KEY POINTS

  • Kevin Spacey won two Academy Awards for his roles in "The Usual Suspects" and "American Beauty"
  • He played Frank Underwood in "House of Cards" until 2018, when he was forced to leave following multiple sexual assault allegations
  • The actor has a net worth of $70 million 

Kevin Spacey — who made headlines this week over new sexual assault charges — amassed a considerable fortune over the course of his decades-long Hollywood career. Here's how he built his wealth.

Spacey had already found success on Broadway when he entered the world of television in the 1980s with "Crime Stories." His first big film role came when he appeared in "See No Evil, Hear No Evil" in 1989.

The now-62-year-old New Jersey native established a reputation as an enthralling character actor through his performances in films such as "Glengarry Glen Ross,” "The Ref" and "Swimming With Sharks" before winning the Academy Award for best supporting actor for 1995's "The Usual Suspects."

Spacey continued to give critically acclaimed performances in "Se7en," "A Time to Kill" and "American Beauty." The latter earned him an Oscar trophy for best actor and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

While he focused on theater productions and films such as "Pay it Forward," "K-Pax,” and "21" in the 2000s, he spent most of the 2010s portraying ruthless politician Frank Underwood in the hit Netflix series "House of Cards."

Before he was forced to leave "House of Cards" in 2018 following multiple sexual assault allegations, Spacey was making $500,000 an episode for his lead role on the Emmy-winning political thriller, according to a 2014 salary report from TV Guide.

This figure included his income as a producer on the show and profit participation, the outlet noted. Each season had 13 episodes so he would have earned $6.5 million per season.

Today, his net worth is estimated to be around $70 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

In 2017, the actor was first accused of making sexual advances toward a 14-year-old boy back in 1986, when Spacey was 26. At the time, the star issued a public statement blaming alcohol for his actions, but allegations kept coming.

In total, 15 similar stories surfaced. As a result, production on "House of Cards" was halted, and the final season was shortened to just eight episodes. Many of Spacey's films had to be reshot with different actors. Later, he was also abandoned by his agent and his publicist.

In December 2018, Spacey was charged with a felony for allegedly sexually assaulting journalist Heather Unruh's 18-year-old son in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in July 2016. He pleaded not guilty to the charge in January 2019.

On Thursday, the U.K.'s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced that Spacey was charged with four counts of sexual assault against three men and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent, CNN reported.

The charges relate to two alleged incidents in 2005, another two in 2008 and a fifth alleged incident in 2013, all occurring in England.

The charges cannot formally be applied until Spacey enters England or Wales, a CPS spokesperson told CNN.

The charges came as Spacey attempted to make a comeback with "1242 – Gateway To The West," which marked his first major role since sexual assault allegations were brought against him in 2017, Deadline reported.

Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey was recently spotted in Baltimore. Pictured: Kevin Spacey onstage to present Britannia Award for Excellence in Television presented by Swarovski at the 2017 AMD British Academy Britannia Awards Presented by American Airlines And Jaguar Land Rover at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 27, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. Getty Images/Frederick M. Brown