Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor and film director.
His work on screen has earned him
various accolades, including an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
, two
Golden Globe Awards
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...
, and a
British Academy Film Award
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...
. Known for his intense performances, his films have grossed over $5.3 billion worldwide.
Crowe was born in New Zealand, spending ten years of his childhood in Australia and residing there permanently by the age of 21.
He began acting in Australia and had his break-out role 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 ...
'' (1992). He gained international recognition in the late 1990s for his starring roles in ''
L.A. Confidential'' (1997) and ''
The Insider'' (1999). Crowe gained wider stardom for playing the title role of ''
Gladiator
A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...
'' (2000), which earned him the
Academy Award for Best Actor
The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading ...
. Further acclaim came for portraying real-life mathematician
John Forbes Nash Jr.
John Forbes Nash Jr. (June 13, 1928 – May 23, 2015), known and published as John Nash, was an American mathematician who made fundamental contributions to game theory, real algebraic geometry, differential geometry, and partial differentia ...
in ''
A Beautiful Mind'' (2001).
Crowe has starred in many commercially successful films, including ''
American Gangster'' (2007), ''
The Next Three Days'' (2010), ''
Les Misérables
''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...
'' (2012), ''
Man of Steel'' (2013), ''
Noah
Noah (; , also Noach) appears as the last of the Antediluvian Patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5–9), the Quran and Baháʼí literature, ...
'' (2014), ''
Thor: Love and Thunder'' (2022), and ''
The Pope's Exorcist'' (2023). In 2014, he made his directorial debut with the drama ''
The Water Diviner'', in which he also starred. Aside from acting, Crowe has been the co-owner of the
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
(NRL) team
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club, also known as the South Sydney Rabbitohs, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Maroubra, New South Wales, Maroubra that competes in the Nat ...
since 2006.
Early life
Crowe was born in
Strathmore Park, a suburb of
Wellington, New Zealand
Wellington is Capital of New Zealand, the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the List of cities in New Zealand, third-largest city ...
, 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 for filming footage of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
as a member of the New Zealand Film Unit. Crowe is
Māori, and identifies with
Ngāti Porou through one of his maternal great-great-grandmothers.
His paternal grandfather, John Doubleday Crowe, was a Welsh man from
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...
, 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 Martin Martin may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Europe
* Martin, Croatia, a village
* Martin, Slovakia, a city
* Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain
* M ...
and
Jeff Crowe, and the nephew of cricketer
Dave Crowe.
When Crowe was four years old, his family moved to Australia and settled in
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, 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 theatre of World War II, South West ...
'', 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. Later, in 1994, Thompson would play the supportive father of Crowe's gay character in ''
The Sum of Us''. Crowe also appeared briefly in the serial ''
The Young Doctors''. In Australia, he was educated at
Vaucluse Public School and
Sydney Boys High School,
before his family moved back to New Zealand in 1978 when he was 14. He continued his secondary education at a private Auckland school before leaving school at the age of 16 to pursue his acting ambitions.
Acting career
New Zealand
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. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia'' ", "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 study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
/
ministry course at
Avondale University, a
Seventh-day Adventist
The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) 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 Sabbat ...
tertiary education provider in New South Wales, Australia.
Australia
In 1985, Crowe left New Zealand and returned to Australia when he was 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 based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, it offers bachelor's, master's and vocational degrees in subjects including acting ...
. 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 various B movies associated with the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror genres from the 193 ...
''.
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'' in 1989.
After appearing in the TV series ''
Neighbours
''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that 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 and ...
'' 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 (Australian TV channel), ABC TV between 1989 and 1996. It was produced by Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC and Southern Star Entertainment, Southern ...
.'' 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 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, New South Wales, North Sydney until 1983 then moved to Pymb ...
. For the role, Crowe won an
Australian Film Institute (AFI) award for Best Actor, following up from his Best Supporting Actor award for ''
Proof
Proof most often refers to:
* Proof (truth), argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of a proposition
* Alcohol proof, a measure of an alcoholic drink's strength
Proof may also refer to:
Mathematics and formal logic
* Formal proof, a co ...
'' 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

After initial success in Australia, Crowe first starred in a Canadian production in 1993, ''
For the Moment'', before concentrating on American films. In 1993 he was favoured for the role of
Joshua Chamberlain in the epic film
Gettysburg, but was passed over for
Jeff Daniels
Jeffrey Warren Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor. He is known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accolades, including two Primetime ...
. He co-starred with
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...
in ''
Virtuosity'' (the duo later appearing together in ''
American Gangster'') and with
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress and film producer. Known for primarily playing femmes fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the ...
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, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
as
Best Actor in 2000 for ''
Gladiator
A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...
''.
Crowe was awarded the (Australian)
Centenary Medal
The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or g ...
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
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...
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, 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. A major leading man during the Golden Age of Hollywood, known for his "portrayals of men who prove both sturdy and wise," Pidgeon earned two Academy ...
(who starred in ''
How Green Was My Valley''
941and ''
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 Britis ...
''
942
Year 942 (Roman numerals, CMXLII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* Summer – The Hungarian raid in Spain (942), Hungarians invade Al-Andalus (modern Spain) and besiege the f ...
.
Within the six-year stretch from 1997 to 2003, Crowe also starred in two other best picture nominees, ''
L.A. Confidential'' and ''
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World''. In 2005, he re-teamed with ''A Beautiful Mind'' director
Ron Howard
Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American filmmaker and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six-decade career, Howard has received List of awards and nominations r ...
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 an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...
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). 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 2007, he starred in the Western film ''
3:10 to Yuma'', a remake of the
1957 film of the same name.
In recent years, Crowe's box office standing has declined. He starred in the 2009 political thriller ''
State of Play'', based on the
BBC drama television series of the same name.
Crowe appeared in ''
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...
'', a film based on the
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...
legend, directed by Ridley Scott and released on 14 May 2010. During the ''Robin Hood'' shoot, Crowe fractured both of his legs doing a scene in which he "jumped off a castle portcullis onto rock-hard uneven ground" and said he "never discussed the injury with production, never took a day off because of it, I just kept going to work". Crowe starred in the 2010
Paul Haggis film ''
The Next Three Days'', an adaptation of the 2008 French film ''Pour elle'' (''
Anything for Her'').
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 cent ...
'' (2012), opposite
RZA. He took on the role of
Javert
Javert (), no first name given in the source novel, is a fictional character and a 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 police i ...
in the
musical film
Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), 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 serv ...
of ''
Les Misérables
''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...
'' (2012),
and portrayed
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
's biological father,
Jor-El
Jor-El is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, Jor-El first appeared in the Superman (comic strip), ''Superman'' newspaper comic strip in 1939.
Jor-El is Supe ...
, in the
Christopher Nolan
Sir Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British and American filmmaker. Known for his Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters with complex storytelling, he is considered a leading filmma ...
-produced film ''
Man of Steel'', released in the summer of 2013. In 2014, he played a gangster in the
film adaptation
A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...
of Mark Helprin's 1983 novel ''
Winter's Tale'', and the title role in the
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American Filmmaking, filmmaker. His films are noted for their surreal, dramatic, and often disturbing elements, frequently in the form of psychological realism. His accolades include a Golden Lion ...
film ''
Noah
Noah (; , also Noach) appears as the last of the Antediluvian Patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5–9), the Quran and Baháʼí literature, ...
''. Crowe had a major role in ''
The Mummy'' (2017), starred as an angry driver in the action thriller ''
Unhinged'' (2020), played the mythical Greek god
Zeus
Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus.
Zeus is the child ...
in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
film ''
Thor: Love and Thunder'' (released 8 July 2022), and portrayed the famous exorcist
Fr. Gabriele Amorth in ''
The Pope's Exorcist'' (2023).
In June 2013, Crowe signed to make his directorial debut with an historical drama film ''
The Water Diviner'', in which he also starred 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, New South Wales, North Sydney until 1983 then moved to Pymb ...
,
Olga Kurylenko,
Jai Courtney. Set in the year 1919, the film was produced by Troy Lum, Andrew Mason and Keith Rodger.
Music

In the 1980s, Crowe, under the name of "Russ le Roq", recorded a song titled "I Just Wanna 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 List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
. 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 ...
, Chicago,
Portland, San Francisco, Hollywood, Philadelphia, New York City and the last show at
The Stone Pony in
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 United States census, the city's population was 15,188, a decr ...
.
In early 2005, 30 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 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. Having studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, he rose to prominence as an icon of the British New Wave. He received numerous a ...
, 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 the U.S. In 2006 they 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
St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North Ame ...
, 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
The ''Billboard'' Canadian Albums is the official record chart
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given ...
.
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", before joining the rest of the band in a rendition of "
The Joker". On 18 August 2012, Crowe appeared along with Doyle at the
Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavík, Iceland as part of the city's
Menningarnótt
() or "cultural night" is a yearly event held in Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland, since 1996. It is usually on the first Saturday after the 18th of August. It was created by the Reykjavík city council, and has now become one of the largest f ...
program.
In 2017, Crowe and Doyle had created a new act (with
Samantha Barks
Samantha Jane Barks (born 2 October 1990) is a British 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 Y ...
,
Scott Grimes and
Carl Falk) 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 weekdays at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Roman Kemp, Ronan Keating ...
'' to promote their album called ''The Musical''.
On 27 June 2023, Crowe sang in concert with his band Indoor Garden Party in
Bologna
Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
at the Teatro Comunale Nouveau. The concert was very successful, completely sold out. The total proceeds from the concert were entirely donated to the flood victims of
Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...
.
Philanthropy

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 to a struggling primary school near his home in rural Australia. The money went towards an project to construct a swimming pool at the school. Crowe's sympathies were sparked when a pupil drowned at the nearby
Coffs Harbour
Coffs Harbour, locally nicknamed Coffs, is a coastal city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 a ...
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 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 ...
by filmmaker Amanda Bailly and journalist Richard Hall to help rebuild Le Chef, a restaurant which was destroyed in the
2020 Beirut explosion
On 4 August 2020, a major explosion occurred in Beirut, Lebanon, triggered by the ignition of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. The chemical, confiscated in 2014 from the cargo ship and stored at the Port of Beirut without adequate safety me ...
.
The fundraiser aimed to raise , but it had raised approximately as of 16 August.
In response to Hall noting the donation, Crowe tweeted: "On behalf of
Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Michael Bourdain ( ; June 25, 1956 – June 8, 2018) was an American celebrity chef, author and Travel documentary, travel documentarian. He starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the huma ...
. 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."
In June 2023, Crowe agreed with the organisers of a concert of his band Indoor Garden Party in
Bologna
Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
to donate the full revenue to the victims of the
Emilia-Romagna floods.
Sport
Rugby league
He has been the co-owner of the
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
(NRL) team
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club, also known as the South Sydney Rabbitohs, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Maroubra, New South Wales, Maroubra that competes in the Nat ...
since 2006; Crowe has been a supporter of the team 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
Super League war
The Super League war was a commercial competition between the Australian Rugby League (ARL) and the Australian Super League to establish pre-eminence in professional rugby league competition in Australia and New Zealand in the mid-1990s.
Sup ...
of the 1990s, he made an attempt to use his Hollywood connections to convince
Ted Turner
Robert Edward Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and Philanthropy, philanthropist. He founded the CNN, Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour United States cable news, ...
, a rival of Super League's
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian - American retired business magnate, investor, and media mogul. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of List of assets owned by News Corp, local, national, a ...
, to save the Rabbitohs before they were forced from the
NRL
The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
competition for two years. In 1999, Crowe paid at auction for the brass bell used to open the
inaugural rugby league 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
Peter Holmes à Court
Peter Holmes à Court (born 1968) is an Australian businessman.
He is the eldest son of the late billionaire businessman Robert Holmes à Court and Janet Holmes à Court. He was joint owner of the National Rugby League team South Sydney Rabb ...
to purchase 75% of the organisation, leaving 25% ownership with the members. It cost them , 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.
On 5 November 2006, Crowe appeared on ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fourth and sixth installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Jay Leno, it aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009, replacing ''The Ton ...
'' to announce that
Firepower International
Firepower International was a fraudulent company that advertised as a Hong Kong-based company owned and operated by Global Fuel Technologies Ltd, specializing in technology purporting to reduce the fuel consumption and environmental impact of Int ...
was sponsoring the South Sydney Rabbitohs for over three years, showing 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
University of North Florida
The University of North Florida (UNF) is a public university, public research university in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern ...
, in
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
, between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the
2007 Super League Grand Final winners the Leeds Rhinos on 26 January 2008 (
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet and raising of the Flag of Great Britain, Union Flag of Great Britain by Arthur Phillip at Sydney Cove, a ...
). Crowe told
ITV Local 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
Jason Taylor and one of their players
David Fa'alogo after a drunken altercation between the two at the end of the
2009 NRL season.
Also in 2009, Crowe persuaded young England international forward
Sam Burgess 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
Greg Inglis to renege on his deal to join the
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...
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
Channel Nine,
Channel Seven,
ANZ Stadium and
V8 Supercars in relation to the South Sydney Rabbitohs' salary cap.
In 2011, Souths also announced a corporate partnership with the bookmaking conglomerate
Luxbet.
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
2011 State of Origin series live for the first time in the United States, in addition to the NRL Grand Final.
In November 2012 the
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club, also known as the South Sydney Rabbitohs, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Maroubra, New South Wales, Maroubra that competes in the Nat ...
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
Nick Pappas 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
2013 Dally M Awards and presented the prestigious
Dally M Medal to winner
Cooper Cronk. Russell was present at the
2014 NRL Grand Final when the Rabbitohs won the NRL premiership for the first time in 43 years.
Other sporting interests
Two of his cousins,
Martin Crowe and
Jeff Crowe, captained the
New Zealand national cricket team
The New Zealand national cricket team represents New Zealand in men's international cricket. Nicknamed the Black Caps (), they played their first Test cricket, Test in 1930 against England cricket team, England in Christchurch, becoming the f ...
.
Crowe watches and plays cricket, and captained the 'Australian' Team containing
Steve Waugh
Stephen Rodger Waugh (born 2 June 1965) is an Australian former international cricketer and twin brother of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman and a medium-pace bowler, Waugh is considered one of the greatest cricketers of all time. ...
against an English side in the 'Hollywood Ashes' Cricket Match. On 17 July 2009, Crowe took to the commentary box for British sports channel
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a group of British broadcasting of sports events, subscription sports channels operated by the satellite television, satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television ...
as the 'third man' during the second
Test
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
* Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
Arts and entertainment
* ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film
* ''Test'' (2014 film) ...
of the
2009 Ashes series, between England and Australia.
Crowe is a fan of the New Zealand
All Blacks
The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...
rugby team.
He is friends with
Lloyd Carr, the former coach of the
University of Michigan Wolverines American football team, and Carr used Crowe's movie ''
Cinderella Man'' to motivate his
2006 team 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
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club, also known as the South Sydney Rabbitohs, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Maroubra, New South Wales, Maroubra that competes in the Nat ...
, which Carr did the following summer. In September 2007, after Carr came under fire following the Wolverines'
0–2 start, Crowe travelled to
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
for the Wolverines' 15 September game against
Notre Dame 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
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
. On 22 October 2007, Crowe appeared in the booth of a Monday night game between the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
and the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
.
He is also a fan of
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
and narrated the
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime (styled as prime) is a paid subscription service of Amazon which is available in many countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services inclu ...
documentary ''
Take Us Home: Leeds United''.
Personal life

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 while working on their film ''
Proof of Life''. 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, with the ceremony taking place on Crowe's 39th birthday.
The couple have two sons: 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 in 2019 and 2020, he raised over for the
NSW RFS by selling his
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club, also known as the South Sydney Rabbitohs, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Maroubra, New South Wales, Maroubra that competes in the Nat ...
hat in an online auction.
On 9 March 2005, Crowe revealed to ''
GQ'' magazine that prior to his attending 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. Pacif ...
,
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
agents had approached him and told him that the terrorist group
al-Qaeda
, image = Flag of Jihad.svg
, caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions
, founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden
, leaders = {{Plainlist,
* Osama bin Lad ...
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
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
or
Algiers
Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
... 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 Australian 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. Known for often playing eccentric roles on both stage and screen, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Geoffrey Rush, numerous accolades, including an Academy Aw ...
,
Cate Blanchett
Catherine Élise Blanchett ( ; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognised for Cate Blanchett on screen and stage, her versatile work across stage and scre ...
, and
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for Nicole Kidman on screen and stage, her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world ...
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
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer, and auto racing team owner. He hosted late-night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of ''Late N ...
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.
Ambassador of Rome in the world
On 20 December 2022, Crowe was appointed by the mayor of
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
to be its 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 called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
in Italy.
In July 2023, on holiday in Italy visiting the archaeological site of
Ostia Antica
Ostia Antica () is an ancient Roman city and the port of Rome located at the mouth of the Tiber. It is near modern Ostia, southwest of Rome. Due to silting and the invasion of sand, the site now lies from the sea. The name ''Ostia'' (the pl ...
, to please fans of ''Gladiator'', including those who asked about
the sequel, Crowe pretended to have a phone conversation with Cicero, servant of Crowe's character Maximus. 'Max' asks Cicero where the men are, why they have gone away, then says he understands why: "I'm dead... It's perfectly understandable."
Political views
Crowe has supported the
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also known as the Labor Party or simply Labor, is the major Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia and one of two Major party, major parties in Po ...
(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. She held office as the leader of the Labor Party (ALP), having previously served as the ...
in June 2013, and narrated an advertisement for the Labor Party's election campaign in May 2022. Crowe has been an outspoken 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

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 an altercation with a woman at the Plantation Hotel in
Coffs Harbour
Coffs Harbour, locally nicknamed Coffs, is a coastal city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 a ...
, in which he was caught on a security camera kissing a man trying to placate him. 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
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
'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
Eric Watson inside the London branch of Zuma, a Japanese restaurant chainthe fight was broken up by English actor
Ross Kemp.
In June 2005, Crowe was arrested and charged with second-degree assault by the
NYPD
The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...
after he threw a telephone at the concierge of the
Mercer Hotel 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
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the Human rights, rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN Drafting of the Universal D ...
. 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 ''
South Park
''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...
'' episode "
The New Terrance and Phillip Movie Trailer" 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
Charlie Rose
Charles Peete Rose Jr. (born January 5, 1942) is an American journalist and talk show host. From 1991 to 2017, he was the host and executive producer of the talk show ''Charlie Rose (talk show), Charlie Rose'' on PBS and Bloomberg L.P., Bloombe ...
: "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."
In October 2016,
Azealia Banks
Azealia Amanda Banks ( ; born May 31, 1991) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, she began releasing music through Myspace in 2008 before being signed to XL Recordings at age 18. S ...
filed a police report against Crowe, claiming that he choked and spat at her before proceeding to call her the 'n-word' during a party in his hotel suite. However, the Los Angeles District Attorney's office dropped the case in December. The following year during an interview with ''
The Breakfast Club'',
RZA acknowledged only Banks’ claim that Crowe had spat, though "on the floor" rather than at her directly, going on to condemn her alleged "obnoxious and erratic" behaviour. Crowe asserted that he removed Banks from the premises because she had threatened to physically assault other attendees. RZA denied hearing Crowe use the 'n-word' and confirmed Crowe's account of threats of violence by Banks, saying "(Banks) threatened to cut a girl in the face with a glass, then actually (grabbed) a glass and physically (attacked) for no logical reason. Russell blocked the attack and removed her from the suite."
Filmography and awards
Crowe's most acclaimed and highest-grossing films, according to the online portal
Box Office Mojo
Box Office Mojo is an American website that tracks box-office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. The site was founded in 1998 by Brandon Gray, and was bought in 2008 by IMDb, which itself is owned by Amazon.
History
Brandon Gray ...
and the review aggregate site
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, include ''
L.A. Confidential'' (1997), ''
The Insider'' (1999), ''
Gladiator
A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...
'' (2000), ''
A Beautiful Mind'' (2001), ''
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World'' (2003), ''
3:10 to Yuma'' (2007), ''
State of Play'' (2009), ''
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...
'' (2010), ''
Les Misérables
''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...
'' (2012), ''
Man of Steel'' (2013), ''
Noah
Noah (; , also Noach) appears as the last of the Antediluvian Patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5–9), the Quran and Baháʼí literature, ...
'' (2014), ''
The Nice Guys'' (2016), ''
The Mummy'' (2017), and ''
Thor: Love and Thunder'' (2022), ''
Land of Bad'' (2024).
Crowe won an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
in the
Best Actor 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.
He won the
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for ''A Beautiful Mind'' and
Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film for ''
The Loudest Voice'' (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 ''
Cinderella Man''.
See also
*
List of NRL club owners
*
Russell Crowe's jockstrap
References
External links
*
* with
stv.tv, November 2007
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crowe, Russell
Russell
1964 births
20th-century New Zealand male actors
20th-century New Zealand male singers
21st-century New Zealand male actors
21st-century New Zealand male singers
Best Actor BAFTA Award winners
Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (film) winners
Best Miniseries or Television Movie Actor Golden Globe winners
Best Supporting Actor AACTA Award winners
Film directors from Sydney
Living people
Male actors from Sydney
Male actors from Wellington City
Musicians from Sydney
Musicians from Wellington City
New Zealand Christians
New Zealand emigrants to Australia
New Zealand expatriate male actors in the United States
New Zealand film directors
New Zealand male film actors
New Zealand male television actors
New Zealand monarchists
New Zealand people of English descent
New Zealand people of Italian descent
New Zealand people of Māori descent
New Zealand people of Norwegian descent
New Zealand people of Scottish descent
New Zealand people of Welsh descent
New Zealand rock singers
New Zealand rugby league chairmen and investors
Ngāti Porou people
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Screen Actors Guild Award winners
People convicted of assault
People educated at Sydney Boys High School
People from the Mid North Coast
Singers from Sydney