Russell Crowe Trivia | 80 facts about the actor

Russell Crowe is an actor. He rose to fame from his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius. Ever since he had a great acting career.

Let’s find out more about him!

1. His full name is Russel Ira Crowe.
2. Cousin of former New Zealand international cricketers Jeff Crowe and Martin Crowe.
3. Lost his front tooth playing rugby when he was ten. Never got it fixed until, at the insistence of the director for The Crossing (1990), who paid for it out of his own pocket.
4. First lead role when he was 25.
5. Tried a music career as a rockabilly singer sporting a large pompadour hairdo, playing under the name Russ Le Roq. Titled his first single, “I Want to Be Like Marlon Brando”. Later admitted that he had never even seen a Brando movie when he wrote and recorded the song. Ironically, he went on later to play Jor-El in Man of Steel (2013), the same character that Brando iconically performed in Superman (1978).
6. After filming Gladiator (2000), he and some friends took a 4,000 mile motorcycle trip around Australia.
7. Owns a 560-acre farm in 7.5 hours North-West from Sydney.
8. Dropped out of high school.
9. Russell’s rock group is named 30 Odd Foot of Grunts. They played their first American concert following Russell’s success in Gladiator (2000) in Austin, Texas in August 2000. The tickets for the concert were selling for over $500 on e-bay.com.
10. (September 5, 2000) Suffered a shoulder injury, which will require surgery, while filming Jodie Foster’s Flora Plum. It is uncertain if the film will have to be recast.
11. Has starred in three films based on articles from Vanity Fair magazine. The Insider (1999) was based on a story by Marie Brenner named “The Man Who Knew Too Much”. Proof of Life (2000) was based on the article “Adventures in the Ransom Trade” by William Prochnau. A Beautiful Mind (2001) was originally published in Vanity Fair as an excerpt of Sylvia Nasar’s book about John Forbes Nash.
12. He turned down the role of Logan/Wolverine in X-Men (2000) because he did not want to play another similar role to the Maximus from Gladiator (2000), which he just completed. Crowe felt the characters were too similar by having the same animal totem – the wolf, and thought the movie was a cartoon, which it is not his cup of tea.
13. (August 16, 2001) He and his band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992).
14. Proudly displayed his grandfather’s British Honours medal (MBE) while making his Oscar Winner speech in 2001.
15. Has indicated an interest in taking out Australian citizenship due to the amount of time and energy he spends Down Under (keeping his New Zealand citizenship as well).
16. His ancestry includes English, German, Irish, Maori, Norwegian, Scottish, Swedish, Welsh, and 1/32 Italian. Russell’s paternal grandfather was from Wrexham, Wales. Russell’s maternal great-grandmother, Erana Putiputi Hayes Heihi, was Maori, and as a result, he is registered on the Maori electoral roll in New Zealand.
17. When Crowe’s acceptance speech for his Best Actor award during the British Film Awards was edited, Crowe shoved the producer of the show, Malcolm Gerrie, against a wall and cursed at him, telling him: “Who on Earth had the… audacity to take out the best actor’s poem? I’ll make sure you never work in Hollywood.” He later issued a full apology.
18. Ranked #28 in Premiere magazine’s 2002 annual Power 100 List.
19. Following his involvement in a brawl in a London restaurant, Russell stated that he was under a lot of stress and announced that he was going back to Australia to relax and spend more time with his father and his longtime girlfriend singer, Danielle Spencer. [November 2002]
20. Discovered by British actor and musical director/writer Daniel Abineri, who gave Crowe his first professional acting role in a New Zealand tour of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”. Abineri later awarded Crowe the title role in his first stage musical, “Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom”, which premiered in Melbourne in 1989.
21. Ranked #30 in Premiere magazine’s 2003 annual Power 100 List.
22. Met spouse, Danielle Spencer in 1989 when they co-starred in the film The Crossing (1990). Their co-star of the film, Robert Mammone (The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003)), was one of Crowe’s groomsmen at their wedding.
23. Son-in-law of actor Don Spencer.
24. Took violin lessons in preparing for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) because his character, Jack Aubrey, played the violin several times during the movie.
25. He wrote a song about Jodie Foster called “Other Ways of Speaking” with his band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts.
26. Jodie Foster considers him a very good friend.
27. He was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal in the 2001 Queen’s New Years Honours List for his services to Australian society and Australian film production.
28. (January 29, 2004) Dislocated his shoulder while training for his upcoming boxing movie, Cinderella Man (2005). The injury delayed filming for two months.
29. On June 7, 2006, he formed a partnership with Australian businessman Peter Holmes a Court to buy a controlling stake in his favorite sports team, the Australian NRL team South Sydney Rabbitohs.
30. Was accepted into the prestigious drama school, The National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA), in Sydney.
31. Ranked #97 on VH1’s 100 Hottest Hotties
32. Good friends with Nicole Kidman. She also mentioned him in her Oscar acceptance speech when she won Best Actress in a Leading Role for The Hours (2002).
33. Premiere magazine ranked him as #49 on a list of the Greatest Movie Stars of All Time in their Stars in Our Constellation feature (2005).
34. Once he was cast as Bud White in L.A. Confidential (1997), he read in the book that his character was the largest cop on the police force, off-putting for him due to his medium-sized frame (just under 6 feet). To capture a “big guy” presence, Crowe lived in a tiny flat in which he could barely fit through any of the doors. This experience, he said, made him come to the set feeling like a giant.
35. His former band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, used to cover a song by Newfoundland band, Great Big Sea. While filming Cinderella Man (2005) in Toronto, Crowe met Alan Doyle, lead singer of Great Big Sea. The two ended up composing several songs together, working in Toronto and Australia, and Doyle produced Crowe’s 2005 album “My Hand, My Heart”.
36. When his wife was pregnant with his first child Charles, he gave up drinking alcohol with her.
37. Is friends with Richard Tognetti, who gave him violin lessons for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003).
38. His next album (tentatively titled “My Hand, My Heart”) is produced by Alan Doyle, lead singer for the Canadian band, Great Big Sea.
39. He attended Vaucluse Public School in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney for part of his Infants and Primary Education in the 1970s.
40. Formed a new band, named The Ordinary Fear of God.
41. His performance as Jeffrey Wigand in The Insider (1999) is ranked #23 on Premiere magazine’s 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
42. A Beautiful Mind (2001) is ranked #93 on the American Film Institute’s 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time (2006).
43. Was among the guests at Nicole Kidman’s and Keith Urban’s wedding
44. Despite liking the script very much, turned down About a Boy (2002).
45. Turned down the role of Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy since filming on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) would coincide with Ron Howard’s A Beautiful Mind (2001). However, Crowe really loved the idea of filming a movie in his home country, New Zealand, for an extended amount of time.
46. Turned down the role of Sgt. Norm “Hoot” Hooten in Black Hawk Down (2001) due to scheduling conflicts.
47. Lives in a penthouse on Woollomoollo Wharf in Sydney, the Penthouse was reportedly sold to Crowe and wife Danielle Spencer for over $13.75 million.
48. Is close friends with Texas Governor Rick Perry.
49. Lobbied California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger against executing Stanley “Tookie” Williams. [December 2005]
50. The role of James J. Braddock (Cinderella Man (2005)) is his personal favorite.
51. Nearly finalized a deal to reunite with director Michael Mann on Collateral (2004), but scheduling conflicts with Eucalyptus, a doomed film project, prevented him from taking the role, which later went to Tom Cruise.
52. Two opportunities of working with fellow Australian and good friend, Nicole Kidman, have fallen through. In 2005, they were set to star in Jocelyn Moorhouse’s Eucalyptus, which fell through due to disputes over the screenplay. And in 2006, Crowe dropped out of Australia (2008), Baz Luhrmann’s long-gestating romantic Outback epic, due to a disagreement over a cut in Crowe’s salary.
53. Was director Oliver Stone’s dream choice for the title role in Alexander (2004).
54. Was considered for the role of Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) and its ensuing sequels.
55. His earnings in 2001 were estimated at $15.4 million by “Business Review Weekly”.
56. Has starred in five movies in seven years (1997-2003) that ended up being nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture. (L.A. Confidential (1997), The Insider (1999), Gladiator (2000), A Beautiful Mind (2001) and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)). Gladiator (2000) and A Beautiful Mind (2001) won. A similar achievement was done by William Hurt in the 1980s, he starred in five movies nominated for Best Picture in only six years between 1983 and 1988 but none of them won.
57. Was slated to star alongside Nicole Kidman in the movie adaptation of Murray Bail’s novel “Eucalyptus”, but this project was dropped.
58. Initially turned down L.A. Confidential (1997) because he doubted whether he could convincingly play such a tough character.
59. Is a huge fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL.
60. Friends with University of Michigan head football coach Lloyd Carr.
61. Is a huge fan of English Football side Leeds United AFC.
62. According to Forbes magazine, his movies averaged $5 of gross income for every dollar the actor got paid, making him the most overpaid celebrity in the business. [December 2007]
63. Crowe’s maternal grandfather, Stan Wemyss, was a cinematographer who, according to Crowe, produced the first film by New Zealander Geoff Murphy and was also named an MBE for filming footage of World War II.
64. Gained 63 pounds for his role in Body of Lies (2008).
65. Was the original choice for the role of Stonewall Jackson in Ron Maxwell’s Civil War epic, Gods and Generals (2003). Crowe was interested at first but later dropped out. The role went to Stephen Lang instead.
66. Quit smoking for the sake of his children in 2010, but subsequently relapsed.
67. Became a father for the 1st time at age 39 when his wife Danielle Spencer gave birth to their son Charles Spencer Crowe on December 21, 2003.
68. Became a father for the 2nd time at age 42 when his wife Danielle Spencer gave birth to their son Tennyson Spencer Crowe on July 7, 2006.
69. He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on April 12, 2010.
70. As of 2014, has appeared in six films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: L.A. Confidential (1997), The Insider (1999), Gladiator (2000), A Beautiful Mind (2001), Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) and Les Misérables (2012). Of those, Gladiator (2000) and A Beautiful Mind (2001) are winners in the category.
71. Has starred in two films from DreamWorks’s Best Picture Oscar winning streak, which was three years in a row.
72. In June 2010 Crowe, who started smoking when he was ten, announced that he had quit his 60-a-day habit. This attempt later proved unsuccessful, and in November 2010 he admitted that he was still smoking heavily.
73. He is one of three actors who starred in a Best Picture Oscar winning film two years in a row. His winners were Gladiator, Best Picture of 2000, and A Beautiful Mind, Best Picture of 2001. The other two actors were Clark Gable: It Happened One Night, 1934, Mutiny on the Bounty, 1935, and Walter Pidgeon: How Green Was My Valley, 1941, Mrs. Miniver, 1942.
74. He has appeared in one film that has been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant: L.A. Confidential (1997).
75. While trying to make some contacts early in his film career, Russell crashed at friend Naomi Watts’ L.A. apartment.
76. Born at 2:00am.
77. Has appeared in two back-to-back films featuring the unique idioglossial singing of Lisa Gerrard: The Insider and Gladiator.
78. Worked a plug for his band’ Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts into Virtuosity (95) Their record ‘The Photograph Kills is playing on the radio when he’s driving to the site of a planned kidnapping.
79. After promotional duties for The Gladiator he went into a recording studio with his band 30 Odd Foot of Grunts. He’s sung played guitar and written lyrics with the band for several years and has made at least 4 albums,.
80. He first started acting at the age of 6 in a series in New Zealand called Spy Force.