Russell Crowe (Russell Crowe): biography, filmography and personal life (photo)

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Australian actor Russell Crowe is familiar to many viewers. Someone remembered his brutal image in the historical film "Gladiator", and someone most of all appreciated the role of a scientist with a fragile psyche from the movie "A Beautiful Mind".

One way or another, any work of Russell impresses with his ability to embody a variety of characters. How did this amazing actor become so successful?

Childhood

Like many other actors, Russell Crowe was born into a family that was connected with the world of television and cinema. Grandfather, Stan Wemis, had not only successful roles, but also a cinematic award of the Second World War. Parents, Alex and Jocelyn, also constantly starred in films and television shows. Filming was associated with moving, so at the age of four, Russell ended up in Sydney. He was attracted to television, he was not at all afraid of cameras, so it is not surprising that at the age of five the boy took part in the filming of the television series Spyforce, which was produced by his mother's godfather. But this role has not yet become the beginning of a rich career, and at the age of 14, Russell moved with his family to New Zealand, where his parents became co-owners of the Flying Jug restaurant. I had to forget about cinema for a while.

Passion for music

When the actor was still a teenager, nothing foreshadowed that films starring Russell Crowe would one day attract large audiences to cinemas. The teenager was much more interested in a musical career.

Moving to Oakland gave him a friendship with Dean Hochran, in whose company Russell began to play in the group "Roman Fun". In addition, he recorded singles under the pseudonym Russ le Roque. But the songs did not become popular, which Crowe reacted with he althy irony. At 21, he returned to Australia to study drama at the National Institute. Soon he dropped out, although he no longer planned to become a rock star. The actor had to earn a living as a waiter and dishwasher.

First success

In 1986, Russell Crowe, whose filmography included only a child role in the series, was invited to The Rocky Horror Show. He starred in 415 episodes of this program, while attending a variety of screen tests. Some visits were successful - for example, in 1987 he got the role of Kenny Larkin and played in the TV series Neighbors. After him, Russell Crowe was invited to the film "Prisoners of the Sun". At the age of 25, he was noticed by George Ogilvy and invited to the first truly serious movie called Crossroads. After him, films with Russell Crowe began to appear much more often. Soon the tape "Proof" was released, which presented the actor with the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Supporting Actor.

And in 1992 it was releaseda film called "Skinheads", which became one of the box office that year and brought the actor a national film award. Russell Crowe became successful and popular.

New roles

The emotional image from "Skinheads" attracted the attention of the whole world. Russell Crowe noticed Sharon Stone and invited him to take part in his directorial debut called The Quick and the Dead. The actor completed work on the Australian project The Sum of Us, after which he starred in the proposed Hollywood film. The audience did not appreciate the film too much, but other directors noticed the Australian and began to actively offer him cooperation. Russell Crowe, whose filmography up to this point was full of Australian films, became a real Hollywood actor. He worked on the same set with Denzel Washington in the film Virtuosity, which used Crowe songs as the soundtrack. He starred in the film Magic with Bridget Fonda and took part in No Turning Back. In 1997, the actor was invited to the shooting of "LA Confidential", where he got the main role.

The tape was very warmly received by film critics, it was awarded two Oscars and seven more nominations.

Transformation for the sake of image

In 1999, Russell Crowe starred in the film "The Insider", Al Pacino himself shared the set with him. The desire to fully match the image prompted the actor to real feats. He gained 23 kilograms of weight to appear more convincing in the role of an old and bald fat man. And the efforts were not in vain. Role of JeffreyWiggenda has become one of the most successful films in Russell's filmography. For her, Crowe was awarded the National Board of Film Reviewers Award, received the Los Angeles Society of Film Critics Award, and was also nominated for the Golden Globe and Oscar.

Steady success

In 2000, the film "Proof of Life" was released, where Russell Crowe shared the set with Meg Ryan.

During filming, the actors began an affair, because of which Meg divorced her husband, Denis Quaid. The next work of the actor was the historical film "Gladiator", which turned out to be the best tape in 2001. Russell Crowe, whose photos during the filming of "The Insider" did not show the most attractive body, has completely changed, having lost a lot of weight and gained muscle mass. The efforts were not in vain, and the image of a strong man turned out to be extremely convincing. Russell Crowe began to receive millions of fees. And soon he was invited to the role of the famous mathematician Forbes in the film A Beautiful Mind. This image brought the actor the Golden Globe Award for Best Dramatic Role. In 2002, the second year, Russell Crowe, whose filmography was steadily replenished with new works, decided to try himself as a producer and took part in the filming of the film "Texas". The next successful work was the role in the film "Master and Commander: At the End of the Earth." She received two Oscars for sound editing and cinematography. The rental of the picture brought the creators more than three hundred and twenty million dollars.

Calm in career

In 2005Russell's filmography was replenished with the sensational "Knockdown".

After that, many of the proposed roles were not so popular. Neither the film "A Good Year", based on the novel by Peter Mail, nor the TV series "Close Up", nor the film "Train to Yuma" caused much excitement. However, fans were not at all disappointed in the actor, and all these works brought a good income, appearing at the box office. Only film critics, as well as members of the jury of various film awards, remained indifferent. In 2007, Russell Crowe starred in the films Gangster and Tenderness, and in 2008 he appeared on the screen in the film Body of Lies. In 2009, he played in the movie The Great Game. In 2010, Russell Crowe, whose filmography includes mostly feature films, starred in the TV series The Doyle Case.

Works of recent years

A series of not-too-successful works ended thanks to director Ridley Scott. He invited Russell to take part in the film "Robin Hood", and this film turned out to be really successful. The acting duet with Cate Blanchett was liked by both the audience and film critics. Russell Crowe, whose best films often turned out to be historical ones, successfully conveyed the image of the legendary hero of medieval ballads on the screen. After that, two more works appeared on the screens - "Three Days to Escape" and "Iron Fist". In 2012, fans were able to see their favorite actor in an unusual role: Crowe played in the musical film Les Misérables, based on the classic work by V. Hugo. The next work was the tape "City of Vice", and 2013 pleased the audience with "Man of Steel",about the popular comic book hero Superman and his origins. In 2014, Crowe starred in the film Love Through Time, and also took part in a large-scale project by Darren Aronofsky. The picture called "Noah" was recently released, but has already attracted a lot of attention. The original reading of the religious plot and the masterful performance of Russell Crowe in a duet with Jennifer Connelly guarantee the film the maximum success at the global box office.

Private life

An extensive list of films with Russell Crowe does not mean at all that the actor is a workaholic who has forgotten about his personal life.

On the contrary, his romantic relationships were quite tempestuous. But the meeting with Danielle Spencer, singer and actress, became fateful. The couple met back in 1990, when both participated in the filming of the film "Crossroads", but for a long time remained just friends. And only in 2003, thirteen years later, they decided to get married. The family had two sons, Charles and Tennyson, for whom the loving father even gave up smoking. Despite the fact that the couple seemed exemplary, after ten years of marriage, the actors decided to leave. The divorce went very peacefully and quietly. Nothing is known about Russell Crowe's romantic relationship at the moment. The sons of the actor after the divorce live with their mother. Crowe still considers Australia his home, where he has a farm where the parents and brother of actor Terry live.