Finding the real center actor of Hollywood

For the Pudding, Owen Lacey analyzed the network of Hollywood actors connected by movies they appeared together in. The goal is to find the “real” Kevin Bacon.

Lacey uses remoteness, or the average number of movies it takes for an actor to connect to all other actors in the network. Lower remoteness means a more connected actor. So to find the most connected, you find the actor with the lowest remoteness.

Kevin Bacon has a lot of acting credits, but there are many actors who are more connected.

The visual essay has a nice a structure that walks through past, present, and future with a well-made line chart.

I also appreciate the classic analysis on degrees of separation. It’s been a while. See also the six degrees of Francis Bacon, four degrees through Facebook, and the six degrees of Kevin Garnett (might be defunct).