Who is Russell Crowe?
Russell Crowe is a New Zealand-born actor who grew up mainly in Australia and is often regarded as an Australian star. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Gladiator in 2001.
Born in Wellington in 1964, Crowe moved to Sydney with his family as a young child, returned to New Zealand as a teenager and later settled in Australia. He began acting in Australian films such as Romper Stomper in 1992.
His Hollywood breakthrough came with L.A. Confidential in 1997. He then received Oscar nominations for The Insider, won for Gladiator, playing Maximus, and was nominated again for A Beautiful Mind.
Rabbitohs and music
Crowe is a passionate supporter of the South Sydney Rabbitohs rugby league club and became a co-owner in 2006.
A keen musician, he has fronted the bands 30 Odd Foot of Grunts and The Ordinary Fear of God, and he owns a farm at Nana Glen near Coffs Harbour in New South Wales.
Crowe made his directing debut with The Water Diviner in 2014, a drama set after the Gallipoli campaign, and later directed Poker Face. His other films include Master and Commander, Cinderella Man and Les Miserables, and he continues to act in Hollywood and Australian productions.
Did You Know?
Crowe's first major film award was an Australian Film Institute award for Romper Stomper.