Before becoming known to millions of viewers as the eccentric thief Otto in “A Fish Called Wanda“, Kevin Kline had already made a name for himself on the stage. He was born on October 24, 1947 in St. Louis, Missouri, and initially studied music at Indiana University. In 1970, he received a scholarship to the first class of the “Juilliard“ drama school in New York.
Two years later, Kline joined John Houseman“s “Acting Company“. The troupe toured the United States with classical plays, and future stars such as Patti LuPone and David Ogden Steers were among the participants. Thus, the actor began his professional journey not on a film set, but with long tours and roles in Shakespeare and classical repertoire.
From the stage to the big screen
Kline made his debut in the film “Sophie's Choice“ in 1982, where he played Nathan Landau alongside Meryl Streep. He himself later told CBS News that it was his participation in the musical “The Pirates of Penzance“ helped director Alan Pakula notice him for the film.
Followed by “The Big Chill“, “Silverado“ and “Freedom Cry“. His biggest film award came for “A Fish Called Wanda“ in 1988. At the 1989 ceremony, Kline won an “Oscar“ for supporting actor. This was his first and so far only award from the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the award is one of the rare cases in which a comedy role receives an “Oscar“.
Three “Tony“ and Shakespeare on Stage
Theatre has remained a constant in his career. Klein won his first “Tony“ in 1978 for the musical “On the Threshold of the Twentieth Century“, and in 1981 he received a second for the role of the Pirate King in “The Pirates of Penzance“. He was initially worried that success in the comedy musical would limit him, but this production turned out to be an important step towards cinema.
His stage incarnations include Hamlet, Richard III, Henry V, King Lear and Sir John Falstaff. In 2017, Klein won his third “Tony“ for the role of Garry Essendine in “In the Mood for Love“ by Noel Coward.
The voice behind animated characters
Klein has also left his mark outside of feature films. He voiced Captain Phoebe in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame“ and Tulio in “The Road to El Dorado“. Since 2011, he has been the voice of Calvin Fishodder in the animated series “Bob's Burgers“, for which he received an “Emmy“ nomination in 2017.
Kevin Klein has been married to actress Phoebe Cates since 1989. The couple has two children. At 79, the actor remains recognizable with the rare ability to move from Shakespeare to farce, from dramatic cinema to animation, without limiting himself to one genre.
Sources: cbsnews.com, playbill.com, oscars.org