On this day in 1958, a baby boy named Kevin Norwood Bacon was born in Philadelphia. Seventeen years later, he would leave home to pursue a career in theater, only to find his way onto the big screen via a role in Animal House. Over thirty years after making that film debut, Bacon has established himself as one of America's most beloved actors (and the subject of one of our favorite parlor games). Now let's celebrate Bacon's birthday the only way we know how -- by pinpointing his finest onscreen moment.
While the actor's most iconic moment onscreen is from his breakout hit Footloose (below), Bacon has played everything from a yuppie slacker (Diner) to a gay, fascist prostitute (JFK) to a fugitive murderer who enjoys whitewater rafting (The River Wild), demonstrating a skilled range uncommon among some of our most gifted, Oscar-decorated actors. And while Bacon has not (yet) earned an Academy Award nomination, his work in A Few Good Men, Sleepers, Apollo 13, Mystic River, The Woodsman and Frost/Nixon has garnered him the kind of respect most performers dream of.
Please join us in wishing Kevin Bacon a happy birthday by sharing your favorite onscreen moment of his in the space below!