Born
in New Zealand, Russell has made his home in Australia since he was a
small child. The son of movie set caterers, Russell got the acting bug
early in life. 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. Sharon Stone
heard of him from Romper Stomper (1992) and wanted him for her film,
The Quick and the Dead (1995). But filming on The Sum of Us (1994) had
already begun. Sharon is reported to have held up shooting until she
had her gunslinger-Crowe, for her film.
Russell
Crowe - Academy Awards 2001
With
The Quick and the Dead (1995) under his belt as his first American
film, the second was offered to him soon after. Virtuosity (1995),
starring Denzel Washington, put Russell in the body of a Virtual
Serial Killer, Sid6.7 ... a role unlike any he had played so far.
Virtuosity (1995), a Sci-Fi extravaganza, was a fun film and, again,
opened the door to even more American offers. L.A. Confidential
(1997), Russell's third American film, brought him the US fame and
attention that his fans have felt he deserved all along. Missing the
Oscar nod this time around, he didn't seem deterred and signed to do
his first film with The Walt Disney Company, Mystery, Alaska (1999).
He has recently achieved even more success and awards for his
performances in Gladiator (2000) and A Beautiful Mind (2001).
Date
of birth: 7 April 1964. Location: Wellington, North Island, New
Zealand
Personal
quotes
"One
of the most painful things of the L.A.
Confidential (1997) character I played was that the author, James
Ellroy, kept telling me that Bud White wasn't a drinker. I
said, 'come on, this is 1953. He's a blue-collar bloke, a cop.
You're telling me he doesn't sit around with the boys after his shift
and have a beer?' And Ellroy says, 'absolutely not'. So for
five months and seven days, I didn't have a drink. It's probably
the most painful period of my life".
[on
winning the Best Actor Oscar] "If you grow up in the suburbs of
anywhere, a dream like this seems kind of vaguely ludicrous and
completely unattainable. But this moment is directly connected to
those imaginings. And for anybody who's on the downside of advantage,
and relying purely on courage, it's possible."
"It's
not really what I'd call a movie. I was stunned that Miramax wanted to
buy it. I mean it's really rude. It showed me in a really bad light.
It's also shoddily made. It's cobbled together." -- expressing
surprise that a low-budget documentary of his band, 30 Odd Foot of
Grunts, has been picked up for worldwide distribution.
"I'd
move to Los Angeles if Australia and New Zealand were swallowed up by
a huge tidal wave, if there was a bubonic plague in Europe, and if the
continent of Africa disappeared from some Martian attack."
"I
felt this tap on my shoulder and I turned around and, you know that De
Niro fellow? Well, he didn't say a word. He didn't say 'Hello', 'Good
evening' or anything or 'Hi, I'm Robert'. He just looked at me and he
nodded his head and he smiled. And he walked off." - About
meeting Robert De Niro.
"You
don't have to like an actor to do a scene with him. You don't have to
like a director. But it's just better if you do. And I think, you
know, you've got to begin that with respect."
"All
that stuff, this public persona of me - let's call him 'the wild man'
- that is not helpful. It doesn't make me more of a box office draw.
It's the quality of my work that makes people want to go to my
films."
"I
always say I've given 24 insufficient performances and I'm looking
forward to the time in my life when I'll do something that I think is
good. There's always stuff you can do better, stuff that maybe you
didn't uncover enough. But if you do something that you truly believe
is perfect, then that's got to be the last movie you do."
"I'd
like to play passionate women, but no one will let me."
"If
there's anything about someone's life that's important enough to make
a movie about it, I have to take responsibility to get all of it
right. It's a huge responsibility."
"The
older I get, the crotchetier I'm going to get about that integrity. I
don't think, just because you have the public's attention, it's now a
prerequisite for you to completely sell out your moral center. I don't
think that's OK. If I ever stop being the guy that can answer your
question straight and look you in the eye and give you my opinion,
then I should stop making films."
"I'm
still excited by it. I still love the process. I want to make movies
that pierce people's hearts and touch them in some way, even if it's
just for the night while they're in the cinema; in that moment, I want
to bring actual tears to their eyes and goosebumps to their skin.
That's what motivates me, and it may sound strange but if you're not
focused on the audience, why are you bothering to make a movie?"
"He
has disappointed me many times over the past ten years, with his
performances in substandard movies." [About Robert De Niro]
Master
and Commander
QUOTES
"When
I arrived in Sydney, I spent 22 weeks in this $50-a-week place with
just a bed, a cupboard and the toilet halfway down the corridor. For
the first time my parents were some distance away. I did a lot of
thinking and realized I appreciated what my father had instilled in
me. People think that because there is a dole there they should use
it, and there are a lot of ways to misuse the system. I believe in
singing for my supper. I'll never accept a grant because what I do
should be able to be founded purely on free enterprise."
"Mate,
he did that to himself. I have little time for the Oliver Reeds of
this business. I'm not pleased that he's gone. In fact, I never had a
drink with Oliver, because I didn't want to encourage him. I'll go for
long periods without a drink. When I'm on the farm by myself, it's not
something I even think about. But I'm not afraid to have a beer in
front of a studio executive. That doesn't make me a wild man."
[About Oliver Reed]
"I'm
at the bottom of a well. I can't communicate how dark my life is right
now. I'm in a lot of trouble. I'll do my best to solve the situation
in an honorable way. I'm very sorry for my actions. I will spend the
rest of my life if it takes it, trying to make it up with my wife. I'm
pleased that my son isn't able to compute what's going on at the
moment because that would be a heartbreaking thing. One thing that I
don't want to do is imply that I'm trying to make out it's somebody
else's fault It's not, I know it's my fault, I've got to face up to it
and deal with it. I'm not trying to be pessimistic, I'm just looking
at what the situation is - it's a seven-year jail sentence."
"After
The Insider (1999),
I know the exact chemical compounds in a commercial cigarette, but
I've been smoking since I was 10. I know it's terrible, but I am a
great fan of irony."
"I
believe if you take on characters for a living you can't make yourself
into an icon in order to sell a pair of shoes."
"I
had a good laugh when Clooney tried to compare doing ads for suits, a
car and a drink to what I do as a musician. An endorsement is about
money. My music is from the heart."
"I
do my bit to improve the world but I think it's very important to get
things done on the quiet. I'm sick to death of famous people standing
up and using their celebrity to promote a cause. If I see a particular
need, I do try to help. But there's a lot that can be achieved by
putting a cheque in the right place and shutting up about it."
"I
don't do ads for suits in Spain like George
Clooney or cigarettes in Japan like Harrison
Ford. And on one level, people go, 'Well, more fault to you, mate,
because there's free money to be handed out.' But to me it's kind of
sacrilegious - it's a complete contradiction of the f**king social
contract you have with your audience. I mean, Robert
De Niro's advertising "American Express". Gee whiz, it's
not the first time he's disappointed me. It's been happening for a
while now."
"I'd
move to Los Angeles if Australia and New Zealand were swallowed up by
a huge tidal wave, if there was a bubonic plague in Europe, and if the
continent of Africa disappeared from some Martian attack."
"Dani
was three weeks early last time, she gave birth just a few days after
she was chased down the street by four photographers. Nobody cares,
particularly the photographers, nobody cares to focus on what that is.
She was just walking down the street with her girlfriend and they
rushed her - four of them all surrounded her. So she panicked and
slipped and all this sort of stuff. If I'd been there that would have
been a really serious situation. I tell you right now, they will be
tarred and feathered if they hassle my pregnant wife again."
"The
Daily Show"
... aka The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (USA: new title)
... aka The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Global Edition
(International: English title: cut version)
- Episode
dated 2 June 2005 (2005) TV Episode .... Himself
"Entertainment
Tonight"
... aka E.T. (USA: informal title)
... aka ET Weekend (Australia: weekend title)
... aka Entertainment This Week (weekend title)
... aka This Week in Entertainment (USA: weekend title)
- Episode
dated 11 October 2003 (2003) TV Episode .... Himself
The
73rd Annual Academy Awards (2001) (TV) .... Himself - Winner:
Best Actor in a Leading Role & Presenter: Best Film Editing
7th
Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2001) (TV) .... Himself -
Nominee: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
and Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion
Picture
