The New Zealand-born actor, director and producer is one of the stars of international film. Russell Crowe mostly embodied the strong and masculine guy in entertainment films. His breakthrough came in 1994 with the film The Sum Of Us. He won an Oscar in 2000 for his portrayal of Maximus in Gladiator. In 2020 he received the Golden Globe for best actor in a mini-series for his role in “The Loudest Voice”. Other successful films include “The Quick and the Dead”, “L.A. Confidential”, “Insider”, “War Machine” and “Unhinged”…
Russell Ira Crowe was born on April 7, 1964 in Wellington, New Zealand, into a working-class family.
Russell Crowe grew up with his parents, with whom he moved to Australia when he was four years old. He also attended school there. His father ran a catering service. Russell Crowe had his first contact with film when he accompanied his father in delivering food to various film productions. By chance he got a small role in the TV series “Spyforce” at the age of six. After he did his job well, further productions followed with him, TV series and later also at the theater. After graduating from high school and increasing his number of roles, Russell Crowe landed his first role in a motion picture production in 1990 in the film Prisoners of the Sun. He earned his first acceptance as an actor hopeful in 1992 with his contribution in the title Romper Stomper.
Crowe’s breakthrough came in 1994 with The Sum of Us. The Australian production was so successful that American companies became aware of it. The following year he co-starred in The Quick and the Dead with Sharon Stone, Leonardo DiCaprio and Gene Hackman. The strip didn’t win awards, but it did make Russell Crowe a star. This was followed by numerous large-scale productions with well-known colleagues. In 1997 came “L.A. Confidential”, 1999 “The Insider” with Al Pacino and the following year the title “Gladiator”. At least since this film he has been considered a fixture in Hollywood. He received the Oscar for best actor for his portrayal of Maximus. The year before, in 1999, he earned an Oscar nomination for best actor with the thriller “Insider”. Crowe received the same quality assessment in the category “Best Actor” in 2001 for the drama “A Beautiful Mind – Genie und Wahnsinn”.
In 2000, the film “Lebenszeichen – Proof of Life” was made alongside Meg Ryan. Despite his successes in the United States, Russell Crowe remained loyal to Australia. There he ran a farm with his parents and when time permitted, the passionate musician gave concerts with his band “30 Odd Foot of Grunts”. The album “Other Ways Of Speaking” was created with them. In April 2003, Russell Crowe married Danielle Spencer. Their son Charles was born in December; the second son Tennyson was born in July 2006. The couple divorced in 2012. In 2007, Russell Crowe founded his own production company, Fear of God Films, with his assistant Keith Rodger. In 2019 he was in front of the camera for the film “Outlaws – The True Story of the Kelly Gang” and the mini-series “The Loudest Voice”; In 2020 he won the Golden Globe for best actor.
Filmography
1990 – “Prisoners of the Sun”.
1991 – “Proof – The Proof”.
1992 – “Romper Stomper”.
1994 – “The Sum of Us”.
1994 – “The Sum of Feelings”.
1995 – “Wild Magic”.
1995 – “Faster than Death”.
1996 – “The Yakuza Cartel”.
1997 – “L.A. Confidential”.
1999 – “Insiders”.
2000 – “Gladiators”.
2000 – “Signs of Life – Proof of Life”.
2001 – “Gladiator (wild screen)”.
2001 – “A Beautiful Mind”.
2003 – “Masters and Commanders”.
2005 – “The Comeback”.
2006 – “A Good Year”.
How old is Russell Crowe?
58 years
April 7, 1964
How tall is Russell Crowe?
1.82 m
What was Russell Crowe’s big break?
Beginning as a child star on a local Australian TV show, Russell’s first big break came with two films … the first, Romper Stomper (1992), gained him a name throughout the film community in Australia and the neighboring countries. The second, The Sum of Us (1994), helped put him on the American map, so to speak.
Is Gladiator a true story?
Historical authenticity. The film is loosely based on real events that occurred within the Roman Empire in the latter half of the 2nd century AD. As Ridley Scott wanted to portray Roman culture more accurately than in any previous film, he hired several historians as advisors.
How much did Russell Crowe get paid for Gladiator?
Crowe earned $5 million for 2000’s “Gladiator”. That same year he earned $7.5 million for “Proof of Life”.
Why is Gladiator so popular?
Gladiator was a good film, the action scenes were great, really intense. But to me, it’s a rip-off of its superior predecessor Braveheart. Braveheart had better acting, greater character development, was more in depth in its detail, and the film made you actually care what happened to the main character.
