Russell Ira Crowe was born in Wellington, New Zealand on April 7th 1964. He moved to Australia as a young child, and soon developed an interest in acting, appearing in many local drama productions.

He made his full screen debut in the television series Living With The Law (1988) and followed that with a handful of forgettable roles. However, in 1992 his career received the kickstart it needed when he starred in the violent Australian movie Romper Stomper (1992). His performance brought him to the attention of Hollywood and he was soon on his way to Los Angeles.

His first major American movie was The Quick and the Dead (1995) alongside Sharon Stone. However, it was his performance in L.A Confidential (1997) that confirmed Russell was destined for great things.

Those great things came two years later, first with his acclaimed performance in The Insider (1999) and then his Oscar winning role in Gladiator (2000). Russell has since cemented his reputation as one of the best actors of his generation with commanding performances in A Beautiful Mind (2001) and Cinderella Man (2005).