Kevin Spacey 'glad to be working' as he is feted in Cannes
Spacey, who won Oscars for American Beauty and The Usual Suspects, was one of Hollywood's biggest stars before he was first accused of sexual assault in 2017, after which he was dropped from the TV drama House of Cards. He has denied all allegations of any illegal behaviour.
In 2022, the now-65-year-old was charged in Britain with nine sexual offences against four men between 2004 and 2013 but was acquitted of all charges after a high-profile trial in 2023.
In the United States in 2022, Spacey defeated a sexual abuse case against him after jurors in a Manhattan civil trial found his accuser did not prove his allegation that Spacey made a sexual advance towards him when he was 14.
Spacey was in Cannes to receive an award for excellence in film and television from the Better World Fund, which fundraises in the name of "cinematic art at the service of humanity", at a charity gala dinner at the Carlton Hotel.
"I've heard from so many of my friends, colleagues, and co-stars in the last week since this award was announced that I feel surrounded by support," Spacey said before the event.
"I'm glad to be working," he added, when asked whether his appearance marked a comeback.
Spacey is also in Cannes during the festival to help Britain's Camelot Films sell the conspiracy action thriller The Awakening, in which he plays the character Balthazar.
He faces separate civil lawsuits from three men for alleged sexual abuse in London and is defending the cases.
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