Biography of Russell Crowe

Russell Crowe is an Australian actor and a musician, well-known for his Academy Award winning performance in the Hollywood blockbuster Gladiator. In his 23-year long acting career, Russell has won an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA, and has also been nominated for various prestigious awards, including three nominations for the Oscars.

Biography of Russell Crowe

Russell was born on April 7, 1964, in Wellington, New Zealand. His parents, Jocelyn Yvonne and John Alexander Crowe, were in the business of movie set catering. At the age of 16, he left his education to pursue a career in acting and singing. Russell bagged his first professional role at the age of 22, in director Daniel Abineri's The Rocky Horror Show in 1986. Later in 1988, he portrayed the character of 'Mickey' in an Australian production Blood Brothers. After spending some time with no work, Crowe appeared in the television series Neighbours and Living with the Law.

In 1990, Russell bagged a role in two films; the first in George Ogilvie's The Crossing and then Stephen Wallace's Blood Oath. Although former was filmed later, it made it to the theaters first, thus becoming Russell Crowe's first major film. In 1992, he was also seen in Romper Stomper, an Australian film, highlighting the exploits and downfall of a racist skinhead group in suburban Melbourne.

In 1995, Russell starred in Bret Leonard's Virtuosity. This marked the beginning of his illustrious career in Hollywood, where he went on to act in films like The Insider (1999), Gladiator (2000) and A Beautiful Mind (2001). He got three consecutive nominations for the Best Actor category at the Academy Awards for these films. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator, and the BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for best actor for his portrayal of John Nash in A Beautiful Mind. Both the films went on to win the Best Picture for 2000 and 2001, respectively. In 2006, Crowe worked with Ridley Scott for A Good Year. L.A. Confidential (1997), Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) and American Gangster (2007) were few other films, in which Crowe displayed his talent to the Hollywood film fraternity and the world.

Russell married Danielle Spencer, an Australian singer, on April 7, 2003 at the age of 39. After meeting each other while filming The Crossing in 1990, they had been dating for four years, until Russell left Australia to try his luck in Hollywood. December 21, 2003 marked the birth of their first child, Charles Spencer; while their second son, Tennyson Spencer, was born on July 7, 2006.

Although an actor by profession, Russell is associated with sports in more than one way. He has been associated with the South Sydney Rabbitohs; a National Rugby League team, for a long time; first, as an avid Rabbitoh fan, and now, as its co-owner. He was also successful in encouraging Hollywood stars like Tom Cruise to support this team. His sporting interests also include cricket and football. He captained the Australian side against an English side in the renowned 'Hollywood Ashes' cricket match. Former Kiwi captains Jeff Crowe and Martin Crowe are Russell's cousins.

Although, he made a place for himself in the good books of people by donating large sums of money for the needy, his bad temper often landed him up in some or the other controversy and tainted his image. In 1999, his tussle at the Plantation Hotel in Australia was caught on the security cameras. In 2002, he was allegedly involved in a brawl in a restaurant in London. In 2005, he was arrested by the New York City Police with a charge of second degree assault.

Russell Crowe has won one Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe each as well as two Australian Film Institute Awards in his career spanning 23 years; but this still looks like an underachievement for this legendary actor, to whom the film industry owes much more for his immense contribution to filmdom.