Kevin Spacey is a “sexual bully” who assaults other men, jurors were told at the start of his trial.
The American actor faces 12 charges in a British trial covering allegations made by four men from 2001 to 2013.
He appeared at London’s Southwark Crown Court on Friday to hear the first day of evidence.
The 63-year-old denies all the allegations, which his lawyer says contain “a lot of damning lies”.
The American actor spent a lot of time in the UK while he was appointed as the director of London’s Old Vic theater between 2004 and 2015.
Prosecutor Christine Agnew opened the trial, which is expected to last a month, by laying out the charges against Mr Spacey, who was referred to by his full name, Kevin Spacey Fowler.
Miss Agnew told jurors: “He is an extremely well-known actor who has won a number of awards. In addition, according to the indictment, he is also a man who sexually assaults other men.
“A man who doesn’t respect personal boundaries or space, a man who seems to enjoy making others feel powerless and uncomfortable, sexual harassment.”
She urged jurors to focus on the evidence and not feel “overwhelmed” or “overwhelmed” by the actor’s fame.
Miss Agnew separately described what the complainants – all men in their 20s and 30s – claimed happened when they met Mr Spacey. By law, they have the right to anonymity.
The first complainant said that before the alleged assaults began, the actor would speak “openly about his sexuality” to him from the time they met, which made him feel uncomfortable.
Over time, Mr Spacey began touching him inappropriately, the complainant claimed, with the contact becoming “more intense” and escalating to instances where he “grabbed and groped … in an aggressive manner”.
Miss Agnew claimed that Mr Spacey got a “sexual thrill from this type of sexual aggression”.
The second complainant claimed that Mr Spacey “just laughed” when he pushed the actor after he was grabbed “with such force that it was painful” at a work event in 2005.
The prosecutor said the third complainant, who was the first of the group to report Mr Spacey to the police, met the actor at the Old Vic theater and went to him seeking mentorship.
They returned to Mr. Spacey’s apartment after drinking together at the pub. When the complainant woke up, he found that the actor was having sex with him, the prosecution claimed.
He later said he feared this was “just how people in the acting world acted” and “sat and cried” at a bus stop at 5am after the alleged incident.
In 2013, the fourth complainant met Mr Spacey at a pub in Oxfordshire where he worked and then saw the actor later that evening at another bar where he had told the actor he was going.
The complainant alleged that Mr Spacey repeatedly touched his leg and later told him to “keep cool” when the actor tried to kiss his neck after a group returned to where the actor was staying.
Miss Agnew said that when the two were alone in a room, Mr Spacey grabbed the complainant’s crotch.
The prosecution lawyer concluded his opening statement by saying the actor had abused his influence to get “whatever and whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted.”
In January, Mr. Spacey pleaded not guilty to three counts of indecent assault, three counts of sexual assault and one count of inducing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.
He previously dismissed a further four counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
Patrick Gibbs, who is defending Mr Spacey in the trial, gave a brief opening speech, telling the court his client would “tell fully in due course what actually happened”.
He said the allegations happened “a long time ago” and suggested the items had been “reimagined with a sinister spin”, “fabricated or twisted” and “deliberately exaggerated”.
Mr. Gibbs added: “What did they want from his wealth and his influence, and what do you think they still want?”
He continued, “You’ll soon hear me offer some truths, you’ll soon hear some half-truths, you’ll also hear me offer…some deliberate exaggerations, and you’ll hear a lot of damn lies.”
Mr. Spacey has had a successful Hollywood career spanning four decades, including winning two Oscars for “American Beauty” and “The Usual Suspects” and starring in the first five seasons of Netflix’s “House of Cards.”
He was born in the US but continues to have a home in London.