Spacey found less creative freedom in the 1996 John Grisham courtroom drama, A Time to Kill, but he got a chance to return to his Elizabethan roots in Al Pacino’s playful documentary, Looking for Richard about making a film of Shakespeare’s Richard III. Spacey appeared next in L.A. Confidential, a visually slick and stylized film noir about the corrupt Los Angeles Police Department. He played Jack Vincennes, a police officer who sets up movie stars on vice charges to feed to a local gossip columnist. Janet Maslin, of The New York Times wrote of his performance, “Mr. Spacey is at his insinuating best, languid and debonair, in a much more offbeat performance than this film could have drawn from a more conventional star.” 1996 also saw the release of Spacey’s directorial debut, Albino Alligator, the story of three criminals who take the patrons and staff of a bar hostage while cops collect outside. Although the film featured Matt Dillon, Faye Dunaway, and Gary Sinise, it failed to attract much critical or box office attention. Spacey made strong appearances as an antiques dealer accused of murder in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and in Anthony Drazen’s film adaptation of Hurlyburly, but it was the 1999 release of American Beauty which once again caused a significant stir. In this dark view of dysfunctional American suburbia, the first film from noted British stage director Sam Mendes, Spacey portrays a “sedated” father who undergoes a personal transformation spurred by a desire to impress his teenage daughter’s friend. His performance earned widespread critical acclaim, including his second Academy Award, this time for Best Actor. The film also scored Oscars for Best Original Screenplay (first-time screenwriter Alan Ball), Best Director and Best Picture.

Spacey, known for his “average Joe” looks and intense privacy about his personal life currently lives in Greenwich Village, New York City with his dog, Legacy. He continues to participate actively in the Manhattan theater scene, and in 1999 turned in a stunning, Tony-nominated performance as Hickey in the Eugene O’Neill classic, The Iceman Cometh. .