Kevin Kline was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Margaret and RobertJoseph Kline, who owned several stores. His father was of German Jewishdescent and his mother was of Irish ancestry. After attending IndianaUniversity in Bloomington, Kline studied at the Juilliard School in NewYork. In 1972, Kline joined the Acting Company in New York which wasrun byJohn Houseman. With thiscompany, Kline performed Shakespeare across the country. On the stage,Kline has won two Tony Awards for his work in the musicals "On theTwentieth Century" (1978) and "The Pirates of Penzance" (1981). Afterworking on the Television soapSearch for Tomorrow (1951),Kline went to Hollywood where his first film wasSophie's Choice (1982). He wasnominated for a Golden Globe for his performance. His work in theensemble cast ofSaikai no Toki (1983) would again behighly successful, so that whenLawrence Kasdan wroteSilverado (1985), Kline would again bepart of the cast. With his role as Otto "Don't call me Stupid!" West inthe filmWanda to Daiya to Yasashii Yatsura (1988),Kline would win the Oscar for Supporting Actor. Kline could playclassic roles such as Hamlet inHamlet (1990);or a swashbuckling actor likeDouglas Fairbanks inChaplin (1992); or a comedic role inSoapdish (1991). In all the films thathe has worked in, it is hard to find a performance that is not welldone. In 1989, Kline married actressPhoebe Cates.