Old Vic to Name Kevin Spacey as New Artistic Director

The London Times reported today that the American film and stage star Kevin Spacey will be named artistic director of London’s Old Vic Theatre.

After performing at the Old Vic in 1998 in The Iceman Cometh, Spacey joined the 180-year old theater’s board of trustees. Since then, he has been very involved with the company — raising funds, donating his own money, and regularly flying to London to attend board meetings. The Times reported that the official announcement of Spacey’s appointment, “which will be supported by the theatre’s chairman, Sir Elton John,” could come as early as tomorrow.

Spacey, a two-time Academy Award winner (for The Usual Suspects and American Beauty), was nominated for a Tony Award in 1999 for his performance in Iceman and won a Tony in 1991 for his featured role in Neil Simon’s Lost in Yonkers.