Russell Crowe

Russell Crowe: Biography in Details

Who is Russell Crowe?

Russell Crowe is an actor, film producer, and musician. He is known for his role as the Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator.

In 2001, his portrayal of mathematician and Nobel Prize winner John F. Nash in the biopic A Beautiful Mind brought him numerous awards.

Russell Crowe: Age, Parents, Ethnicity

Russell Crowe was born on 7 April 1964, in Wellington, New Zealand. He also has English, German, Irish, Italian, Norwegian, Scottish, Swedish, and Welsh ancestry.

His birth name is Russell Ira Crowe. He was born to Jocelyn Yvonne (née Wemyss) and John Alexander Crowe. Both of them were film set caterers.

Crowe’s paternal grandfather was from Wales, while one of Crowe’s maternal great-grandmothers was Māori.

He is a cousin of former New Zealand cricket captains Martin Crowe and Jeff Crowe, and nephew of Dave Crowe. 

When Crowe was 4, his family moved to Sydney, where his parents pursued a career in set catering.

Education History

Crowe was educated at Vaucluse Public School but later moved to Sydney Boys High School.

When 14, his family moved back to New Zealand where he attended Auckland Grammar School.

He then continued his secondary education at Mount Roskill Grammar School, which he left at the age of 16 to pursue his ambition of becoming an actor.

Russell Crowe: Professional Life and Career

Russell Crowe had begun acting from an early age in some minor roles in TV series, when in Australia.

He began his performing career as a musician in the early 1980s. Russell released several New Zealand singles including “I Just Want To Be Like Marlon Brando”, “Pier 13”, and “Shattered Glass”.

When he was 18, he was featured in A Very Special Person…, a promotional video for the theology/ministry course at Avondale College.

Crowe returned to Australia at 21, intending to apply to the National Institute of Dramatic Art.

From 1986 to 1988, he was given his first professional role in a production of The Rocky Horror Show.

After appearing in the TV series Neighbours and Living with the Law, Crowe was cast in his first film, The Crossing (1990).

Crowe starred in Police Rescue, Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom, etc.

Also in 1992, Crowe starred in Romper Stomper. For the role, Crowe won an Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award for Best Actor. 

After initial success in Australia, Crowe first starred in For the Moment, before concentrating on American films.

He co-starred in Virtuosity, The Quick and the Dead in 1995, and went on to become a three-time Oscar nominee, winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2000 for Gladiator.

Crowe was awarded the (Australian) Centenary Medal in 2001.

Crowe received 3 consecutive best actor Oscar nominations, for The Insider, Gladiator, and A Beautiful Mind.

He won the best actor award for A Beautiful Mind at the 2002 BAFTA award ceremony, Golden Globe & Screen Actors Guild Award.

Although nominated for an Academy Award, he lost to Denzel Washington.

Within a six-year stretch from 1997-2003, he also starred in 2 other best picture nominees, L.A. Confidential & Master, and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

In 2005, he played in Cinderella Man, and in 2006 in A Good Year.

On 2 August 2011, the third collaboration between Crowe and Doyle was released on iTunes as The Crowe/Doyle Songbook Vol III.

Crowe says he follows New Zealand’s rugby union team, the All Blacks, and Australia in any other sport. 2 of his cousins, Martin Crowe and Jeff Crowe, captained the Black Caps New Zealand international cricket team.

He has been a supporter of the rugby league football team the South Sydney Rabbitohs since childhood.

Since his rise to fame as an actor, he has continued appearing at home games and supported the financially troubled club. Crowe watches and plays cricket as well.

Salary and Net Worth 2024

While his salary depends on the projects, he has a net worth of $100 million.

Russell Crowe: Rumors and Controversy

Crowe has been dragged into rumors and controversies, Between 1999 and 2005, he was involved in four altercations which gave him a reputation for having a bad temper.

In 1999, Crowe was involved in a scuffle at the Plantation Hotel in Coffs Harbour, Australia, which was caught on security video.

In June 2005, Crowe was arrested and charged with Second-Degree Assault by New York City police after he threw a telephone at the concierge of the Mercer Hotel who refused to help him place a call when the system did not work from his room; he was charged with Fourth-Degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon (the telephone).

Body Measurements: Height, Weight

Russell Crowe has a height of 5 feet 11 inches.

His body weighs 92kg. He has Light Brown hair and blue eyes.

Social Media

Russell is active on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

He has 2.7 million followers on Twitter, 3.4 million followers on Facebook, and 1 million followers on Instagram.

Also, read Kristoffer Cusick, Daniel Henney, and Robert Belushi.

Russell Crowe's Birthday Dates