Russell Crowe Biography
Summary
"Russell Ira Crowe" (born April 7, 1964) is a New Zealand-Australian actor. His acting career began in the early 1990s with roles in Australian TV series such as "Police Rescue" and films such as "Romper Stomper". In the late 1990s, he began appearing in US films such as the 1997 movie "L.A. Confidential". In the 2000s, he was nominated for three Oscars, and in 2001, he won the Academy Award as Best Actor for his starring role in the film "Gladiator".
Biography
Early life
Crowe was born in Wellington, New Zealand, the son of Jocelyn Yvonne (née Wemyss) and John Alexander Crowe, both of whom were movie-set caterers; his father also managed a hotel. Crowe's maternal grandfather, Stan Wemyss, was a cinematographer who, according to Crowe, produced the first film by New Zealander Geoff Murphy, and was also named an MBE for filming footage of World War II. Crowe's maternal great-great-great grandmother was M?ori, and as a result Crowe is registered on the M?ori electoral roll in New Zealand; Crowe also has Norwegian, Scottish, Irish and Welsh ancestry. Two of Russell Crowe's cousins, Martin and Jeff Crowe are former New Zealand national cricket captains.
When Crowe was four years old, his family moved to Australia, where his parents pursued a career in filmset catering. The producer of the Australian TV series "Spyforce" was his mother's godfather, and Crowe at age five or six was hired for a line of dialogue in one episode, opposite series star Jack Thompson, who years later played Crowe's father in "The Sum of Us" and who coincidentally had been educated at the same school which Crowe was to attend for two years: Sydney Boys High School.
From his youth to the present, Crowe has had a special love of horses. 'They're just like people,' he told CraveOnline, 'there are some horses that you have a deeper connection with immediately, and you can work on that over time. He has also noted that he sometimes finds it difficult to part with his equine co-stars when a film wraps.
When he was 14, however, Crowe's family moved back to New Zealand, where he attended Auckland Grammar School with his cousins Martin Crowe and Jeff Crowe. He did not complete secondary school, leaving early to help his family financially. In the mid-1980s Russell, under guidance from his good friend Tom Sharplin, performed as a rock 'n' roll revivalist, under the stage name "Russ Le Roq," and had a New Zealand single with 'I Wanna Be Marlon Brando.'
Crowe returned to Australia at age 21, intending to apply to the National Institute of Dramatic Art. 'I was working in a theater show, and talked to a guy who was then the head of technical support at NIDA,' Crowe recalled. '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." In 1987 Crowe spent a six-month stint as a busker when he couldn't find other work.
After appearing in the TV series "Neighbours" and "Living with the Law," Crowe was cast in his first film, "The Crossing" (1990), a small-town love triangle directed by George Ogilvie. Before production started, a film-student protege of Ogilvie's, Steve Wallace, hired Crowe for the film "Blood Oath" (1990) (a.k.a. "Prisoners of the Sun") which was released a month earlier, although actually filmed later. In 1992, Crowe starred in the first episode of the second series of "Police Rescue." Also in 1992 Crowe starred in "Romper Stomper", an Australian film which follows the exploits and downfall of a racist skinhead group in blue-collar suburban Melbourne, directed by Geoffrey Wright.
Hollywood
After initial success in Australia, Crowe began acting in American films. He first co-starred with Denzel Washington in "Virtuosity" in 1995. He went on to become a three-time Oscar nominee, winning the Academy Award as Best Actor in 2001 for "Gladiator". Crowe wore his grandfather Stan Wemyss's Member of the Order of the British Empire medal to the ceremony.
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. However he failed to win the Oscar that year, losing to Denzel Washington. It has been suggested that his attack on television producer Malcolm Gerrie for cutting short his acceptance speech may have turned voters against him.
All three films were also nominated for best picture, and both "Gladiator" and "A Beautiful Mind" won the award. Within the six year stretch from 1997-2003, he also starred in two other best picture nominees, "L.A. Confidential" and "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World", though he was nominated for neither. In 2005 he re-teamed with "A Beautiful Mind" director Ron Howard for "Cinderella Man". In 2006 he re-teamed with "Gladiator" director Ridley Scott for "A Good Year", the first of two consecutive collaborations (the second being "American Gangster" co-starring again with Denzel Washington, released in late 2007). While 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.
On March 9, 2005, Crowe revealed to "GQ" magazine that Federal Bureau of Investigation agents had approached him prior to the 73rd Academy Awards on March 25, 2001 and told him that the Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda wanted to kidnap him. Crowe told the magazine that it was the first time he had ever heard of al-Qaeda (the September 11 attacks took place later that year) and was quoted as saying:
Crowe was guarded by Secret Service agents for the next few months, both while shooting films and at award ceremonies (Scotland Yard also guarded Crowe while he was promoting "Proof of Life" in London in February 2001). Crowe said that he '...never fully understood what the fuck was going on'.
Charities
Crowe, who was in Toronto filming "Cinderella Man" with director Ron Howard, learned of a firebombing at a Jewish elementary school that took place in Montreal. Police said a note with anti-Semitic comments was found on the outside wall of the gutted library. He was so distraught that he offered (reported $250,000 donation) to help rebuild its library to help the school get back on its feet. Montreal resident Shelley Paris says, 'It was a huge morale boost for the school community. He said he was very upset about what had happened that a place of learning should be attacked that way. He wanted to make sure that our students knew that he was thinking about them and that he was very upset about the firebombing.'
On another occasion, Russell Crowe donated a large sum of money ($200,000) to a struggling primary school near his home in rural Australia. Crowe's sympathies were sparked when a pupil drowned at the nearby Coffs Harbour beach in 2001, and he believes the pool will help students become better swimmers and improve their knowledge of water safety. Nana Glen principal Laurie Renshall says, 'The many things he does up here, people just don't know about. We've been trying to get a pool for 10 years.'
Personal life
On April 7, 2003, his 39th birthday, Crowe married Australian singer and actress Danielle Spencer. Crowe met Spencer while filming "The Crossing" (1990). Crowe and Spencer have two sons: Charles 'Charlie' Spencer Crowe (born December 21, 2003) and Tennyson Spencer Crowe (born July 7, 2006).
Most of the year, Crowe resides in Australia. He has a home in Sydney at the end of the Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo and also a 320 hectare rural property in Nana Glen near Coffs Harbour, New South Wales.
It is believed Russell is looking for an upmarket home in the Townsville or Thuringowa area for his niece to live in, so she can study at James Cook University.
Crowe stated in November 2007 that he would like to be baptized, and feels that he has put it off for too long. 'I do believe there are more important things than what is in the mind of a man,' he says. 'There is something much bigger that drives us all. I'm willing to take that leap of faith.'
Football Club
On 19 March, 2006, the voting members of the South Sydney Rabbitohs National Rugby League rugby club voted (in a 75.8% majority) to allow Crowe and businessman Peter Holmes à Court to purchase 75% of the club, leaving 25% ownership with the members. It has cost them (AUD) $3 million, and they will receive four of eight seats on the board of directors.
Crowe has been a major supporter of the Rabbitohs rugby league club for many years, appearing at many home games, and supporting the club during its time when they were forced from the National Rugby League competition for two years. Crowe paid $40,000 for a brass bell used to open the inaugural rugby league match in Australia in 1908, which he then returned to the club. In 2005, he made them the first club team in Australia to be sponsored by a film, when he negotiated a deal to advertise his movie "Cinderella Man" on their jerseys.
He is friends with many current and former players of the club, and currently employs former South Sydney forward Mark Carroll as a bodyguard and personal trainer. He has encouraged other actors to support the club, such as Tom Cruise and Burt Reynolds. Business and television personality Eddie McGuire has been offered a seat on the Rabbitohs board.
Crowe has helped organise the rugby league game that will take place in Jacksonville, Florida between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the European Super League champions Leeds Rhinos on January 26 - Australia Day. The game will be played at the University of North Florida.
Other sporting interests
He is also a fan of the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League. (... more)
As with Leeds Rhinos, Russell is well known to be a supporter of Leeds United.
Russell Crowe is a big supporter of the Michigan Wolverines football team, he watched the Michigan-Notre Dame college football game from the Michigan bench on September 15, 2007. Before the game, he appeared in the Michigan locker room, and players said he gave a rousing performance, urging them to play with honor and heart. Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr is a good friend of Crowe's and had previously gone to Australia to spend time with Crowe's South Sydney Rabbitohs. After the 7-5 2005 season, coach Lloyd Carr used Crowe's film Cinderalla Man to encourage his team, which went on to win 11 games in a row until The Ohio State University beat them in the 2006 season.
Russel Crowe is also a fan of the NFL, and has appeared in the booth of Monday Night Football at an Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars game on October 22, 2007.
Musical activities
Crowe, going under the name of 'Rus le Rock', recorded a 1980's tune titled 'I Want To Be Like Marlon Brando'.
Crowe and a friend formed a band, 'Roman Antix', which later evolved into the Australian pub rock band 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts. Crowe performed lead vocals and guitar for 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts which formed in 1992. The band had found neither critical nor popular success but had several releases including 1998's "Gaslight", 2001's "Bastard Life or Clarity" and 2003's "Other Ways of Speaking", plus various CD releases now out of print. The band's web site indicates that group has 'dissolved/evolved' and states that Crowe's music would take a new direction.
He continued with a collaboration with Alan Doyle of the Canadian band Great Big Sea in early 2005, which also involved members of his previous band. A new single, "Raewyn", was released in April 2005 and an album entitled "My Hand, My Heart" has been released for download on iTunes. The album includes a tribute song to the late actor, Richard Harris, who became Crowe's friend during the making of "Gladiator". In 2002, he directed the music video clip (which starred former child actor Duy Nguyen) for his wife Danielle Spencer's single 'Tickle Me' from her 'White Monkey' album. On March 10, 2006, Russell Crowe performed with his new band The Ordinary Fear of God on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno".
Crowe landed a role in a musical, 'Grease',in '83. From 1986-88, Crowe headlined in the touring production of 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'
Russell did about 458 performances of The Rocky Horror Show. He played Dr. Frank N. Furter 50 times, and 400 times as Eddie and Dr Scott.
Awards and nominations
Academy Award
Nominated: Best Actor, "The Insider" (1999)
"Won: Best Actor, "Gladiator" (2000)"
Nominated: Best Actor, "A Beautiful Mind" (2001)
Australian Film Institute
Nominated: Best Actor, "The Crossing" (1990)
"Won: Best Supporting Actor, "Proof" (1991)"
"Won: Best Actor, "Romper Stomper" (1992)"
"Won: Global Achievement Award (2001)"
"Won: Best Actor International, "Cinderella Man" (2005)"
BAFTA Award
Nominated: Best Actor, "The Insider" (2000)
Nominated: Best Actor, "Gladiator" (2001)
"Won: Best Actor, "A Beautiful Mind" (2002)"
Golden Globe Award
Nominated: Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama, The Insider" (2000)
Nominated: Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama, "Gladiator" (2001)
"Won: Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama, "A Beautiful Mind" (2002)"
Nominated: Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama, "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" (2004)
Nominated: Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama, "Cinderella Man" (2006)
External links
( Official site for "My Hand, My Heart")
(Official Site of 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts)
(Russell Crowe & The Ordinary Fear Of God MySpace Page)
(Complete list of roles turned down by Russell Crowe)
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Russell Crowe.
