Kevin Bacon

Inspired a game called "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon", whereby people have to link any given actor to him by no more than six steps. For instance, to do Fred MacMurray, you could observe that MacMurray worked with Lee Marvin in The Caine Mutiny (1954), which is one step; and Marvin worked with Jane Fonda in Cat Ballou (1965), which is two steps; and Fonda worked with Jack Lemmon in The China Syndrome (1979), which is three steps; and Lemmon worked with Bacon in JFK (1991), which completes the link in four steps. Harder versions of the game exist, limiting the player to five, four or even three steps. The original version of this game existed for numerous years and the pivot-person was then Paul Erdös, a mathematician (one's Erdös number measures the number of people a scientist is away from having authored a paper with Dr. Erdös). A very few people, mostly scientists who have appeared in documentaries (such as Carl Sagan), or actors who have also co-authored scientific papers (such as Danica McKellar and Natalie Portman), have both Erdös AND Bacon numbers.

His father Edmund Bacon, a famous Philadelphia city planner, was featured on the Nov. 6, 1964 cover of Time magazine. His mother was Ruth Bacon, a teacher and liberal political activist.

In Quicksilver (1986) and A Few Good Men (1992), his characters are both nicknamed "Smiling Jack".

Met wife Kyra Sedgwick on the set of "American Playhouse: Lemon Sky (#7.5)" (1988).

Son, Travis Bacon (born June 23, 1989), with wife Kyra Sedgwick.

Daughter, Sosie Bacon, was born on March 15, 1992, with wife Kyra Sedgwick.

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#61). [1995]

Is part of The Bacon Brothers, with his older brother Michael Bacon. The band has released three albums: "Forosoco" (1997), "Getting There" (1999) and "Can't Complain" (2001).

In preparation for his role in Telling Lies in America (1997), he "hung out" in the radio studio with and based his on-air banter on his friend Jerry Blavat, the celebrated oldies DJ from Philadelphia and an inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; aka the "Geator with the Heater".

He was the first choice for the Charlie Sheen part in Being John Malkovich (1999).

His line, "I am a Goddamn genius", is quoted in both Hollow Man (2000) and Trapped (2002).

Actor Girard Swan worked as his stand-in on the new Ron Howard film Frost/Nixon (2008).

Kevin Bacon was the last interview of PARADE's "In Step With..." columnist James Brady, who passed away on January 26, 2009. The interview of Kevin Bacon appeared in the February 15, 2009 issue of PARADE magazine.

Vacationed with his family in Punta del Este, Uruguay. [December 2009]