# Can anyone find an actor with a Bacon number of 7 or higher?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 25, 2005, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196 "2005-03-25T13:44:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 19\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196/1 "2005-03-25T13:44:46Z")

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I was looking at the Oracle of Bacon webiste and found that the “Hall of Fame” records a high number of 7’s and 8’s. It even records one 9.

Has anyone found an actor with a Bacon number higher than 6? If so, who?

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**Author:** ![JerH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@JerH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerH)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196/2 "2005-03-25T16:32:37Z")

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I got “infinity” when I put in the names of several actors who were in experimental films in the 1890s.

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**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196/3 "2005-03-25T16:44:40Z")

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Lassie (I hope)

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**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196/4 "2005-03-25T18:00:36Z")

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I found two sevens years ago. They were actors in obscure Indian films. I can’t remember the names, though.

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**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196/5 "2005-03-25T18:26:26Z")

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- 
  - 
    - Has the Man himself ever commented on this whole “Oracle of Bacon” business? Has he really appeared in that many movies, or is this just a demonstration that it is possible to find a link between any two actors?  
~

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**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196/6 "2005-03-25T18:36:57Z")

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> [@DougC](#):
>
> - 
> - 
> - Has the Man himself ever commented on this whole “Oracle of Bacon” business? Has he really appeared in that many movies, or is this just a demonstration that it is possible to find a link between any two actors?  
> ~

According to things I’ve read, at first he thought they were making fun of him, but came to realize that it was an honour to be considered in this fashion.

Incidentally, Kevin Bacon isn’t the best person to do this with, and is not even in the top 1000 “Bacon Centers”. According to The Oracle of Bacon, the most linked person is Rod Steiger.

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196/7 "2005-03-25T18:53:12Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> - 
> - Has the Man himself ever commented on this whole “Oracle of Bacon” business? Has he really appeared in that many movies, or is this just a demonstration that it is possible to find a link between any two actors?

He certainly has. He wrote the intro to the book **Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon** , and he appeared in that credit card commercial (which was great). IIRC, he said that at first he didn’t respond to or acknowledge the game – it seemed unrelated to his acting. I suppose he figured a little free publicity didn’t hurt, though.

I’m sure he was chosen because “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” sounds like and scans like “Six Degrees of Separation”, and for no deeper reason.

– CalMeacham, whose quasi-Bacon number is three (I appeared in two stage productions with someone who has a Bacon number of 2)

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**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196/8 "2005-03-25T19:18:30Z")

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Cool website. I’d never been there before, but went looking for it based on the OP. So 3/4 of the people that I tried, including Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino and Mary Pickford linked to Kevin Bacon through Karen Black. Who would’ve known?

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**Author:** ![tirial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@tirial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tirial)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196/9 "2005-03-25T19:24:30Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Has anyone found an actor with a Bacon number higher than 6? If so, who?

Just going back to the OP, and not too obscure if you are UK-based: Sue Lawley has a Bacon number of infinity.

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**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196/10 "2005-03-25T19:33:11Z")

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> [@DougC](#):
>
> - 
> - 
> - Has the Man himself ever commented on this whole “Oracle of Bacon” business? Has he really appeared in that many movies, or is this just a demonstration that it is possible to find a link between any two actors?  
> ~

Who do you mean by “The Man”?

Do you mean Cecil? I might have Cecil on the brain because I was just actually reading The Straight Dope.

Regardless, there’s nothing special about Kevin Bacon. You could do it just as easily with any old Hollywood actor.

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**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196/11 "2005-03-25T19:47:00Z")

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> [@tirial](#):
>
> Just going back to the OP, and not too obscure if you are UK-based: Sue Lawley has a Bacon number of infinity.

You can find lots of people with Bacon numbers of infinity. That’s not that difficult, as long as you know some independent films.

What’s very, very difficult is finding people with high but non-infinity Bacon numbers, like 6 or higher. Finding someone who IS connected to the Hollywood mainstream, but by a great many degrees of separation, is a real challenge. Even actors whose careers predate Bacon’s by many years are usually connected to him by two to four degrees of separation:

Charlie Chaplin - 3  
Judy Garland - 2  
Mae Marsh - 2  
Buster Keaton - 2  
John Barrymore - 3  
Dorothy Gish - 2

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**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196/12 "2005-03-25T23:57:58Z")

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Yeah, the reality is that finding a person who can not be connected to Bacon is easier than finding someone who takes more than 6.

Anyone have any luck?

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**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2005, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196/13 "2005-03-26T01:19:55Z")

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Just on a whim, how about the kids in the Harry Potter movies, Daniel Radcliffe, et al?

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**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2005, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196/14 "2005-03-26T01:26:01Z")

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> [@ivylass](#):
>
> Just on a whim, how about the kids in the Harry Potter movies, Daniel Radcliffe, et al?

All Bacon numbers of 2, due to the large amount of British character actors who have also appeared in movies with Kevin Bacon.

Anyone who’s appeared in a Big budget major studio film in the past 40 years is going to be max a 3. I’m probably even hedging too much.

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**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196/15 "2005-03-26T01:47:44Z")

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William Rufus Shafter has a Bacon number of 8.

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**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2005, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196/16 "2005-03-26T01:48:59Z")

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> [@Bippy the Beardless](#):
>
> Lassie (I hope)

Oopse, I said that thinking the Bacon Oracle was about who had slept with whom. OIbviously Lassie has acted with people who have acted with people who have acted with Bacon.

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**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2005, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196/17 "2005-03-26T04:47:17Z")

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> [@CalMeacham](#):
>
> – CalMeacham, whose quasi-Bacon number is three (I appeared in two stage productions with someone who has a Bacon number of 2)

Ah, but what’s your [Erdös Number](http://www.oakland.edu/enp)?

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**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2005, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196/18 "2005-03-26T05:55:08Z")

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> [@Bippy the Beardless](#):
>
> Lassie (I hope)

Sorry. Lassie’s Bacon Number is 2.  
\*\*Lassie \*\* was in \*Lassie Come Home \* with **Roddy McDowell**.

\*\*Roddy McDowell \*\* was in \*The Big Picture \* with **Kevin Bacon**.

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2005, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-find-an-actor-with-a-bacon-number-of-7-or-higher/296196/19 "2005-03-26T06:18:20Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Just on a whim, how about the kids in the Harry Potter movies, Daniel Radcliffe, et al?

All 2. John Cleese appeared in the first Harry Potter movie and appeared in _The Big Picture_ with Kevin Bacon.
