It was a simple, understated way of celebrating his triumph after one of the worst of ordeals. No fistpumps, no exuberant popping of champagne corks - just a quiet cigarette in the doorway of a private members club.

Sheltering from the London rain under an umbrella, Kevin Spacey sipped a whisky and lit cigarette in what seemed to be quiet satisfaction, just hours after being acquitted by a jury of sexual assault charges.

His first appearance after being cleared of the charges at Southwark Crown Court coincided with his 64th birthday, and saw him head to the Groucho Club in Soho’s Dean Street with a small group of friends to celebrate.

At one stage the actor emerged to have a cigarette, sharing the moment with two passers by who offered him a light.

The scene was in stark contrast to the moment when he wept tears of relief as he stood in the dock listening to the jury foreman deliver the verdict of “not guilty”.

Speaking shortly after leaving court as a free man, Spacey said he had been “humbled” by the jury’s decision and was “enormously grateful” to the 12 men and women who had cleared him at the end of a four-week trial.