This week the Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey is due to appear in court in London for the start of his trial on a dozen sex offence charges. He is accused of offences against four men that are said to have taken place between 2001 and 2013.The charges against him include indecent and sexual assaults and one serious offence of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent, which carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.

The actor, whose real name is Kevin Fowler, was born in South Orange, New Jersey, in 1959. He burst onto the Hollywood scene in the mid-1980s and his career took off with his portrayal of a ruthless real-life businessman in the 1995 movie "The Usual Suspects".

Spacey is to appear at London's Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday for the selection of the jury and the prosecution case may not formally begin until later this week or next week. The 63-year-old actor, who won Oscars for best actor in "American Beauty" (1999) and best supporting actor in "The Usual Suspects" (1995), spent a decade working in London as artistic director for the Old Vic theatre from 2004 to 2015.

British prosecutors first announced he faced charges in May 2022, with allegations from five assaults between 2005 and 2013. Last November they authorized a further seven charges involving sex assaults on one man between 2001 and 2004. Spacey, once one of Hollywood's biggest stars, has been accused of sexual misconduct six years ago and has been largely absent from public view since then.

Last October in the United States, a civil court case against him was dismissed by jurors in Manhattan who found his accuser had not proved his claim that Spacey had made an unwanted sexual advance on him when he was 14. The actor, whose real name is Kevin Fowler, was born in South Orange, New Jersey, in 1959. His career began in the mid-1980s and he shot to fame with his portrayal of a ruthless real-life businessman in the 1995 movie "The Usual Suspects". Spacey now faces a four-week trial in London, with the possibility of life imprisonment if found guilty of these charges. The outcome of this case will be keenly followed by many, as it could have far-reaching implications for the actor's career and legacy.