Russell Crowe Biography

Russell Crowe was born on 7 April 1964, in Wellington, New Zealand, to Jocelyn Yvonne and John Alexander Crowe. His father was a hotel manager and movie set caterer. His mother was also in the catering business.

At the age of four, Crowe moved to Australia with his family. He attended ‘Sydney Boys High School.’ He became involved in acting from a very young age. He appeared in TV series like ‘Spyforce’ and ‘The Young Doctors.’

He and his family returned to New Zealand when Crowe was 14. He continued his secondary education at ‘Mount Roskill Grammar School’ in New Zealand, but soon dropped out to pursue acting.

In the early-1980s, Crowe aspired to become a musician. He even released many singles like ‘I Just Want to Be Like Marlon Brando.’ In 1984, he performed at ‘The Venue’ in Auckland.

At the age of 21, Crowe moved back to Australia to study at the ‘National Institute of Dramatic Art.’ However, he later dropped the idea. In 1986, he was hired for the role of ‘Eddie/ Dr. Scott’ in ‘The Rocky Horror Show.’

In 1988, Crowe secured the role of ‘Mickey’ in the Australian production of ‘Blood Brothers.’ In the same year, he was also cast as ‘Johnny’ in the stage musical ‘Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom.’

He then appeared in Australian television for some time. He briefly appeared in series like ‘Neighbors,’ ‘Living with the Law,’ etc. In 1990, he was cast in his first feature film ‘The Crossing.’

Around the same time, he also started filming for a film titled ‘Blood Oath’ (aka Prisoners of the Sun). The film released a month earlier than ‘The Crossing.’

In 1992, he appeared in the second series of ‘Police Rescue.’ He also starred in ‘Romper Stomper,’ for which he won an ‘Australian Film Institute’ (AFI) award under the ‘Best Actor’ category.

�In 1995, Crowe ventured into American films and starred alongside Denzel Washington in the sci-fi film ‘Virtuosity.’ The same year, he played ‘Cort’ in ‘The Quick and the Dead,’ appearing alongside already established stars like Gene Hackman, Sharon Stone, and Leonardo DiCaprio.

His next venture was ‘The Insider’ in 1999. Starring Al Pacino, the movie was well received by the critics. Crowe earned his first ‘Academy Award’ nomination under the ‘Best Actor in a Leading Role’ category.

2000 turned out to be a great year for Crowe as he starred in the British-American epic historical drama ‘Gladiator,’ which was directed by Ridley Scott. He received an ‘Academy Award’ under the ‘Best Actor’ category for his performance in the movie.

The following year, Crowe was honored with many prestigious awards under the ‘Best Actor’ category for ‘A Beautiful Mind.’ The movie was based on the life of Nobel laureate John Nash.

In the mid-2000s, Crowe was cast to play a variety of roles in movies like ‘Master and Commander’ (2003), ‘Cinderella Man’ (2005), and ‘A Good Year’ (2006).

In 2007, Crowe was cast in another Ridley Scott project—‘American Gangster.’ In the movie, he starred alongside actors like Denzel Washington. The biographical drama crime film impressed the critics with its brilliant story and acting.

Crowe went on to act in movies like ‘Body of Lies’ (2008), ‘Robin Hood’ (2010), ‘Les Mis�rables’ (2012), and the superhero film ‘Man of Steel’ (2013).

From 2015 to 2019, he acted in many films like ‘Noah,’ ‘Winter’s Tale,’ ‘Fathers and Daughters,’ ‘The Nice Guys,’ ‘The Mummy,’ ‘Boy Erased,’ and ‘True History of the Kelly Gang.’

He has also appeared in TV series like ‘Rafferty's Rules,’ ‘Neighbours,’ ‘Acropolis Now,’ ‘Republic of Doyle,’ and ‘The Loudest Voice.’

Movies that are considered to have escalated Crowe’s career in Hollywood are ‘Gladiator’ (2000) and ‘A Beautiful Mind’ (2001). The movies earned him many prestigious awards, including ‘Academy Award,’ ‘BAFTA,’ ‘Golden Globe,’ and ‘Screen Actors Guild Award.’

Crowe has earned awards like: ‘Oscar’ for ‘Gladiator,’ and ‘BAFTA,’ ‘Golden Globe’ and ‘Screen Actors Guild Award’ for ‘A Beautiful Mind.’ He has also been honored with the ‘Centenary Medal’ for service to Australian society and Australian film production.

Crowe got married to Australian singer Danielle Spencer in 2003, after having an on-again, off-again relationship with her since 1989. The couple has two sons: Charles Spencer Crowe and Tennyson Spencer Crowe. In 2012, it was reported that Crowe and Spencer had separated. In April 2018, their divorce was finalized.

He was involved in a brief romantic affair with American actress Meg Ryan in 2000.