Spacey, 62, was also charged with causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent, police said.
The actor will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Thursday.
The charges relate to two alleged incidents in London in 2005, another two in 2008, and a further incident in Gloucestershire in 2013.
The alleged victim of the 2005 incidents is now in his 40s, while the two men allegedly involved in the 2008 and 2013 incidents are now in their 30s, the force said.
The decision to formally charge Spacey came after “a review by the Crown Prosecution Service of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police in its investigation,” police added.
This is a developing story — more to come