Background
KLINE, Kevin was born on October 24, 1947 in St. Louis. Son of Robert J. Kline and Peggy Kirk.
KLINE, Kevin was born on October 24, 1947 in St. Louis. Son of Robert J. Kline and Peggy Kirk.
Educated at Indiana University and Julliard School Drama Division New York.
His film debut was both brilliant and disturbing, in Sophie’s Choice (82, Alan J. Pakula). he followed that with the movie of The Pirates of Penzance (83, Wilford Leach); The Big Chill (83, Lawrence Kasdan); Silverado (85, Kasdan); Violets Are Blue . . . (86, Jack Fisk); as newspaper editor Donald Woods in Cry Freedom (87, Richard Attenborough); The January Man (89, Pat O’Connor), just the sort of film not to get into; I Love You to Death (90, Kasdan), one too many films with the same director; Soapdish (91, Michael Hoffman); Grand Canyon (91, Kasdan), two too many; Consenting Adults (92, Pakula); fine as Doug Fairbanks in Chaplin (92, Attenborough), but again—why?; in one of his best opportunities, Dave (93, Ivan Reitman); with his wife, Phoebe Cates, in Princess Carahoo (94, Michael Austin); finding chemistry with Meg Ryan in French Kiss (95, Kasdan)—but Meg Ryan does chemistry with everyone; Fierce Creatures (97, Robert Young), the troubled sequel to Wanda: verv good in The Ice Storm (97, Ang Lee); very funny in In & Out (97, Frank Oz); fine as Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream (99, Hoffman); Wild Wild West (99, Barry Sonnenfeld); good in The Anniversary Party (01, Alan Cumming and Jennifer Jason Leigh); but nearly drowned in the tears of Life as a House (01, Irwin Winkler); Orange County (02, Jake Kasdan).
The Acting Company New' York 1972-1976.
No one quite knows why Kevin Kline hasn't made it bigger in movies. He’s very versatile—he has terrific, wild comic energy and a rare ability to be alarming, as well as the basic good looks and intelligence. He has a high stage reputation based on years with John Houseman's company, On the Twentieth Century, The Pirates of Penzance, and a notable Hamlet. He got the supporting actor Oscar for A Fish Called Wanda (88, Charles Crichton), where he held his own with professional comics. But somehow he remains a marginal figure, never dominant, never truly displayed by a film.
Married Phoebe Cates in 1989.