5 lesser-known facts about City On A Hill star Kevin Bacon

Kevin Bacon is one of the most notable actors in Hollywood and has starred in numerous movies. He is best known for his work in the 1984 musical-drama Footloose and the 1992 legal drama A Few Good Men, among others.

He most recently appeared in the Showtime crime drama series City on a Hill as FBI agent Jackie Rohr. City on a Hill tells the story of 1990s Boston, a crime-ridden city with a corrupt law enforcement department. When the new Assistant DA, DeCoursy Ward (Aldis Hodge), arrives to the city, he intends to change the whole system and makes an unlikely bond with FBI agent Jackie Rohr.

The series first aired on June 16, 2019 and has aired two seasons till date with a total of 18 episodes. Episode 1 of the show's third season aired on July 31 on Showtime and has already been released on Showtime Now exclusively for streaming on July 29, 2022. The new season will have eight more episodes and picks off after the events of the second season.

Kevin Bacon has had an amazing career over the last four decades. Apart from his work in films, television, and theater, Bacon has released six albums.

Let's take a look at the Mystic River actor and explore some little-known facts about him before we binge-watch his new Showtime crime drama.

Some interesting facts you may not know about Kevin Bacon

1) Kevin Bacon was a waiter before be became an actor

Kevin Bacon in National Lampoon's Animal House (Image via Universal)

While Kevin Bacon has become one of the most well-recognized actors in the industry, he started from humble beginnings. His father was famous as one of the major architects of Philadelphia and a city planner, responsible for changing the modern cityscape, and young Kevin was determined to make it even bigger and decided to become an artist who would be respected everywhere.

Early on, after moving to New York to try out his acting career, he waited tables in one of the more popular Upper West Side hangout cafes called the All State Cafe. Even after working on his debut film, National Lampoon's Animal House, he spent his paycheck within a week and went back to waiting tables while auditioning for more roles. He was even known as "The Chip" from his role in Animal House.

2) He was on the verge of missing his breakthrough role in Footloose

Kevin Bacon's breakthrough role came in the 1984 musical drama Footloose, which propelled him to the status of a pop star. Although he had starred in a number of movies previously, Footloose became somewhat of a defining title for him in his early career.

Surprisingly, he had almost lost the part. Studio executive Dawn Steel thought he was not apt for the role and wanted somebody else like Tom Cruise or Rob Lowe. Fortunately for him, his performances in previous projects caught the eyes of the director and producer. They advocated for him and after some dance classes, a screen test and a haircut, he was finalized to play the role of Ren.

3) Kevin Bacon has never been nominated for the Academy Awards

Kevin Bacon has had a long career spanning over 40 years with a number of successful titles under his name. Some of the most prominent films he has worked in would be Apollo 13 (1995), Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011), Hollow Man (2000), X Men: First Class (2011), Black Mass (2011) and many more. He has also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003.

But surprisingly, he has never been nominated for an Academy Award throughout his entire career. It is positively surprising considering that five films he has starred in have gone on to the Academy Awards with nominations for Best Picture and even more films in other segments.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Bacon said that he is not very fond of the Oscars season, as he has not been nominated yet and just has to see others getting nominations and winning at the Academy Awards. While he may not be an Academy Award winner, he has received numerous other awards and accolades like the Golden Globe, Saturn Awards and more.

4) Kevin Bacon's affinity to characters named Jack

(Right to Left) Kevin Bacon as Capt. Jack Ross, Jack Burrell, Jackie Rohr (Images via Columbia/Paramount/Showtime)

A fun little tidbit about the numerous characters Bacon has played till date is that he has a certain affinity to the name, Jack. So much so, he has been cast in numerous films as a character named Jack - precisely eight times till date.

Friday the 13th - Jack Burrell
Quicksilver - Jack Casey
A Few Good Men - Captain Jack Ross
Apollo 13 - Jack Swigert
My Dog Skip - Jack Morris
Frost/Nixon - Jack Brennan
Super - Jacques (French for Jack)
City on a Hill - Jackie Rohr

5) Six Degrees of Bacon

Kevin Bacon is the subject of a fun parlor game based on the idea of six degrees of separation. The concept of the game, called Six Degrees of Bacon, follows that Kevin Bacon can be connected to any actor that comes to mind within six steps or less, through movies in which they have starred themselves or alongside somebody who has shared the screen with Bacon.

Although Bacon wasn't very happy about the venture at first, he gradually embraced it and has even endorsed it himself. He used the game to start a charitable foundation in 2007 under the name "Six Degrees" and has raised $5 million till date.

Edited by Somava