Kevin Spacey’s new role is Oxford professor

Actor, who succeeds Patrick Stewart, will teach contemporary theater

	Actor Kevin Spacey has a new role: Oxford professor. The university named him the Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theater.
Ann Johansson / AP

Celebrity video

Celine Dion on her miscarriage
Dec. 9: Celine Dion sits down with Access Hollywood’s Nancy O’Dell to talk about her recent miscarriage and the challenges she has faced in getting pregnant with her second child. Plus, has publicly talking about her troubles been a source of inspiration for others?

Taylor Lautner as Pee-Wee?

Lambert: Music ‘is my dream’

Bono, 50 Cent, others celebrate VEVO

Jenny McCarthy dishes on becoming a grandmother

Will sponsors stand by Tiger Woods?

Slideshow

Best and worst celebrity fashions of 2009
From glamorous gowns to stylish suits to complete fashion failures, a look at the year so far.

more photos

updated 1:38 p.m. ET June 13, 2008

LONDON - Kevin Spacey already has two Academy Awards and heads London’s Old Vic theater. Now he can add a new title — Oxford University professor.

The Hollywood star has been named Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theater at Oxford’s St. Catherine’s College, officials there announced Friday.

Spacey will succeed Shakespearean actor and “Star Trek: The Next Generation” star Patrick Stewart when the new academic year starts in October. Previous holders of the post, endowed by theater impresario Mackintosh, include composer Stephen Sondheim, playwright Alan Ayckbourn and actress Diana Rigg.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

In a statement, Spacey said he was delighted to be appointed to the one-year post, which requires him to give lectures, workshops and seminars at the 800-year-old university.

“It really is an honor for me to have been invited to follow such illustrious names and take up this role at Oxford,” Spacey said. “The university is steeped in tradition and has a great heritage in the arts, and I look forward to working with the students and staff.”

Slideshow
Celebrity sightings
Taylor Swift and Rihanna check out VEVO in New York, Alexander Skarsgard parties in Hollywood, Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise stroll in Spain and more.
more photos
The college’s master, Roger Ainsworth, said Spacey was “a truly international star and will bring an enormous wealth of talent and experience in both film and theater to bear on the role.”

“He will be a huge draw for the student population of Oxford and to the wider public, too,” Ainsworth said.

Spacey, 48, has been artistic director of the Old Vic since 2003 and spends most of his time in London. Despite some early misfires, he has given the Old Vic a string of hits including a recent production of David Mamet’s comedy “Speed-the-Plow” starring Spacey and Jeff Goldblum.

He won acting Oscars for his roles in “American Beauty” and “The Usual Suspects.”

Click for related content

Beatty gets AFI’s lifetime achievement award
The world’s most powerful celebrities