RUSSELL CROWE ACTOR GLADIATOR MASTER AND COMMANDER

RUSSELL CROWE

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."

"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."

Lucky Jack Aubrey

Salary

Cinderella Man (2005)	$15,000,000
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)	$20,000,000
A Beautiful Mind (2001)	$15,000,000
Proof of Life (2000)	$7,500,000
Gladiator (2000)	$5,000,000

Filmography as: Actor, Director, Producer, Himself, Archive Footage

Actor - filmography
(In Production) (2000s) (1990s) (1980s) (1970s)

3:10 to Yuma (2007) (pre-production) (attached) .... Ben Wade
American Gangster (2007) (pre-production) (attached) .... Detective Richie Roberts
Tenderness (2007) (filming) .... Detective Cristofuoro
A Good Year (2006) (completed) .... Max Skinner
Cinderella Man (2005) .... Jim Braddock
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) .... Capt. Jack Aubrey
A Beautiful Mind (2001) .... John Nash
Proof of Life (2000) .... Terry Thorne
Gladiator (2000) .... Maximus
The Insider (1999) .... Dr. Jeffrey Wigand
Mystery, Alaska (1999) .... Sheriff John Biebe
Breaking Up (1997) .... Steve
Heaven's Burning (1997) .... Colin
L.A. Confidential (1997) .... Officer Wendell 'Bud' White
Rough Magic (1995) .... Alex Ross
... aka Miss Shumway jette un sort (France)
Virtuosity (1995) .... SID 6.7
No Way Back (1995) .... FBI Agent Zack Grant
The Quick and the Dead (1995) .... Cort
The Sum of Us (1994) .... Jeff Mitchell
For the Moment (1993) .... Lachlan
... aka Un temps pour aimer (Canada: French title)
The Silver Brumby (1993) .... The Man
... aka The Silver Stallion: King of the Wild Brumbies
Hammers Over the Anvil (1993) .... East Driscoll
Love in Limbo (1993) .... Arthur Baskin
... aka Just One Night
"The Late Show"
- Episode #1.20 (1992) TV Episode .... Shirty, the Slightly Aggressive Bear
Romper Stomper (1992) .... Hando
"Police Rescue"
- The Right Stuff (1992) TV Episode .... Constable Tom 'Bomber' Young
Spotswood (1992) .... Kim Barry
... aka The Efficiency Expert (USA)
"Brides of Christ" (1991) (mini) TV Series .... Dominic Maloney
Proof (1991) .... Andy
"Acropolis Now"
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Greeks (1991) TV Episode .... Danny O' Brian
The Crossing (1990) .... Johnny
Prisoners of the Sun (1990) .... Lt. Jack Corbett
... aka Blood Oath (Australia)
"Living with the Law" (1988) TV Series .... Gary Harding
"Neighbours"
    - Episode #1.596 (1987) TV Episode .... Kenny Larkin
    - Episode #1.589 (1987) TV Episode .... Kenny Larkin
    - Episode #1.588 (1987) TV Episode .... Kenny Larkin
    - Episode #1.581 (1987) TV Episode .... Kenny Larkin
"Spyforce"
- The Saviour: Part 2 (1972) TV Episode .... Orphan