Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey who is best known for his role in the show House of Cards has been charged with sex crimes. Spacey, once one of Hollywood's biggest stars, was dropped from the TV show following the allegations.The two-time Oscar winner for "The Usual Suspects" and "American Beauty" was the artistic director of The Old Vic theatre in London between 2004 and 2015. Allegations against him first emerged in the wake of the #MeToo movement that saw numerous claims of sexual assault and harassment in the movie industry.

Britain's Crown Prosecution Service said on Thursday that actor Kevin Spacey had been charged with a number of sex offences including sexual assault against three men following an investigation by police in London.

"He has also been charged with causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. The charges follow a review of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police in its investigation," the statement read.

The CPS said that a man, now in his 40s, alleged he was sexually assaulted twice in March 2005. The second man, who is now in his 30s, claimed that he was sexually assaulted and forced to engage in sex against his will in August 2008. The third is alleged to have happened in London in August 2008 against a man who is now in his 30s. The same man is suspected to be the victim of a separate charge. The fourth sexual assault charge is alleged to have occurred in Gloucestershire, western England, in April 2013 against a third man, who is now in his 30s. None of the alleged victims can be identified under English law.