Kevin Spacey Allegedly Harassed Or Assaulted 20 At London Theater

HOLLYWOOD, CA — The Old Vic, the celebrated nonprofit theater in London, has received allegations from 20 young men that they were victims of "inappropriate behavior" by Kevin Spacey, who was the facility's artistic director 2004-2015, it was reported Thursday.

Fourteen of the allegations were so serious that the theatre advised the complainants to contact police, London's Telegraph newspaper reported. Most of the alleged victims were staff members.

All but one of the allegations fall within the period when Spacey was the theater's artistic director, although one dated back to 1995, when Spacey was involved in an Old Vic production, according to the newspaper.

One of the men said he confided in a manager at the time but was ignored, contradicting The Old Vic' initial assertion that it had received no complaints about Spacey while he worked there.

The "cult of personality" surrounding Spacey, who was hired by chief executive Sally Greene to bring Hollywood glamor to the southeast London theatre, meant staff felt unable to raise concerns, an internal investigation found, according to the Telegraph. In all but one case, the individuals alleging inappropriate behavior by Spacey did not come forward at the time, or they asked that no formal action be taken, according to the investigation.

The allegations range "from behavior that made people feel uncomfortable all the way through to sexually inappropriate behavior," the theatre said.

Spacey already faces a police investigation in Britain over an alleged sexual assault in London.

"Despite having the appropriate escalation processes in place, it was claimed that those affected felt unable to raise concerns and that Kevin Spacey operated without sufficient accountability," the theater said. "This is clearly unacceptable and The Old Vic truly apologizes for not creating an environment or culture where people felt able to speak freely," the Old Vic said in a statement on its investigation.

Spacey has not yet commented on the allegations, and The Old Vic has said it has not been possible to verify the claims.

"This investigation concluded that there have been 20 personal allegations of incidents relating to The Old Vic ranging from 1995 to 2013, with the majority (all but two) falling before 2009. No legal claims, formal grievances, formal disputes, settlement agreements or payments made or authorized were made at all in relation to Kevin Spacey during his tenure.

"It has also not been possible to verify any of these allegations, and it is important to note that Kevin Spacey has not commented on them. The review cannot therefore make any findings of fact about the alleged misconduct.

Allegations began to surface against Spacey, 58, late last month when he was accused of making an unwanted sexual advance in 1986 toward then 14-year- old actor Anthony Rapp. Spacey was 26 at the time.

Several other men have since come forward to say that Spacey sexually assaulted them, and a number of entertainment companies are severing their ties with the actor. Production has been suspended on Spacey's Netflix series "House of Cards," and the actor has also been cut from CBS' upcoming special celebrating Carol Burnett.

He's also being removed from the film, "All the Money in the World," which was already shot, and being replaced by Christopher Plummer.

RELATED:

• Kevin Spacey's Brother Describes Abuse-Filled Childhood
  
• Kevin Spacey Sorry For Alleged Sexual Assault On Teen
  
• Netflix Cancels 'House of Cards' Amid Spacey Claims

City News Service; (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for The Old Vic)