Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one.
He came to international attention for his role as
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the epic historical film ''
Gladiator'' (2000), for which he won an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
,
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award
The Critics' Choice Movie Awards (formerly known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award) is an awards show presented annually by the American-Canadian Critics Choice Association (CCA) to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Writ ...
,
Empire Award
The Empire Awards was an annual British awards ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the local and global film industry. Winners were awarded the Empire Award statuette. The awards, first presented in 1996, were presented by the British f ...
, and
London Film Critics Circle Award
The London Film Critics' Circle is the name by which the Film Section of The Critics' Circle is known internationally.
The word London was added because it was thought the term Critics' Circle Film Awards did not convey the full context of the ...
for Best Leading Actor, along with 10 other nominations in the same category.
Crowe's other award-winning performances include tobacco firm whistle-blower
Jeffrey Wigand
Jeffrey Stephen Wigand (; born December 17, 1942) is an American biochemist and whistleblower.
He is a former vice president of research and development at Brown & Williamson in Louisville, Kentucky, who worked on the development of reduced-har ...
in the drama film ''
The Insider'' (1999) and mathematician
John Forbes Nash Jr.
John Forbes Nash Jr. (June 13, 1928 – May 23, 2015) was an American mathematician who made fundamental contributions to game theory, real algebraic geometry, differential geometry, and partial differential equations. Nash and fellow game ...
in the biopic ''
A Beautiful Mind'' (2001). He has also starred in films such as the drama ''
Romper Stomper
''Romper Stomper'' is a 1992 Australian drama film written and directed by Geoffrey Wright in his feature film directorial debut. The film stars Russell Crowe, Daniel Pollock, Jacqueline McKenzie, Tony Le-Nguyen and Colin Chin. The film tel ...
'' (1992), the mystery-detective thriller ''
L.A. Confidential
''L.A. Confidential'' (1990) is a neo-noir novel by James Ellroy and the third of his L.A. Quartet series. It is dedicated to Mary Doherty Ellroy. The epigraph is "A glory that costs everything and means nothing"— Steve Erickson.
Plot
The s ...
'' (1997), the epic war film ''
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World'' (2003), the biographical boxing drama ''
Cinderella Man'' (2005), the Western ''
3:10 to Yuma'' (2007), the crime drama ''
American Gangster'' (2007), the thriller-drama ''
State of Play'' (2009), and ''
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
'' (2010).
Crowe later starred in the musical drama ''
Les Misérables
''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.
In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...
'' (2012), as
Jor-El
Jor-El, originally known as Jor-L, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, Jor-El first appeared in a newspaper comic strip in 1939 with Superman.
...
in the superhero epic ''
Man of Steel'' (2013), the biblical fantasy drama ''
Noah
Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...
'' (2014), the action comedy ''
The Nice Guys
''The Nice Guys'' is a 2016 American action comedy film directed and co-written (alongside Anthony Bagarozzi) by Shane Black, produced by Joel Silver, and starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling in the title roles with Angourie Rice, Matt Bom ...
'' (2016), portrayed
Zeus Panhellenios in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
(MCU) film ''
Thor: Love and Thunder'' (2022), and will star in the upcoming
Sony's Spider-Man Universe
Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, the f ...
(SSU) film ''
Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Kravinoff; Russian: Сергей Кравинов) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' issue #15 (August 1964) as an adversary ...
'' (2023). In 2014, he made his directorial debut with the drama ''
The Water Diviner
''The Water Diviner'' is a 2014 drama film starring and directed by Russell Crowe, in his directorial debut, and written by Andrew Anastasios and Andrew Knight. The film is loosely based on the book of the same name written by Andrew Anastasio ...
'', in which he also starred. He has earned
various accolades, including a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...
, two
Golden Globe Awards
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
, a
British Academy Film Award
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...
, and an Academy Award out of three consecutive nominations (1999, 2000, and 2001). He has been the co-owner of the
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
(NRL) team
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen pla ...
since 2006.
Early life
Crowe was born in the Wellington suburb of
Strathmore Park on 7 April 1964,
the son of film set caterers Jocelyn Yvonne (née Wemyss) and John Alexander Crowe.
His father also managed a hotel.
His maternal grandfather, Stan Wemyss, was a cinematographer who was appointed an
MBE Mbe may refer to:
* Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo
* Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria
* Mbe language, a language of Nigeria
* Mbe' language, language of Cameroon
* ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language
Molal ...
for filming footage of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
as a member of the New Zealand Film Unit. Crowe is Māori, and identifies with
Ngāti Porou
Ngāti Porou is a Māori iwi traditionally located in the East Cape and Gisborne regions of the North Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Porou is affiliated with the 28th Maori Battalion and has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi in New Zeala ...
through one of his maternal great-great-grandmothers.
His paternal grandfather, John Doubleday Crowe, was a Welsh man from
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
, while another of his grandparents was Scottish. His other ancestry includes English, German, Irish, Italian, Norwegian, and Swedish.
He is a cousin of former
New Zealand national cricket captains
This is a complete list of all of New Zealand's national cricket captains at official international level. As such it includes details of all the men who have captained at least one Test match or One Day International, all boys who have captain ...
Martin Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austr ...
and
Jeff Crowe
Jeffrey John Crowe (born 14 September 1958) is a former New Zealand cricketer. He played Test and One Day International cricket for New Zealand from 1983 to 1990, and first-class cricket for South Australia and then Auckland.
He has been an IC ...
, and the nephew of cricketer
Dave Crowe.
When Crowe was four years old, his family moved to Australia and settled in Sydney, where his parents pursued their career in film set catering.
His mother's godfather was the producer of the Australian TV series ''
Spyforce
''Spyforce'' is an Australian television series that aired from 1971 to 1973 on Nine Network. The series was based upon the adventures of Australian Military Intelligence operatives in the South West Pacific during World War II. It was produced ...
'', and Crowe was hired for a line of dialogue in one episode of the series at age five or six, opposite series star
Jack Thompson Jack Thompson may refer to:
Sports
* Jack Thompson (footballer, born 1892) (1892–1969), English footballer who played for Sheffield United and Bristol City
* Jack Thompson (1920s footballer), English footballer who played for Aston Villa and Brig ...
. Later, in 1994, Thompson would play the father of Crowe's character in ''
The Sum of Us The Sum of Us can refer to:
*'' The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together'', a 2021 best-selling political book by Heather McGhee.
*''The Sum of Us (play)'', a 1990 play by Australian writer and director David Steve ...
''. Crowe also appeared briefly in the serial ''
The Young Doctors
''The Young Doctors'' is an Australian early-evening soap opera originally broadcast on the Nine Network and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation, it aired from Monday, 8 November 1976 until Wednesday, 30 March 1983.
The series is prima ...
''. In Australia, he was educated at
Vaucluse Public School
Vaucluse Public School (abbreviation VPS) is a school located in Vaucluse, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is a co-educational public school operated by the New South Wales Department of Education with students from years K to 6. The sch ...
and
Sydney Boys High School
Sydney Boys High School (”SBHS”), otherwise known as The Sydney High School (“SHS”) or High, is a Education in Australia#Government schools, government-funded Single-sex school, single-sex Selective school (New South Wales), academically s ...
,
before his family moved back to New Zealand in 1978 when he was 14. He continued his secondary education at
Auckland Grammar School
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...
, with his cousins and brother Terry, and
Mount Roskill Grammar School
Mount Roskill Grammar School is a secondary school in the suburb of Mount Roskill, Auckland. Officially opened in 1953, the school is widely regarded as one of the most diverse schools in Auckland, having students of over 70 different national ...
before leaving school at the age of 16 to pursue his acting ambitions.
Acting career
New Zealand
![Russ le Roq (Russell Crowe), 1981 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Russ_le_Roq_%28Russell_Crowe%29%2C_1981_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Under guidance from his good friend Tom Sharplin, Crowe began his performing career as a musician in the early 1980s performing under the stage name "Russ Le Roq". He released several New Zealand singles including "I Just Wanna Be Like
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...
", "Pier 13", and "Shattered Glass", none of which charted. He managed an Auckland music venue called "The Venue" in 1984. When he was 18, he was featured in ''A Very Special Person...'', a promotional video for the
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
/
ministry
Ministry may refer to:
Government
* Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister
* Ministry (government department), a department of a government
Religion
* Christian ...
course at
Avondale University, a
Seventh-day Adventist
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...
tertiary education provider in New South Wales, Australia.
Australia
Crowe left New Zealand and returned to Australia at the age of 21, intending to apply to the
National Institute of Dramatic Art
The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the performing arts is based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, many of Australia's leading actors and directors trained at NIDA, including Cat ...
. He said, "I was working in a theatre show, and talked to a guy who was then the head of technical support at NIDA. I asked him what he thought about me spending three years at NIDA. He told me it'd be a waste of time. He said, 'You already do the things you go there to learn, and you've been doing it for most of your life, so there's nothing to teach you but bad habits.'" From 1986 to 1988, he was given his first professional role by director
Daniel Abineri, in a New Zealand production of ''
The Rocky Horror Show
''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s, the ...
''.
He played the role of Eddie/Dr Scott.
He repeated this performance in a further Australian production of the show, which also toured New Zealand. In 1987, Crowe spent six months busking when he could not find other work. In the 1988 Australian production of ''Blood Brothers'', Crowe played the role of Mickey. He was also cast again by Daniel Abineri in the role of Johnny, in the stage musical ''
Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom
''Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom'' is a rock stage musical first performed in Australia in 1989. It is a satire on religion and rock and roll.
History
1989_-_Melbourne_bad_boy_johnnie.jpg, 1989 Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom
Wr ...
'' in 1989.
After appearing in the TV series ''
Neighbours
''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...
'' and ''Living with the Law,'' Crowe was cast by Faith Martin in his first film, ''
The Crossing'' (1990), a small-town love triangle directed by George Ogilvie. Before production started, a film-student protégé of Ogilvie, Steve Wallace, hired Crowe for the 1990 film ''
Blood Oath'' (aka ''Prisoners of the Sun''), which was released a month earlier than ''The Crossing'', although actually filmed later. In 1992, Crowe starred in the first episode of the second series of ''
Police Rescue
''Police Rescue'' is an Australian television series which originally aired on ABC TV between 1989 and 1996. It was produced by ABC and Southern Star Xanadu in association with the BBC.
Apart from the 61 episodes, there was a 90-minute pi ...
.'' Also in 1992, Crowe starred in ''
Romper Stomper
''Romper Stomper'' is a 1992 Australian drama film written and directed by Geoffrey Wright in his feature film directorial debut. The film stars Russell Crowe, Daniel Pollock, Jacqueline McKenzie, Tony Le-Nguyen and Colin Chin. The film tel ...
'', an Australian film which followed the exploits and downfall of a racist skinhead group in blue-collar suburban Melbourne, directed by
Geoffrey Wright
Geoffrey Wright (born 1959) is an Australian film director and screenwriter, who gained cult success with the 1992 film ''Romper Stomper'', starring Russell Crowe.
In 1994 he directed the gritty suburban thriller film '' Metal Skin'', starrin ...
and co-starring
Jacqueline McKenzie
Jacqueline Susan McKenzie (born 24 October 1967) is an Australian film and stage actress.
Early life
Born in Sydney, New South Wales, McKenzie attended Wenona School in North Sydney until 1983 then moved to Pymble Ladies' College, where she ...
. For the role, Crowe won an
Australian Film Institute (AFI) award for Best Actor, following up from his Best Supporting Actor award for ''
Proof'' in 1991.
In 2015, it was reported that Crowe had applied for Australian citizenship in 2006 and again in 2013 but was rejected because he failed to fulfill the residency requirements.
However, Australia's Immigration Department said it had no record of any such application by Crowe.
North America
![Russell Crowe 1999](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Russell_Crowe_1999.jpg)
After initial success in Australia, Crowe first starred in a Canadian production in 1993, ''
For the Moment'', before concentrating on American films. He co-starred with
Denzel Washington in ''
Virtuosity
''Virtuosity'' is a 1995 American science fiction action film directed by Brett Leonard and starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Howard W. Koch Jr. served as an executive producer for the film. The film was released in the United Stat ...
'' (the duo later appearing together in ''
American Gangster'') and with
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress. Known for primarily playing femme fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the recipient of various ...
in ''
The Quick and the Dead'' in 1995.
He went on to become a three-time Oscar nominee, winning the
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
as
Best Actor in 2000 for ''
Gladiator''.
Crowe was awarded the (Australian)
Centenary Medal in 2001 for "service to Australian society and Australian film production."
Crowe received three consecutive best actor Oscar nominations, for ''The Insider'', ''Gladiator'', and ''
A Beautiful Mind''.
Crowe won the
best actor award for ''A Beautiful Mind'' at the
2002 BAFTA award ceremony, as well as the
Golden Globe and
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...
awards for the same performance. Although nominated for an Academy Award, he lost to Denzel Washington. All three films were also nominated for
Best Picture
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
, and both ''Gladiator'' and ''A Beautiful Mind'' won the award. Crowe became the first actor to star as the lead in back-to-back Best Picture winners since
Walter Pidgeon
Walter Davis Pidgeon (September 23, 1897 – September 25, 1984) was a Canadian-American actor. He earned two Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for his roles in '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942) and ''Madame Curie'' (1943). Pidgeon also starred in ...
(who starred in ''
How Green Was My Valley
''How Green Was My Valley'' is a 1939 novel by Richard Llewellyn, narrated by Huw Morgan, the main character, about his Welsh family and the mining community in which they live. The author had claimed that he based the book on his own persona ...
'' and ''
Mrs. Miniver
''Mrs. Miniver'' is a 1942 American romantic war drama film directed by William Wyler, and starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. Inspired by the 1940 novel '' Mrs. Miniver'' by Jan Struther, it shows how the life of an unassuming British h ...
'').
Within the six-year stretch from 1997 to 2003, he also starred in two other best picture nominees, ''
L.A. Confidential
''L.A. Confidential'' (1990) is a neo-noir novel by James Ellroy and the third of his L.A. Quartet series. It is dedicated to Mary Doherty Ellroy. The epigraph is "A glory that costs everything and means nothing"— Steve Erickson.
Plot
The s ...
'' and ''
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World''. In 2005, he re-teamed with ''A Beautiful Mind'' director Ron Howard for the biographical boxing drama ''
Cinderella Man''. In 2006, he re-teamed with ''Gladiator'' director
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...
for ''
A Good Year
''A Good Year'' is a 2006 romantic comedy film directed and produced by Ridley Scott. The film stars Russell Crowe, Marion Cotillard, Didier Bourdon, Abbie Cornish, Tom Hollander, Freddie Highmore and Albert Finney. The film is loosely based ...
'', the first of two consecutive collaborations (the second being ''American Gangster'' co-starring again with Denzel Washington, released in late 2007). Although the light romantic comedy of ''A Good Year'' was not greatly received, Crowe seemed pleased with the film, telling
STV in an interview that he thought it would be enjoyed by fans of his other films.
In recent years, Crowe's box office standing has declined. The Hollywood stock market (HSX) share Russell Crowe (RCROW), issued in 1998, however, maintains constant accretion. Crowe appeared in ''
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
'', a film based on the
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
legend, directed by Ridley Scott and released on 14 May 2010.
Crowe starred in the 2010
Paul Haggis
Paul Edward Haggis (born March 10, 1953) is a Canadian screenwriter, film producer, and director of film and television. He is best known as screenwriter and producer for consecutive Best Picture Oscar winners ''Million Dollar Baby'' (2004) and ...
film ''
The Next Three Days
''The Next Three Days'' is a 2010 American action thriller film written and directed by Paul Haggis and starring Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks. It was released in the United States on November 19, 2010, and was filmed on location in Pitt ...
'', an adaptation of the 2008 French film ''Pour Elle''.
After a year off from acting, Crowe played Jackknife in ''
The Man with the Iron Fists
''The Man with the Iron Fists'' is a 2012 American martial arts film directed by RZA and written by RZA and Eli Roth. The film stars RZA, Russell Crowe, Cung Le, Lucy Liu, Byron Mann, Rick Yune, Dave Bautista, and Jamie Chung. Set in 19th cen ...
'', opposite
RZA. He took on the role of
Javert
Javert (), no first name given in the source novel, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables.'' He was presumably born in 1780 and died on June 7, 1832. First a prison guard, and then a polic ...
in the
musical film
Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...
of ''
Les Misérables
''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.
In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...
'' (2012),
and portrayed
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
's biological father,
Jor-El
Jor-El, originally known as Jor-L, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, Jor-El first appeared in a newspaper comic strip in 1939 with Superman.
...
, in the
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. His films have grossed $5&nb ...
-produced film, ''
Man of Steel'', released in the summer of 2013. In 2014, he played a gangster in the
film adaptation
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
of Mark Helprin's 1983 novel ''
Winter's Tale
''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...
'', and the title role in the
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films are noted for their surrealistic, melodramatic, and sometimes disturbing elements, often in the form of psychological fiction.
Arono ...
film ''
Noah
Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...
''. In June 2013, Crowe signed to make his directorial debut with an historical drama film ''
The Water Diviner
''The Water Diviner'' is a 2014 drama film starring and directed by Russell Crowe, in his directorial debut, and written by Andrew Anastasios and Andrew Knight. The film is loosely based on the book of the same name written by Andrew Anastasio ...
'', which he also starred in alongside
Jacqueline McKenzie
Jacqueline Susan McKenzie (born 24 October 1967) is an Australian film and stage actress.
Early life
Born in Sydney, New South Wales, McKenzie attended Wenona School in North Sydney until 1983 then moved to Pymble Ladies' College, where she ...
,
Olga Kurylenko
Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko ( uk, Ольга Костянтинівна Куриленко; born 14 November 1979) is a Ukrainian and French actress and model. She started her acting career in 2005, and first found success as an actress for ...
,
Jai Courtney
Jai Courtney (; born 15 March 1986) is an Australian actor. He started his career with small roles in films and television series before being cast as Charlie in the action film '' Jack Reacher'' (2012). He has gone on to star in '' A Good Day t ...
. Set in the year 1919, the film was produced by Troy Lum, Andrew Mason and Keith Rodger. Crowe also starred in ''
The Mummy
A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse.
Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to:
Places
*Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States
*Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in Par ...
'' (2017). Crowe portrayed
Zeus
Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D ...
in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
film ''
Thor: Love and Thunder'', which was released on July 8, 2022. He portrays the famous exorcist Fr.
Gabriele Amorth
Gabriele Amorth (1 May 1925 – 16 September 2016) was an Italian Catholic priest and exorcist of the Diocese of Rome who claimed to have performed tens of thousands of exorcisms throughout his life. Amorth, along with five other priests, f ...
in ''The Pope's Exorcist'' (2023).
Music
![Russell Crowe cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Russell_Crowe_cropped.JPG)
In the 1980s, Crowe, under the name of "Russ le Roq", recorded a song titled "I Want to Be Like Marlon Brando".
In the 1980s, Crowe and friend Billy Dean Cochran formed a band, Roman Antix, which later evolved into the Australian rock band
30 Odd Foot of Grunts (abbreviated to TOFOG). Crowe performed lead vocals and guitar for the band, which formed in 1992. The band released ''The Photograph Kills EP'' in 1995, as well as three full-length records, ''Gaslight'' (1998), ''Bastard Life or Clarity'' (2001) and ''Other Ways of Speaking'' (2003). In 2000, TOFOG performed shows in London, Los Angeles and in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
. In 2001, the band toured in the U.S. with dates in Austin,
Boulder
In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive.
In c ...
, Chicago,
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
, San Francisco, Hollywood, Philadelphia, New York City and the last show at
The Stone Pony
The Stone Pony is a New Jersey music venue in Asbury Park, New Jersey known for launching the careers of many New Jersey music legends, including Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.[Asbury Park, New Jersey
Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area.
As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188] .
In early 2005, Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts as a group had "dissolved/evolved" with Crowe feeling his future music would take a new direction. He began a collaboration with
Alan Doyle
Alan Thomas Doyle (born May 17, 1969) is a Canadian musician and actor, best known as the lead singer of the Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea.
Life and career
Alan Doyle was born and raised in Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, in a Roman Cath ...
of the Canadian band
Great Big Sea, and with it a new band emerged: The Ordinary Fear of God which also involved some members of the previous TOFOG line-up. A new single, ''Raewyn'', was released in April 2005 and an album entitled ''My Hand, My Heart'' was released. The album includes a tribute song to actor
Richard Harris
Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in '' This Sporting ...
, who became Crowe's friend during the making of ''Gladiator''.
Crowe and his new band The Ordinary Fear of God (keeping the TOFOG acronym) toured Australia in 2005, and then in the U.S. in 2006, returned to the US to promote their new release ''My Hand, My Heart''. In March 2010, the group's version of the
John Williamson song "Winter Green" was included on a new compilation album ''The Absolute Best of John Williamson: 40 Years True Blue'', commemorating the singer-songwriter's milestone of 40 years in the Australian music industry.
On 2 August 2011, the third collaboration between Crowe and Doyle was released on iTunes as ''The Crowe/Doyle Songbook Vol III'', featuring nine original songs followed by their acoustic demo counterparts (for a total of 18 tracks). Danielle Spencer does guest vocals on most tracks. The release coincided with a pair of live performances at the LSPU Hall in
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The digital album was released as download versions only on Amazon.com, iTunes, Spotify. The album has since charted at No. 72 on the
Canadian Albums Chart.
On 26 September 2011, Crowe appeared onstage at Rogers Arena in Vancouver in the middle of Keith Urban's concert. He sang a cover of "
Folsom Prison Blues
"Folsom Prison Blues" is a song by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash. Written in 1953, it was first recorded in 1955 for his debut studio album '' Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!'' (1957), appearing as the album's eleventh track. T ...
", before joining the rest of the band in a rendition of "
The Joker
The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, and first appeared in the debut issue of the comic book '' Batman'' on April 25, 1 ...
". On 18 August 2012, Crowe appeared along with Doyle at the
Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavík, Iceland as part of the city's
Menningarnótt program.
In 2017, Crowe and Doyle had created a new act (with
Samantha Barks
Samantha Jane Barks (born 2 October 1990) is a Manx actress and singer who rose to fame after placing third in the BBC talent show-themed television series '' I'd Do Anything'' in 2008. She has released three studio albums: ''Looking in Your ...
,
Scott Grimes
Scott Christopher Grimes (born July 9, 1971) is an American actor and singer. Some of his most prominent roles include appearances in the 1984 cult classic ''The Night They Saved Christmas'', '' ER'' as Dr. Archie Morris, ''Party of Five'' as Wil ...
and
Carl Falk
Carl Anthony Falk-Gramer (née Falk; born 17 August 1980 in Stockholm), is a Swedish songwriter, record producer and musician and has worked with artists such as Demi Lovato, One Direction, 5 Seconds of Summer, Nicki Minaj, Ellie Goulding, Mado ...
) called Indoor Garden Party who appeared on ''
The One Show
''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Ronan K ...
'' to promote their album called ''The Musical''.
Philanthropy
![Crowe1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Crowe1.JPG)
During location filming of ''Cinderella Man'', Crowe made a donation to a
Jewish elementary school whose library had been damaged as a result of arson. A note with an anti-Semitic message had been left at the scene. Crowe called school officials to express his concern and wanted his message relayed to the students. The school's building fund received donations from throughout Canada and the amount of Crowe's donation was not disclosed.
On another occasion, Crowe donated $200,000 to a struggling primary school near his home in rural Australia. The money went towards an $800,000 project to construct a swimming pool at the school. Crowe's sympathies were sparked when a pupil drowned at the nearby
Coffs Harbour beach in 2001, and he felt the pool would help students become better swimmers and improve their water safety. At the opening ceremony, he dived into the pool fully clothed as soon as it was declared open. Nana Glen principal Laurie Renshall said, "The many things he does up here, people just don't know about. We've been trying to get a pool for 10 years."
In August 2020, Crowe donated $5,000 to a fundraiser on
GoFundMe
GoFundMe is an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses. From 2010 to the be ...
by filmmaker Amanda Bailly and journalist Richard Hall to help rebuild Le Chef, a restaurant which was destroyed in the
2020 Beirut explosion.
The fundraiser aimed to raise $15,000, but it raised approximately $19,000 as of August 16.
In response to Hall noting the donation, Crowe tweeted: "On behalf of
Anthony Bourdain. I thought he probably would have done so if he was still around. I wish you and Le Chef the best and hope things can be put back together soon."
Personal life
![Russell Crowe Danielle Spencer Sept 14 2011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Russell_Crowe_Danielle_Spencer_Sept_14_2011.jpg)
In 1989, Crowe met Australian singer
Danielle Spencer while working on the film ''The Crossing'' and the two began an on-again, off-again relationship.
In 2000, he became romantically involved with American actress
Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan (born Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra; November 19, 1961) is an American actress. She began her acting career in 1981 when she made her acting debut in the drama film ''Rich and Famous''. She later joined the cast of the CBS soap oper ...
while working on their film ''
Proof of Life
''Proof of Life'' is a 2000 American action thriller film directed and produced by Taylor Hackford. The title refers to a phrase commonly used to indicate proof that a kidnap victim is still alive. The film's screenplay was written by Tony Gilr ...
''. In 2001, Crowe and Spencer reconciled, and they married two years later in April 2003. The wedding took place at Crowe's cattle property in
Nana Glen, New South Wales
Nana Glen is a small village in New South Wales, Australia, located 25 km inland north-west of Coffs Harbour in the City of Coffs Harbour. It is located on the Orara Way and at the juncture of two main roads, one leading to Lower Bucca. ...
, with the ceremony taking place on Crowe's 39th birthday.
The couple have two sons named Charles Spencer Crowe (born 21 December 2003) and Tennyson Spencer Crowe (born 7 July 2006). In October 2012, it was reported that Crowe and Spencer had separated. They divorced in April 2018.
A longtime resident of Nana Glen, Crowe is well known in the community and is a frequent patron of the local rugby games. During the
Australian bushfires
Bushfires in Australia are a widespread and regular occurrence that have contributed significantly to shaping the nature of the continent over millions of years. Eastern Australia is one of the most fire-prone regions of the world, and its p ...
in 2019 and 2020, he raised over $400,000 for the
NSW RFS
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) is a volunteer-based firefighting agency and statutory body of the Government of New South Wales.
The NSW RFS is responsible for fire protection to approximately 95% of the land area of New So ...
by selling his
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen pla ...
hat in an online auction.
On 9 March 2005, Crowe revealed to ''
GQ'' magazine that
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
agents had approached him prior to the
73rd Academy Awards
The 73rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best of 2000 in film and took place on March 25, 2001, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST ...
and told him that the terrorist group
al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
wanted to kidnap him.
He recalled, "It was something to do with some recording picked up by a French policewoman, I think, in either Libya or Algiers... it was about taking iconographic Americans out of the picture as a sort of cultural destabilisation plan."
[O'Riordan, Bernard]
How Bin Laden put the word out: get Russell Crowe
''The Guardian'', 9 March 2005. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
At the beginning of 2009, Crowe appeared in a series of special-edition postage stamps called "Legends of the Screen", featuring Australian actors. Crowe,
Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor. He is known for his eccentric leading man roles on stage and screen. He is among 24 people who have won the Triple Crown of Acting, having received an Academy Award, a Primetime Em ...
,
Cate Blanchett
Catherine Elise Blanchett (; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor. Regarded as one of the finest performers of her generation, she is known for her versatile work across independent films, blockbusters, and the stage. She has received nu ...
, and
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...
each appear twice in the series, once as themselves and once as their Academy Award-nominated character. Crowe is the only non-Australian to appear in the stamps.
In June 2010, Crowe, who started smoking when he was 10, announced he had quit for the sake of his two sons. In November, he told
David Letterman that he had smoked more than 60 cigarettes a day for 36 years, and that he had "fallen off the wagon" the night before the interview and smoked heavily.
On December 20, 2022, Crowe was appointed by the mayor of
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, ambassador of Rome in the world.
On the day of the appointment, Crowe declared that it would be important to host the next
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
in Italy.
Politics
Crowe has supported the
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...
(ALP). He endorsed former Australian prime minister
Julia Gillard
Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is an Australian former politician who served as the 27th prime minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013, holding office as leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). She is the first and only ...
in June 2013, and narrated an advertisement for the Labor Party's election campaign in May 2022. Crowe has been a vocal critic of Australia's
immigration detention facilities, describing them as "a nation's shame" and "fucking disgraceful". In November 2017, Crowe offered to resettle displaced refugees who were held in Australia's offshore detention facility on
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth-largest island in Papua New Guinea, with an area of , measuring around . Manus Island is covered in rugged jungles w ...
.
Altercations and controversies
![Russell crowe nypd](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Russell_crowe_nypd.jpg)
Between 1999 and 2005, Crowe was involved in four altercations, which gave him a reputation for having a bad temper.
In 1999, Crowe was involved in a scuffle at the Plantation Hotel in
Coffs Harbour, which was caught on a security camera. Two men were acquitted of using the video in an attempt to blackmail him.
In 2002, when part of Crowe's appearance at
that year's BAFTA Awards was cut out to fit into the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's tape-delayed broadcast, Crowe used strong language during an argument with producer Malcolm Gerrie. The part cut was a Patrick Kavanagh poem in tribute to actor Richard Harris, which was cut for copyright reasons. Crowe later apologised, saying, "What I said to him may have been a little bit more passionate than now, in the cold light of day, I would have liked it to have been."
Later in 2002, Crowe was alleged to have been involved in a brawl with businessman
inside the London branch of Zuma, a Japanese restaurant chainthe fight was broken up by English actor
.
In June 2005, Crowe was arrested and charged with second-degree assault by the
who had refused to help him place a call when the system did not work from Crowe's room. He was also charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon (the telephone). The concierge was treated for a facial laceration. After his arrest, Crowe underwent a perp walk, a procedure customary in New York City, exposing the handcuffed suspect to the news media to take pictures. This procedure was under discussion as potentially violating Article 5 of the
. Crowe later described the incident as "possibly the most shameful situation that I've ever gotten myself in". Crowe pleaded guilty and was conditionally discharged. Before the trial, he settled a lawsuit filed by the concierge, Nestor Estrada. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but amounts in the six-figure range have been reported.
The telephone incident had a generally negative impact on Crowe's public image, an example of negative public relations in the mass media, although Crowe had made a point of befriending Australian journalists in an effort to influence his image. The ''
" revolves around a lampooning of his aggressive tendencies. Crowe commented on the ongoing media coverage in November 2010, during an interview with American television talk show host and journalist
: "I think it indelibly changed me. It was a very, very minor situation that was made into something outrageous. More violence perpetuated me walking between the car to the courtroom with the waiting media than anything I'd done ... it very definitely affected me ... psychologically."
since 2006. Crowe has been a supporter of the rugby league football team the
since childhood. After his rise to fame as an actor, he has continued appearing at home games and supported the financially troubled club. Following the
competition for two years. In 1999, Crowe paid $42,000 at auction for the brass bell used to open the
match in Australia in 1908 at a fundraiser to assist Souths' legal battle for re-inclusion in the league. In 2005, he made the Rabbitohs the first club team in Australia to be sponsored by a film, when he negotiated a deal to advertise his film ''Cinderella Man'' on their jerseys.
On 19 March 2006, the voting members of the South Sydney club voted (in a 75.8% majority) to allow Crowe and businessman
to purchase 75% of the organisation, leaving 25% ownership with the members. It cost them A$3 million, and they received four of eight seats on the board of directors. A six-part television miniseries entitled ''South Side Story'' depicting the takeover aired in Australia in 2007.
was sponsoring the South Sydney Rabbitohs for $3 million over three years. During a ''Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' appearance, Crowe showed viewers a Rabbitoh playing jersey with Firepower's name emblazoned on it.
Crowe helped to organise a rugby league game that took place at the
). Crowe told
Yorkshire the game was not a marketing exercise.
Crowe wrote a letter of apology to a Sydney newspaper following the sacking of South Sydney's coach
to sign with the Rabbitohs over other clubs that were competing for his signature, after inviting Burgess and his mother to the set of ''Robin Hood'', which he was filming in Britain at the time.
Crowe's influence helped to persuade noted player
and sign for the Rabbitohs for 2011.
In 2010, the NRL was investigating Crowe's business relationships with a number of media and entertainment companies including
in relation to the South Sydney Rabbitohs' salary cap.
In 2011, Souths also announced a corporate partnership with the bookmaking conglomerate
.
Previously, Crowe had been prominent in trying to prevent gambling being associated with the Rabbitohs.
In May 2011, Crowe helped arrange to have Fox broadcast the
live for the first time in the United States, in addition to the NRL Grand Final.
In November 2012 the
confirmed that Russell Crowe was selling his 37.5 per cent stake in the club.
At the Rabbitohs Annual General Meeting on 3 March 2013, Chairman
claimed Crowe "would not be selling his shareholding in the short-to-medium term and at this stage has no intention of selling at all".
Crowe was a guest presenter at the
. Russell was present at the
when the Rabbitohs won the NRL premiership for the first time in 43 years.
.
Crowe watches and plays cricket, and captained the 'Australian' Team containing
against an English side in the 'Hollywood Ashes' Cricket Match. On 17 July 2009, Crowe took to the commentary box for British sports channel
following a 7–5 season the previous year. Upon hearing of this, Crowe called Carr and invited him to Australia to address his rugby league team, the
, which Carr did the following summer. In September 2007, after Carr came under fire following the Wolverines'
to show his support for Carr. He addressed the team before the game and watched from the sidelines as the Wolverines defeated the Irish 38–0.
Crowe is also a fan of the
. On 22 October 2007, Crowe appeared in the booth of a Monday night game between the
and narrated the ''Take us Home: Leeds United'' Amazon Prime documentary.
Crowe's most acclaimed and highest-grossing films, according to the online portal
'' (2022).
category for his performance in ''Gladiator'', and has been nominated two more times for Best Actor for ''The Insider'' and ''A Beautiful Mind'', making him the ninth actor to have received three consecutive Academy Award nominations.
'' (2019); He has been nominated four more times: Best Actor in a Drama for ''The Insider'', ''Gladiator'', ''Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World'', and ''
''.