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{{short description|Parlor game on degrees of separation}}
'''Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon''' is a ] based on the "]" concept, which posits that any two people on Earth are six or fewer acquaintance links apart. That idea eventually morphed into this parlor game, wherein movie buffs challenge each other to find the shortest path between an arbitrary actor and venerated Hollywood ] ]. It rests on the assumption that any individual involved in the ], California, film industry can be linked through his or her ] roles to Kevin Bacon within six steps. The game requires a group of players to try to connect any such individual to Kevin Bacon as quickly as possible and in as few links as possible. It can also be described as a ] ] based on the concept of the ]. In 2007, Bacon started a ] named ].
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2015}}
], who has a Bacon number of 2: Purefoy appeared in '']'' with ], and Bonham Carter appeared in '']'' with Bacon. <!--Although this is a photo relating to the pair's work together on The Following, the six degrees game is played explicitly via films.-->]]
'''Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon''' or '''Bacon's Law''' is a ] where players challenge each other to arbitrarily choose an actor and then connect them to another actor via a film that both actors have appeared in together, repeating this process to try to find the shortest path that ultimately leads to prolific American actor ]. It rests on the assumption that anyone involved in the ] film industry can be linked through their film roles to Bacon within six steps. The game's name is a reference to "]", a concept that posits that any two people on Earth are six or fewer acquaintance links apart.


In 2007, Bacon started a ] called ]. In 2020, Bacon started a ] called ''The Last Degree of Kevin Bacon''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kevin Bacon's best friend definitely wants to murder him in exclusive trailer for his new podcast|url=https://ew.com/podcasts/2020/02/12/the-last-degree-of-kevin-bacon-spotify-podcast-trailer/|website=EW.com|language=EN|access-date=2020-05-01}}</ref>
⚫ == History ==
In a January 1994 ] interview about the film '']'', Kevin Bacon commented that he had worked with everybody in ] or someone who's worked with them. On April 7, 1994, a lengthy ] thread headed "Kevin Bacon is the Center of the Universe" appeared.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.movies/browse_frm/thread/faa36e7ba4704e7f/58cbe670d2acbcd7 |title=Kevin Bacon is the Center of the Universe |last=Ruthven |first=Alexander |date=1994-04-07 |work=rec.arts.movies |publisher=Google groups |accessdate=2009-07-19}}</ref>


⚫ ==History==
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon first surfaced at about the same time. The game was created in early 1994 by three ] students, Craig Fass, Brian Turtle, and Mike Ginelli. According to an interview with the three in the spring 1999 issue of the college's magazine, ''The Albright Reporter'', they were watching '']'' during a heavy snowstorm. When the film was followed by '']'', they began to speculate on how many movies Bacon had been in and the number of people he had worked with. In the interview, Brian Turtle said, "It became one of our stupid party tricks I guess. People would throw names at us and we'd connect them to Kevin Bacon."
In a January 1994 interview with ], Kevin Bacon mentioned while discussing the film '']'' that "he had worked with everybody in Hollywood or someone who's worked with them."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2012/09/13/google_adds_six_degrees_of_kevin_bacon_to_search_engine.html|title=Google adds Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon to search engine|last=Teotonio|first=Isabel|date=September 13, 2012|website=Toronto Star|access-date=January 31, 2018}}</ref> Following this, a lengthy ] thread which was headed "Kevin Bacon is the Center of the Universe" appeared.<ref>{{Cite newsgroup |url=http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.movies/browse_frm/thread/faa36e7ba4704e7f/58cbe670d2acbcd7 |title=Kevin Bacon is the Center of the Universe |last=Ruthven |first=Alexander |date=April 7, 1994 |newsgroup=rec.arts.movies |via=Google groups |access-date=2009-07-19}}</ref> In 1994, three ] students - Craig Fass, Brian Turtle and Mike Ginelli - invented the game that became known as "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" after seeing two movies on television that featured Bacon back to back, '']'' and '']''. During the latter film they began to speculate on how many movies Bacon had been in and the number of people with whom he had worked.<ref>{{cite web |title=6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon: A Social Phenomenon Turns 20 (Full Session) {{!}} Interactive 2014 {{!}} SXSW |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiHiyF7Tza8 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=28 June 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The exact history of 'Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon' |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/the-exact-history-of-six-degrees-of-kevin-bacon/NCVVAU73UZ4TNCZAK726ENOBBQ/ |access-date=28 June 2021 |work=NZ Herald |date=31 August 2019 |language=en-NZ}}</ref>


The quartet wrote a letter to ] host ], telling him that "Kevin Bacon was the center of the entertainment universe" and explaining the game.<ref name="book"/> They appeared on '']'' and '']'' with Bacon to explain the game. Bacon admitted that he initially disliked the game because he believed it was ridiculing him, but he eventually came to enjoy it. The three inventors released a book, ''Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon'' (ISBN 9780452278448), with an introduction written by Bacon.<ref name="book">{{cite book |last1=Fass |first1=Craig |first2=Brian |last2=Turtle |first3=Mike |last3=Ginelli |title=Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon |year=1996 |publisher=] |location=] |isbn=978-0-452-27844-8}}</ref> A board game based on the concept was released by ]. They wrote a letter to talk show host ], telling him that "Kevin Bacon was the center of the entertainment universe" and explaining the game.<ref name="book"/> They appeared on '']'' and '']'' with Bacon to explain the game. Bacon admitted that he initially disliked the game because he believed it was ridiculing him, but he eventually came to enjoy it. The three inventors released a book, ''Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon'' ({{ISBN|9780452278448}}), with an introduction written by Bacon.<ref name="book">{{cite book |last1=Fass |first1=Craig |first2=Brian |last2=Turtle |first3=Mike |last3=Ginelli |title=Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon |year=1996 |publisher=] |location=New York |isbn=978-0-452-27844-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/sixdegreesofkevi00fass }}</ref> A board game based on the concept was released by Endless Games.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://endlessgames.com/about-us/ |title=About Us |last1=Gasser |first1=Mike |last2=McNulty | first2=Kevin |last3=Turtle |first3=Brian |website=Endless Games |access-date=June 12, 2021 |quote=Founded by industry veterans Mike Gasser, Kevin McNulty and game inventor Brian Turtle, Endless Games specializes in games that offer classic entertainment and hours of fun at affordable prices. The three have an uncanny ability for discovering and developing hit games, having been a part in past successes Trivial Pursuit, Pictionary and Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.}}</ref>


==In popular culture==
Bacon also appeared in a commercial for the ] ] that parodied the game. In the commercial, Bacon wants to write a check to buy a book, but the clerk asks for his ID, which he does not have. He leaves and returns with a group of people, then says to the clerk, "Okay, I was in a movie with an extra, Eunice, whose hairdresser, Wayne, attended Sunday school with Father O'Neill, who plays racquetball with Dr. Sanjay, who recently removed the appendix of Kim, who dumped you sophomore year. So you see, we're practically brothers."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bestads.tv/view/778/visa-check-card-the-six-degrees-of-kevin-bacon/ |title=VISA CHECK CARD The Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon |publisher=Bestads.TV |date= |accessdate=2009-07-30}}</ref> In a similar vein, ], in a column describing the unexpected complications that emerged when he attempted to find out the precise wording of the ]'s catchphrase, connected the Lone Ranger to Kevin Bacon in the following way: the Lone Ranger was the ]'s great-uncle; the Green Hornet and ] both hung out with ]; Simpson and ] co-starred in '']''; Wagner and Bacon co-starred in '']''. <ref>Dave Barry, ''Boogers Are My Beat'' (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2003), 101.</ref>
In 1995 ] referenced the concept in a commercial, having ] (from ]) as the central figure in the 'Cartoon Network Universe'.<ref name="cnvelma01">{{cite AV media
| date = March 1995
| title = Cartoon Network - March 1-13, 1995 Commercials, ID's & Interstitlals
| medium = Television production
| language = en
| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k5-Jli_OIM&t=9m21s
| access-date = 2020-12-21
| publisher = Cartoon Network
}}</ref> The commercial cites connections as arbitrary as fake appearances, sharing of clothes, or physical resemblance.


The concept was also presented in an episode of the TV show '']'' dated November 19, 1996, in which a character expressed the opinion that every actor is only three degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon. Bacon spoofed the concept himself in a cameo he performed for the independent film '']''.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://web.mac.com/jdshapiro/Site/WeMarriedMargo.html#1 | title = We Married Margo | work = J.D. Shapiro’s Official Website}}</ref> Playing himself in a 2003 episode of '']'', Bacon connects himself to ] through ] and jokes "Hey, that was a short one!".<ref>''Will and Grace'', Season 5 episode 2 "Bacon and Eggs"</ref> The concept was also presented in an episode of the TV show '']'' dated November 19, 1996, in which a character expressed the opinion that every actor is only three degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon. Bacon spoofed the concept himself in a cameo he performed for the independent film '']''.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://web.mac.com/jdshapiro/Site/WeMarriedMargo.html#1 | title = We Married Margo | work = J.D. Shapiro's Official Website}}</ref> Playing himself in a 2003 episode of '']'', Bacon connects himself to ] through ] and jokes "Hey, that was a short one!".<ref>''Will and Grace'', Season 5 episode 2 "Bacon and Eggs"</ref> The headline of '']'', a satirical newspaper, on October 30, 2002, was "Kevin Bacon Linked To ]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theonion.com/articles/kevin-bacon-linked-to-alqaeda,37/|title=The Onion, Volume 38, Issue 40|publisher=theonion.com |access-date=May 26, 2013}}</ref> Bacon provides the voice-over commentary for the ] attraction at the ] in ]. At several points throughout the commentary, Bacon alludes to his connections to Hollywood stars via other actors with whom he has worked.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}


In '']'', written by ], a sorority sister played by ] refers to Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.stillscreaming.com/scream/trilogy/two/scream_two_references.php | title = References Made During Scream 2 | publisher = Still Screaming}}</ref> Bacon himself later starred in '']'', also created and written by Williamson, and broadcast on ] between 2013 and 2015.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://deadline.com/2015/05/the-following-cancelled-fox-1201423293/| title = 'The Following' Cancelled By Fox | date = May 8, 2015 | publisher = ]}}</ref>
The headline of '']'', a satirical newspaper, on October 30, 2002, was "Kevin Bacon Linked To ]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theonion.com/articles/kevin-bacon-linked-to-alqaeda,37/|title=The Onion, Volume 38, Issue 40|publisher=theonion.com |date= |accessdate=2013-05-26}}</ref>


The annual '']'' event on the ] television channel sometimes includes a "360 Degrees of Oscar" strand where each film shown shares an actor with the previous one.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Roush |first1=Matt |title=Worth Watching: Super Bowl Mania (Also Kitten and Puppy Bowls), 31 Days of Oscar on TCM, A Case of 'Poisoned Love' |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/910578/whats-on-tv-saturday-february-1-sunday-february-2/ |access-date=12 June 2021 |work=TV Insider}}</ref> It has been used as recently as 2020.
Bacon provides the voice-over commentary for the ] attraction at the ] in ]. At several points throughout the commentary, Bacon alludes to his connections to Hollywood stars via other actors with whom he has worked.


In 2009, Bacon narrated a ] show 'The Human Family Tree'<ref>{{cite web | url = http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/the-human-family-tree-3706/Overview | title = The Human Family Tree | publisher = ]}}</ref> – a program charting the work of the ] and its work on the genetic interconnectedness of all humans. In 2009, Bacon narrated a ] show ''The Human Family Tree''<ref>{{cite web | url = http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/the-human-family-tree-3706/Overview | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090711124359/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/the-human-family-tree-3706/Overview | url-status = dead | archive-date = July 11, 2009 | title = The Human Family Tree | publisher = ]}}</ref> – a program which describes the efforts of that organization's ] to establish the genetic interconnectedness of all humans. Bacon appeared in a commercial for the ] ] that referenced the game. In the commercial, Bacon wants to write a check to buy a book, but the clerk asks for his ID, which he does not have. He leaves and returns with a group of people, then says to the clerk, "Okay, I was in a movie with an extra, Eunice, whose hairdresser, Wayne, attended Sunday school with Father O'Neill, who plays racquetball with Dr. Sanjay, who recently removed the appendix of Kim, who dumped you sophomore year. So you see, we're practically brothers."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afJRKbBEr2Q |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/afJRKbBEr2Q| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title=VISA CHECK CARD The Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon |publisher=YouTube |access-date=Sep 4, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>


⚫ In 2011, ] made reference to Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon while hosting the ].{{clarify|date=December 2020}} ] began a UK television advertising campaign in November 2012, based on the Six Degrees concept, where Bacon illustrates his connections and draws attention to how the EE 4G network allows similar connectivity.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.saatchi.co.uk/news/archive/ee_debuts_multi-million_pound_marketing_launch_campaign_starring_kevin_bacon_ | title = EE debuts multi-million pound marketing launch campaign starring Kevin Bacon | publisher = The Lovemarks Company, Saatchi & Saatchi London | access-date=November 5, 2012}}</ref>
In 2011, ] made reference to Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon while hosting the ].


In ]'s song "Lame Claim to Fame", one of the lines is, "I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows Kevin Bacon."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genius.com/3432173/Weird-al-yankovic-lame-claim-to-fame/I-know-a-guy-who-knows-a-guy-who-knows-a-guy-who-knows-a-guy-who-knows-a-guy-who-knows-kevin-bacon|title=I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy / Who knows a guy who knows Kevin Bacon|website=Genius}}</ref> American rapper MC Zappa also makes reference to the game in his 2018 song "Level Up (The Ill Cypher)".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genius.com/16599085/Mc-zappa-level-up-the-ill-cypher/Word-they-be-chasin-heaven-like-jason-nevin-but-theres-more-degrees-of-separation-than-kevin-bacon|title=Word; they be chasin' heaven like Jason Nevin / But there's more degrees of separation than Kevin Bacon|website=Genius}}</ref>
In the summer of 2012, ] began to offer the ability to find an actor's Bacon number on its main page, by searching for the actor's name preceded by the phrase, "bacon number".


⚫ The most highly connected nodes of the Internet have been referred to as "the Kevin Bacons of the Web", inasmuch as they enable most users to navigate to most sites in 19 clicks or less.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2013/02/any-two-pages-on-the-web-are-connected-by-19-clicks-or-less/ |title=Any Two Pages on the Web Are Connected By 19 Clicks or Less |work=] |last=Stromberg |first=Joseph |date=February 18, 2013 |access-date=March 22, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Discussion: Network science |author=Albert-László Barabási |date=February 18, 2013 |volume=371 |doi=10.1098/rsta.2012.0375 |pmid=23419844 |issue=1987 |pages=20120375 |journal=] |doi-access=free }}</ref>
⚫ ] began a UK television advertising campaign on November 3, 2012, based on the Six Degrees concept, where Kevin Bacon illustrates his connections and draws attention to how the EE 4G network allows similar connectivity.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.saatchi.co.uk/news/archive/ee_debuts_multi-million_pound_marketing_launch_campaign_starring_kevin_bacon_ | title = EE debuts multi-million pound marketing launch campaign starring Kevin Bacon | publisher = The Lovemarks Company, Saatchi & Saatchi London | accessdate=2012-11-05}}</ref>

⚫ The most highly connected nodes of the Internet have been referred to as "the 'Kevin Bacons' of the Web," inasmuch as they enable most users to navigate to most sites in 19 clicks or less.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2013/02/any-two-pages-on-the-web-are-connected-by-19-clicks-or-less/ |title=Any Two Pages on the Web Are Connected By 19 Clicks or Less |work=] |last=Stromberg |first=Joseph |date=February 18, 2013 |accessdate=March 22, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://rsta.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/371/1987/20120375.full |title=Discussion: Network science |author=Albert-László Barabási |date=February 18, 2013 |volume=371 |doi=10.1098/rsta.2012.0375 |issue=1987 |journal=] |accessdate=March 22, 2013}}</ref>


== Bacon numbers == == Bacon numbers ==
] ]
The '''Bacon number''' of an ] or actress is the number of degrees of separation he or she has from Bacon, as defined by the game. This is an application of the ] concept to the ] movie industry. The higher the Bacon number, the farther away from Kevin Bacon the actor is. The '''Bacon number''' of an ] is the number of degrees of separation they have from ], as defined by the game. This is an application of the ] concept to the ] movie industry. The higher the Bacon number, the greater the separation from Kevin Bacon the actor is.<ref name="USAToday20070814">{{cite news |date=August 14, 2007 |title=There's not much separating her from Bacon, Erdos |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20070814/bl_cover14_side.art.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104060408/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20070814/bl_cover14_side.art.htm |archive-date=November 4, 2012 |work=]}}</ref>


The computation of a Bacon number for actor X is a "]" ], applied to the ]: The computation of a Bacon number for actor X is a "]" ], applied to the ]:
* Kevin Bacon has a Bacon number of 0. * Kevin Bacon himself has a Bacon number of 0.
* Those actors who have worked directly with Kevin Bacon have a Bacon number of 1. * Actors who have worked directly with Kevin Bacon have a Bacon number of 1.
* If the lowest Bacon number of any actor with whom X has appeared in any movie is N, X's Bacon number is N+1. * If the lowest Bacon number of any actor with whom X has appeared in any movie is N, X's Bacon number is N+1.


===Examples===
I like will, he is good...


* ] was in '']'' (1969) with ]. Ed Asner was in '']'' (1991) with Kevin Bacon. Therefore, Asner has a Bacon number of 1, and Presley (who never appeared in a film with Bacon) has a Bacon number of 2.<ref>{{cite web |access-date=2024-07-17 |date=2019-04-17 |first=Frank |language=en-US |last=Agin |title=Networking Lessons From The "Kevin Bacon" Game - Innovate New Albany {{!}} New Albany, Ohio |url=https://innovatenewalbany.org/networking/networking-lessons-from-the-kevin-bacon-game/ |website=Innovate New Albany}}<!-- auto-translated from Spanish by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>
Here is an example, using ]:
* Elvis Presley was in '']'' (1969) with ]
* Edward Asner was in '']'' (1991) with Kevin Bacon


* ] was in '']'' (2014) with ] and ]. McAvoy and Fassbender were in '']'' (2011) with Kevin Bacon. Therefore, McAvoy and Fassbender have Bacon numbers of 1, and McKellen has a Bacon number of 2.
Therefore, Asner has a Bacon number of 1, and Presley (who never appeared in a film with Bacon) has a Bacon number of 2.


⚫ Because some people have both a finite Bacon ''and'' a finite ] because of acting and publications, there are a rare few who have a finite ], which is defined as the sum of a person's independent Erdős and Bacon numbers.
{{As of|2013|2|6}}, the highest finite Bacon number reported by the Oracle of Bacon is 9.<ref name=center>{{cite web | url = http://oracleofbacon.org/center.php | title = Who is the Center of the Hollywood Universe? | work = The Oracle of Bacon | first = Patrick | last = Reynolds}}</ref>


⚫ == Photography book ==
⚫ Because some people have both Bacon ''and'' Erdős numbers because of acting and publications, there are a rare few who have an ], which is defined as the sum of a person's independent Erdős and Bacon numbers.
Inspired by the game, the British photographer Andy Gotts tried to reach Kevin Bacon through photographic links instead of film links.


⚫ Gotts wrote to 300 actors asking to take their pictures and received permission only from ]. Ackland then suggested that Gotts photograph ], with whom he had appeared in the film '']''. Gotts proceeded from there, asking each actor to refer him to one or more friends or colleagues. Eventually, ] referred him to Bacon. Gotts' photograph of Bacon completed the project, eight years after it began. Gotts published the photos in a book, ''Degrees'' ({{ISBN|0-9546843-6-2}}), with text by ], ], and Bacon.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.clooneystudio.com/degrees2.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071013051515/http://clooneystudio.com/degrees2.html | archive-date = October 13, 2007 | title = Andy Gotts' Degrees Exhibition | work = Clooney Studio}}</ref>
=== Undefined Bacon numbers ===
A small proportion of actors have an undefined Bacon number, meaning that they cannot be linked to Bacon in any number of connections at all. According to the ''Oracle of Bacon'' website, approximately 12% of all actors cannot be linked to Bacon using its criteria, but this number is difficult to verify.

==Center of the Hollywood Universe==
While at the ], Brett Tjaden created the Oracle of Bacon,<ref></ref> a computer program that uses information on some 800,000 people from the ] (IMDb). The algorithm calculates "how good a center"<ref>{{cite web | url = http://oracleofbacon.org/cgi-bin/center-cgi | work = The Oracle of Bacon | title = How good a center an actor is? | first = Patrick | last = Reynolds}}</ref> an individual IMDb personality is, i.e. a ] of the degree of separation of all the people that link to that particular person. The site returns an average ''personality'' number, e.g. for ], it returns an average "Clint Eastwood Number." From there the Oracle site posits "The Center of the Hollywood Universe" as being the person with the lowest average personality number. Kevin Bacon, as it turns out, is not the "Center of the Hollywood Universe" (i.e. the most linkable actor). In fact, Bacon does not even make the top 100 list of average personality numbers.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://oracleofbacon.org/center_list.php | work = The Oracle of Bacon | title = 1000 best centers | first = Patrick | last = Reynolds}}</ref> While he is not the most linkable actor, this still signifies being a better center than more than 99% of the people who have ever appeared in a film.<ref name=center /> Since each actor's average personality number can change with each new film made, the center can and does shift. "Centers" have included ], ], ] and ] (the current center as of April, 2013). ] is the current and all-time highest woman in the list.

⚫ ==Photography book==
⚫ Inspired by the game, the ] ] ] tried to reach Bacon through photographic links instead of film links. He wrote to 300 actors asking to take their pictures, and received permission from one, ]. Ackland then suggested that Gotts photograph ], with whom he had appeared in the film '']''. Gotts proceeded from there, asking each actor to refer him to one or more friends or colleagues. Eventually, ] referred him to Bacon. Gotts' photograph of Bacon completed the project, eight years after it began. Gotts published the photos in a book, ''Degrees'' (ISBN 0-9546843-6-2), with text by ], ], and Bacon.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.clooneystudio.com/degrees2.html | archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071013051515/http://clooneystudio.com/degrees2.html | archivedate = 13 October 2007 | title = Andy Gotts' Degrees Exhibition | work = Clooney Studio}}</ref>


== See also == == See also ==
*]
*], connections via chess games to ]; *], connections via chess games to Paul Morphy
*], equivalent in the ] world with ];
*], collaborations on mathematical papers with ]; *], equivalent in the Go world with Honinbo Shusaku
*], equivalent for Mathematicians with Paul Erdős
*], the sum of a Bacon number and Erdős number, defined for some who have both collaborated on academic papers and worked in the film industry.


== Notes == == References ==
{{Reflist}} {{Reflist}}


==External links== ==External links==
⚫ * computes the Bacon number of any actor or actress
* - is a site built for finding the connections between actors and the movies they have played in.
* - Suggests that Bacon connects to many actors because he acts in many different kinds of roles and films. * by Malcolm Gladwell

⚫ * The computes the Bacon number of any actor or actress from IMDb data
{{Kevin Bacon}}
* finds links between stars, but can also use directors and producers.
*
* - a web game that combines Six Degree actor connections with the grid-logic of Sudoku.
* - combines Erdos Bacon and Black Sabbath.


{{DEFAULTSORT:Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon}}
⚫ ]
]
⚫ ]
] ]
⚫ ]
⚫ ]


]
] ]

Latest revision as of 07:34, 16 October 2024

Parlor game on degrees of separation

Kevin Bacon (right) with James Purefoy, who has a Bacon number of 2: Purefoy appeared in Women Talking Dirty with Helena Bonham Carter, and Bonham Carter appeared in Novocaine with Bacon.

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon or Bacon's Law is a parlor game where players challenge each other to arbitrarily choose an actor and then connect them to another actor via a film that both actors have appeared in together, repeating this process to try to find the shortest path that ultimately leads to prolific American actor Kevin Bacon. It rests on the assumption that anyone involved in the Hollywood film industry can be linked through their film roles to Bacon within six steps. The game's name is a reference to "six degrees of separation", a concept that posits that any two people on Earth are six or fewer acquaintance links apart.

In 2007, Bacon started a charitable organization called SixDegrees.org. In 2020, Bacon started a podcast called The Last Degree of Kevin Bacon.

History

In a January 1994 interview with Premiere magazine, Kevin Bacon mentioned while discussing the film The River Wild that "he had worked with everybody in Hollywood or someone who's worked with them." Following this, a lengthy newsgroup thread which was headed "Kevin Bacon is the Center of the Universe" appeared. In 1994, three Albright College students - Craig Fass, Brian Turtle and Mike Ginelli - invented the game that became known as "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" after seeing two movies on television that featured Bacon back to back, Footloose and The Air Up There. During the latter film they began to speculate on how many movies Bacon had been in and the number of people with whom he had worked.

They wrote a letter to talk show host Jon Stewart, telling him that "Kevin Bacon was the center of the entertainment universe" and explaining the game. They appeared on The Jon Stewart Show and The Howard Stern Show with Bacon to explain the game. Bacon admitted that he initially disliked the game because he believed it was ridiculing him, but he eventually came to enjoy it. The three inventors released a book, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon (ISBN 9780452278448), with an introduction written by Bacon. A board game based on the concept was released by Endless Games.

In popular culture

In 1995 Cartoon Network referenced the concept in a commercial, having Velma (from Scooby-Doo) as the central figure in the 'Cartoon Network Universe'. The commercial cites connections as arbitrary as fake appearances, sharing of clothes, or physical resemblance.

The concept was also presented in an episode of the TV show Mad About You dated November 19, 1996, in which a character expressed the opinion that every actor is only three degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon. Bacon spoofed the concept himself in a cameo he performed for the independent film We Married Margo. Playing himself in a 2003 episode of Will and Grace, Bacon connects himself to Val Kilmer through Tom Cruise and jokes "Hey, that was a short one!". The headline of The Onion, a satirical newspaper, on October 30, 2002, was "Kevin Bacon Linked To Al-Qaeda". Bacon provides the voice-over commentary for the NY Skyride attraction at the Empire State Building in New York City. At several points throughout the commentary, Bacon alludes to his connections to Hollywood stars via other actors with whom he has worked.

In Scream 2, written by Kevin Williamson, a sorority sister played by Portia De Rossi refers to Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Bacon himself later starred in The Following, also created and written by Williamson, and broadcast on Fox between 2013 and 2015.

The annual 31 Days of Oscar event on the Turner Classic Movies television channel sometimes includes a "360 Degrees of Oscar" strand where each film shown shares an actor with the previous one. It has been used as recently as 2020.

In 2009, Bacon narrated a National Geographic Channel show The Human Family Tree – a program which describes the efforts of that organization's Genographic Project to establish the genetic interconnectedness of all humans. Bacon appeared in a commercial for the Visa check card that referenced the game. In the commercial, Bacon wants to write a check to buy a book, but the clerk asks for his ID, which he does not have. He leaves and returns with a group of people, then says to the clerk, "Okay, I was in a movie with an extra, Eunice, whose hairdresser, Wayne, attended Sunday school with Father O'Neill, who plays racquetball with Dr. Sanjay, who recently removed the appendix of Kim, who dumped you sophomore year. So you see, we're practically brothers."

In 2011, James Franco made reference to Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon while hosting the 83rd Academy Awards. EE began a UK television advertising campaign in November 2012, based on the Six Degrees concept, where Bacon illustrates his connections and draws attention to how the EE 4G network allows similar connectivity.

In "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "Lame Claim to Fame", one of the lines is, "I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows Kevin Bacon." American rapper MC Zappa also makes reference to the game in his 2018 song "Level Up (The Ill Cypher)".

The most highly connected nodes of the Internet have been referred to as "the Kevin Bacons of the Web", inasmuch as they enable most users to navigate to most sites in 19 clicks or less.

Bacon numbers

A map of the six degrees of Kevin Bacon. The larger circles, such as Kyra Sedgewick, represent a Bacon number of 1.

The Bacon number of an actor is the number of degrees of separation they have from Kevin Bacon, as defined by the game. This is an application of the Erdős number concept to the Hollywood movie industry. The higher the Bacon number, the greater the separation from Kevin Bacon the actor is.

The computation of a Bacon number for actor X is a "shortest path" algorithm, applied to the co-stardom network:

  • Kevin Bacon himself has a Bacon number of 0.
  • Actors who have worked directly with Kevin Bacon have a Bacon number of 1.
  • If the lowest Bacon number of any actor with whom X has appeared in any movie is N, X's Bacon number is N+1.

Examples

  • Elvis Presley was in Change of Habit (1969) with Ed Asner. Ed Asner was in JFK (1991) with Kevin Bacon. Therefore, Asner has a Bacon number of 1, and Presley (who never appeared in a film with Bacon) has a Bacon number of 2.

Because some people have both a finite Bacon and a finite Erdős number because of acting and publications, there are a rare few who have a finite Erdős–Bacon number, which is defined as the sum of a person's independent Erdős and Bacon numbers.

Photography book

Inspired by the game, the British photographer Andy Gotts tried to reach Kevin Bacon through photographic links instead of film links.

Gotts wrote to 300 actors asking to take their pictures and received permission only from Joss Ackland. Ackland then suggested that Gotts photograph Greta Scacchi, with whom he had appeared in the film White Mischief. Gotts proceeded from there, asking each actor to refer him to one or more friends or colleagues. Eventually, Christian Slater referred him to Bacon. Gotts' photograph of Bacon completed the project, eight years after it began. Gotts published the photos in a book, Degrees (ISBN 0-9546843-6-2), with text by Alan Bates, Pierce Brosnan, and Bacon.

See also

References

  1. "Kevin Bacon's best friend definitely wants to murder him in exclusive trailer for his new podcast". EW.com. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  2. Teotonio, Isabel (September 13, 2012). "Google adds Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon to search engine". Toronto Star. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  3. Ruthven, Alexander (April 7, 1994). "Kevin Bacon is the Center of the Universe". Newsgroup: rec.arts.movies. Retrieved July 19, 2009 – via Google groups.
  4. "6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon: A Social Phenomenon Turns 20 (Full Session) | Interactive 2014 | SXSW". YouTube. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  5. "The exact history of 'Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon'". NZ Herald. August 31, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  6. ^ Fass, Craig; Turtle, Brian; Ginelli, Mike (1996). Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. New York: Plume. ISBN 978-0-452-27844-8.
  7. Gasser, Mike; McNulty, Kevin; Turtle, Brian. "About Us". Endless Games. Retrieved June 12, 2021. Founded by industry veterans Mike Gasser, Kevin McNulty and game inventor Brian Turtle, Endless Games specializes in games that offer classic entertainment and hours of fun at affordable prices. The three have an uncanny ability for discovering and developing hit games, having been a part in past successes Trivial Pursuit, Pictionary and Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.
  8. Cartoon Network - March 1-13, 1995 Commercials, ID's & Interstitlals (Television production). Cartoon Network. March 1995. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  9. "We Married Margo". J.D. Shapiro's Official Website.
  10. Will and Grace, Season 5 episode 2 "Bacon and Eggs"
  11. "The Onion, Volume 38, Issue 40". theonion.com. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  12. "References Made During Scream 2". Still Screaming.
  13. "'The Following' Cancelled By Fox". Deadline. May 8, 2015.
  14. Roush, Matt. "Worth Watching: Super Bowl Mania (Also Kitten and Puppy Bowls), 31 Days of Oscar on TCM, A Case of 'Poisoned Love'". TV Insider. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  15. "The Human Family Tree". National Geographic Channel. Archived from the original on July 11, 2009.
  16. "VISA CHECK CARD The Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  17. "EE debuts multi-million pound marketing launch campaign starring Kevin Bacon". The Lovemarks Company, Saatchi & Saatchi London. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  18. "I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy / Who knows a guy who knows Kevin Bacon". Genius.
  19. "Word; they be chasin' heaven like Jason Nevin / But there's more degrees of separation than Kevin Bacon". Genius.
  20. Stromberg, Joseph (February 18, 2013). "Any Two Pages on the Web Are Connected By 19 Clicks or Less". Smithsonian. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  21. Albert-László Barabási (February 18, 2013). "Discussion: Network science". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. 371 (1987): 20120375. doi:10.1098/rsta.2012.0375. PMID 23419844.
  22. "There's not much separating her from Bacon, Erdos". USA Today. August 14, 2007. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012.
  23. Agin, Frank (April 17, 2019). "Networking Lessons From The "Kevin Bacon" Game - Innovate New Albany | New Albany, Ohio". Innovate New Albany. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  24. "Andy Gotts' Degrees Exhibition". Clooney Studio. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007.

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