Hollywood Actor Kevin Spacey Rushed to Hospital for Heart Attack Scare

Renowned actor Kevin Spacey disclosed that he suffered symptoms of a potential impending heart attack during a trip to Uzbekistan.

Spacey was touring the Afrasiyab Museum in the ancient Silk Road city in Samarkand when the scare happened, according to his speech at the 15th Tashkent International Film Festival.

Spacey's health scare

As he was admiring elaborate murals in the museum exhibits, Spacey's left arm fell numb, which prompted him to go to the nearest medical facility in hopes of preventing a potential heart attack. Medical professionals have cleared Spacey of the heart attack after a series of tests and an MRI.

Adding more to his speech in the film festival's closing ceremony, the formerly disgraced actor said he has a newfound appreciation for life after the scare. Spacey said he is "grateful it's not anything more serious. But it also made me really take a moment and think about how fragile life is – for all of us."

He thanked staff who were part of the film festival, remarking that their help in coordinating his trip to the hospital went better than expected. Spacey also put the spotlight on the filmmakers who are part of the Tashkent International Film Festival, saying to seize the platform to tell more stories.

Recovery for Spacey

Apart from the heart attack scare, Spacey is out to rebuild his acting career after he faced lawsuits for alleged sexual abuse between 2001 to 2013. He announced in his Tashkent speech that his attendance at the film festival was a new beginning for his career to take off once more.

Spacey initially faced these allegations last October 2017. Four of Spacey's alleged victims accused the actor of nine sexual offences.

But ever since the allegations broke out, Spacey's involvement in several film projects was either withdrawn or cancelled. Among these projects were a Ridley Scott film, 'All the Money in the World', and his leading role as US President Frank Underwood in Netflix's 'House of Cards'. Spacey's co-star, Robin Wright, replaced him as the lead and had the last season of the show rewritten for Wright's takeover.

The allegations resulted in a lawsuit filed in the UK, where Spacey faced nine counts of assault. At least 30 men spoke out against Spacey, claiming that they were sexual harassment victims of the award-winning actor.

One of the first victims to surface was actor Anthony Rapp, who claims Spacey sexually assaulted him when he was only 14. In response, Spacey released a video declaring he was gay. In the same video, Spacey claimed that he did not remember any incident between him and Rapp but if he ever did make distasteful advances, he owed Rapp a deep apology.

In October 2022, Spacey won over the lawsuit filed by Rapp in New York, with the jury claiming that Spacey was not liable for battery.

Spacey also won over cases filed against him in London earlier this year. The Southwark Crown Court cleared Spacey of sexual battery charges against him by four accusers last June. Should he have been found guilty of the crime, Spacey would have faced life imprisonment.