The concept of the “Bacon number” and the game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” have become quite popular over the years. But what exactly does your own personal Bacon number mean and how can you go about figuring it out? I’ll explain it all in this comprehensive guide.
What is the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon Game?
The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game operates on the assumption that any actor can be linked to Kevin Bacon through their co-stars in six steps or less.
To play, you try to connect a random actor to Kevin Bacon in as few links or “degrees” as possible. For example
- Kevin Bacon was in A Few Good Men with Tom Cruise
- Tom Cruise was in The Firm with Gene Hackman
- Gene Hackman was in Superman with Margot Kidder
- Margot Kidder was in Heartaches with Annie Potts
- Annie Potts was in Pretty in Pink with James Spader
- James Spader was in Sex, Lies and Videotape with Kevin Bacon
So Margot Kidder has a “Bacon number” of 4 in this example.
What Does Your Bacon Number Mean?
Your own personal Bacon number indicates how many degrees of separation there are between you and Kevin Bacon in terms of acting connections
Kevin Bacon himself has a Bacon number of 0 Actors who have directly worked with him in a movie or TV show have a Bacon number of 1 If you worked with someone with a Bacon number of 1, your Bacon number would be 2, and so on.
A lower Bacon number generally means an actor is more prolific and well-connected in Hollywood. For example, Tom Hanks has a Bacon number of 1, while Charlie Sheen has a Bacon number of 2.
On the other hand, an undefined Bacon number means there is no link between you and Kevin Bacon based on acting credits.
How to Calculate Your Bacon Number
To find your own Bacon number, you’ll need to trace your acting connections back to Kevin Bacon.
First, make a list of all the films and shows you’ve appeared in, along with the other actors you’ve shared scenes with.
Then research each of those co-stars to see what they’ve been in and who they’ve worked with. See if any of them have a direct connection to Kevin Bacon through a movie or show.
If so, then your Bacon number would be 2, since you’re connected to someone (your co-star) who was connected directly to Bacon.
If not, explore your co-stars’ connections further looking for a link to Bacon. Each step further away counts as another degree of separation and adds 1 to your Bacon number.
There are also online tools that can help calculate an actor’s Bacon number:
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The Oracle of Bacon – Allows you to enter any two actors and see their degrees of separation. Also shows visualization graphs of an actor’s connections.
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Six Degrees app – iOS app with three gameplay modes focused on calculating Bacon numbers. Also tracks lifetime player stats.
Using these tools can save you manual research time in tracing connections.
What Does a High or Low Bacon Number Mean for an Actor?
Generally, a lower Bacon number is seen as positive for an actor, while a high number (5 or 6) or an undefined one is less ideal.
A low Bacon number tends to mean an actor is well-connected and has worked with big stars on notable projects. It suggests they are more established in the industry.
A high or undefined number indicates an actor likely hasn’t had the chance to work with many prominent stars yet. Their career may still be up-and-coming.
However, a high number isn’t necessarily bad if an actor has had a long successful career in independent film for example. Some choose more artistic roles over big blockbuster films.
For most though, a low Bacon number is a sign of achievement. Kevin Bacon himself has called it an “honor” when younger actors end up with a low Bacon number through working with him.
Who Has the Lowest and Highest Bacon Numbers?
As you can imagine, big household names tend to have very low Bacon numbers:
- Kevin Bacon – 0
- Tom Hanks – 1
- George Clooney – 1
- Robert De Niro – 1
- Angelina Jolie – 1
- Tom Cruise – 1
- Hugh Jackman – 1
Actors with undefined Bacon numbers include:
- John Wayne
- John Denver
- Doris Day
- Greta Garbo
- Brigitte Bardot
The six degrees | Kevin Bacon | TEDxMidwest
What is your ‘bacon number’?
What’s Your ‘Bacon Number?’ Just Ask Google What’s your “bacon number?” No, not how many slices you’ve eaten today. It’s a new tool Google rolled out to end bar fights everywhere by figuring out how many degrees of separation someone is from — yep, you guessed it — Kevin Bacon.
How do you find Kevin Bacon’s Bacon number?
Six Degrees Of Bacon is a popular game where people try to guess how actors are connected to Kevin Bacon through movies they’ve been in. Now Google is making it easy with a new “bacon number” search. To get the “bacon number” of any actor, simply start your search with “bacon number” followed by the actors name.
What is the Bacon number of an actor?
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.
How do you find a Bacon number on Google?
Now Google is making it easy with a new “bacon number” search. To get the “bacon number” of any actor, simply start your search with “bacon number” followed by the actors name. For example, “bacon number scarlett johansson” gives you this: