Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

Before my sister and I became ‘tweens, teenagers, young adults, thirtysomethings, and now middle aged, we were adolescents (which, I just learned, was the name of an ’80s American punk band). During those formative years, we educated ourselves by watching black and white television and periodically accompanying our parents to the drive-in theater. I won’t delve too deeply into my experiences at the drive-in since I wrote about it in September 2015 with my “Drive-ins, gore, and boobies” post. Suffice it to say, if it wasn’t for the drive-in, I would never have learned to appreciate the fine art of make-believe graphic violence.

One of the films I remember best was Sean S. Cunningham’s 1980s classic Friday the 13th. While the special effects may seem dated today, they were not in 1980. For a 10-year old like me, they were pretty spectacular.

If Friday the 13th taught me one thing, it was never to sex with camp counsellors. It was risky business.

The film starred a bunch of folks whose careers never seemed to go anywhere. That is, except for Kevin Bacon.

Kevin wasn’t a newcomer to the movies in 1980. He had a role in the 1978 film National Lampoon’s Animal House. Between 1978 and 1980, he starred in two lesser known films, Starting Over and Hero at Large.

I don’t remember them at all.

Be that as it may, it was his Friday role that made the biggest impression on me. It wasn’t that he was a great actor, it was the fact that his tomfoolery got him an arrow through the throat by none other than Jason Voorhees.

I’ve opted to omit the arrow-in-the-neck scene from Friday the 13th since this is a rated PG-13 blog.

Kevin Bacon and I are 9th cousins, two times removed. Both our ancestries trace to Samuel Hinckley (1589 to 1662) and his wife Sarah Soole (1600 to 1656). See below for our family connection.

Kevin is married to actress Kyra Sedgwick. Believe it or not, I’m also related to her. Kyra and I are 9th cousins, one time removed. We share Samuel Ruggles (1658 to 1715/16) and Martha Woodbridge (circa 1600 to circa 1738) as common great grandparents. As far as I can tell, Kevin and Kyra are not related. If they were, it would be weird.

You may have noticed that I omitted his role in 1984’s Footloose. I remember seeing the film but, to be honest, it wasn’t my “thing”. Too much dancing and prancing and not enough gore. Oh, and in case my and Kevin’s name ever comes up in conversation while talking about Footloose, here’s a bit of useless trivia. If you remember the film, the plot revolves around this guy, played by Kevin, who moves to this small town only to find out that the local preacher, played by John Lithgow, had forbidden dancing (he was also the father of Kevin’s love interest played by actress Lori Singer). It just so happens John Lithgow is my 10th cousin, two times removed. He and I are related through our common ancestors Thomas Dudley (1576 to 1653) and his wife Dorothy Yorke (died 1643). Thomas was governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony multiple times between 1634 and 1651.

Relationship Chart

Kevin Bacon and John R. Cole