keaton.

In December 2004, Kline became the 2,272nd recipient of a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard.

Personal life

During the 1970s Kline was in a relationship with his Juilliard classmate Patti LuPone. He met actress Phoebe Cates in 1983 and they were married in 1989. The couple live in New York City and they have two children, including a daughter, Greta, a musician currently performing as Frankie Cosmos.

After his son, Owen, was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, Kline became active with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. In November 2004, he was presented with the JDRF's Humanitarian of the Year award by Meryl Streep for his volunteer efforts on behalf of the organization.

The Kevin Kline Awards honor theatre professionals in St. Louis in an array of categories, which include best actor and actress, set design, choreography, and new play or musical.

Filmography

Film

Title	Year	Role	Notes
Sophie's Choice	1982	Nathan Landau
Big Chill, TheThe Big Chill	1983	Harold Cooper
Silverado	1985	Paden
Violets Are Blue	1986	Henry Squires
Cry Freedom	1987	Donald Woods
Fish Called Wanda, AA Fish Called Wanda	1988	Otto West	Won - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
January Man, TheThe January Man	1989	Nick Starkey
I Love You to Death	1990	Joey Boca
Soapdish	1991	Jeffery Anderson / Dr. Rod Randall
Grand Canyon	1991	Mack
Consenting Adults	1992	Richard Parker
Chaplin	1992	Douglas Fairbanks
Dave	1993	Dave Kovic / President William Harrison Mitchell
The Nutcracker	1993	Narrator	Voice role
Princess Caraboo	1994	Frixos
French Kiss	1995	Luc Teyssier
Hunchback of Notre Dame, TheThe Hunchback of Notre Dame	1996	Captain Phoebus	Voice role
Ice Storm, TheThe Ice Storm	1997	Ben Hood
Fierce Creatures	1997	Vince McCain / Rod McCain
In & Out	1997	Howard Brackett
Midsummer Night's Dream, AA Midsummer Night's Dream	1999	Nick Bottom
Wild Wild West	1999	U.S. Marshal Artemus 'Artie' Gordon / President Ulysses S. Grant
Road to El Dorado, TheThe Road to El Dorado	2000	Tulio	Voice role
Anniversary Party, TheThe Anniversary Party	2001	Cal Gold
Life as a House	2001	George Monroe
Orange County	2002	Marcus Skinner	Uncredited
Hunchback of Notre Dame II, TheThe Hunchback of Notre Dame II	2002	Captain Phoebus	Voice role
Emperor's Club, TheThe Emperor's Club	2002	William Hundert
De-Lovely	2004	Cole Porter
Pink Panther, TheThe Pink Panther	2006	Chief Inspector Dreyfus
Prairie Home Companion, AA Prairie Home Companion	2006	Guy Noir
As You Like It	2006	Jaques
Trade	2007	Ray Sheridan
Definitely, Maybe	2008	Hampton Roth
Tale of Despereaux, TheThe Tale of Despereaux	2008	Andre	Voice role
Queen to Play	2009	Docteur Kröger
Extra Man, TheThe Extra Man	2010	Henry Harrison
No Strings Attached	2011	Alvin Franklin
Conspirator, TheThe Conspirator	2011	Edwin Stanton
Darling Companion	2012	Dr. Joseph Winter
Last Vegas	2013	Sam Harris
The Last of Robin Hood	2013	Errol Flynn
My Old Lady	2014	Mathias Gold
Ricki and the Flash	2015	Pete
Dean	2016	Robert
Beauty and the Beast	2017	Maurice	In post-production

Television

Title	Year	Role	Notes
Search for Tomorrow	1976	Woody Reed
Pirates of Penzance, TheThe Pirates of Penzance	1983	Pirate King, TheThe Pirate King
Cyrano de Bergerac	2008	Cyrano de Bergerac
Bob's Burgers	2011-present	Mr. Fischoeder	Voice role

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominated work	Result
1978	Drama Desk Awards	Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical	On the Twentieth Century	Won
1978	Tony Awards	Best Featured Actor in a Musical	On the Twentieth Century	Won
1981		Best Actor in a Musical	The Pirates of Penzance	Won
1981	Drama Desk Awards	Outstanding Actor in a Musical	The Pirates of Penzance	Won
1982	BAFTA Awards	Best Newcomer	Sophie's Choice	Nominated
1982	Golden Globe Awards	New Star of the Year - Actor	Sophie's Choice	Nominated
1988	Academy Awards	Best Supporting Actor	A Fish Called Wanda	Won
1988	BAFTA Awards	Best Actor in a Leading Role	A Fish Called Wanda	Nominated
1991	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	Soapdish	Nominated
1993		Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	Dave	Nominated
1997		Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	In & Out	Nominated
1997	MTV Movie Awards	Best Kiss	In & Out	Nominated
1997	Satellite Awards	Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	In & Out	Nominated
2001	Screen Actors Guild	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role	Life as a House	Nominated
2004	Drama Desk Awards	Outstanding Actor in a Play	Henry IV	Won
2004	Tony Awards	Best Actor in a Play	Henry IV	Nominated
2004	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	De-Lovely	Nominated
2004	Satellite Awards	Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	De-Lovely	Nominated
2006	Screen Actors Guild	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie	As You Like It	Won
2008	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actor - Miniseries or a Movie	Cyrano de Bergerac	Nominated
2009	Screen Actors Guild	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie	Cyrano de Bergerac	Nominated

Charities

Kevin Kline supports the following charitable cause: Diabetes.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]