Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes CBE (born 1 August 1965) is an English film and stage director, producer and screenwriter. In theatre, he is known for his dark re-inventions of the stage musicals Cabaret (1994), Oliver! (1994), Company (1995), and Gypsy (2003). He directed an original West End stage musical for the first time with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2013).
For directing the play The Ferryman, Mendes was awarded the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play in 2019.
Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey has denied he has been keeping a low profile since a string of sexual misconduct accusations brought his stellar career to a halt in 2017, in a rare meeting with the press ahead of an awards ceremony in northern Italy on Monday evening. “I live my life every day, I go to restaurants, I meet people, drive, play tennis, I’ve always managed to meet generous, genuine, compassionate people,” Spacey told Italian news agency Ansa. “I haven’t hidden away, I haven’t gone to live in a cave,” he said.
Spacey was speaking ahead of a special honorary event organized by Italy’s National Cinema Museum in the northern city of Turin on Monday.
Deadline’s request to speak to Spacey was turned down but the actor agreed to speak to a handful of Italian outlets including local news agency Ansa.
The actor is due to give a public masterclass, moderated by the museum’s director Domenico De Gaetano and then receive the institution’s Stella della Mole Award for lifetime achievement.
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