Happy Birthday!

Russell Crowe celebrates his 60th birthday after a visit to Vienna

Russell Crowe celebrates his 60th birthday this Sunday. He was recently a guest in Vienna.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Filippo MONTEFORTE)

Russell Crowe recently visited Vienna twice - and promised on his departure: It won't be the last time! This Sunday, the Oscar winner celebrates his 60th birthday.

It's been a long road from celebrated gladiator to papal exorcist. For actor Russell Crowe, the years between the two roles were characterized by many highs, but also more and more lows. It has been more than 20 years since the Australian-born New Zealander was at the height of his success - with "L.A. Confidential", "A Beautiful Mind" and, of course, "Gladiator".

Oscar for "Gladiator"
As the fearless and heroic Maximus Decimus Meridius, Crowe thrilled film fans all over the world in 2000 with "Gladiator". Shortly afterwards, he received an Oscar for his convincing performance in the epic directed by Ridley Scott. Crowe dominated the entire film, praised the trade magazine "Hollywood Reporter": "Sexy and determined, a man of action, covered in blood, but never stooped." That's as good as it gets.

As the gladiator Maximus Decimus Meridius, Russell Crowe won an Oscar in 2000.

(Bild: mptv / picturedesk.com)

Crowe was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role three times in a row between 2000 and 2002 - a feat achieved by very few before him, including Hollywood legends Jack Nicholson and Al Pacino. The first nomination was in 2000 for "Insider" alongside the same Al Pacino, the last to date was in 2002 for Ron Howard's masterpiece "A Beautiful Mind", in which he played mathematician John Nash. Both times Crowe ultimately came away empty-handed.

Crowe is absorbed in roles
"Great guy, loves rugby, brilliant actor, a beloved new friend. He'll carry on the baton," said fellow actor Richard Harris (1930-2002) shortly before his death about the celebrated star, who was already famous for his quick-tempered character. "He drives the big boys in Hollywood crazy, but he's far too good for them to ignore."

He proved just how good he was time and again by making many sacrifices - including physical ones - for his film roles. For his portrayal of the 50-year-old chemist Jeffrey Wigand in "Insider", for example, he put on more than 20 kilos and dyed his full head of hair before finally having it shaved off completely to make the thinning gray wig look more realistic. For "The Comeback" (original title "Cinderella Man", 2005), on the other hand, he lost a massive amount of weight and underwent intensive boxing training. The reward for so much dedication was five Golden Globe nominations between 1999 and 2005 alone.

Russell Crowe with Al Pacino in the film "Insider": He gained 20 kilos for the role.

(Bild: Impress / United Archives / picturedesk.com)

But then came airs and graces and scandals coupled with outbursts of anger and violence. The roles became smaller or were poorly chosen. At times, Crowe was ridiculed by critics, for example for the Bible adaptation "Noah" in 2014. Other films were little more than better B-movies, such as the action thriller "Unhinged", in which Crowe terrorizes a young mother who has upset a driver in a traffic jam by honking her horn.

Choosing roles based on gut feeling
Crowe revealed how he chooses his roles in an interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur in 2020. "I read as many scripts as possible and then follow my gut. I often choose things I haven't done before." He initially hesitated with "Unhinged" because he was too afraid of the truth of the movie. "But in my career, I've always come to the point where I'm attracted to the things that scare me the most."

Most recently, Russell Crowe also made Vienna unsafe - first in February (X-Tweet below) and then again at the end of March:

Even though his work regularly takes him to Los Angeles, he lives privately with his family far away from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood - on a 400-hectare farm in the Australian state of New South Wales surrounded by cattle, horses, chickens and dogs. "I bought the piece of land 24 years ago, even before I shot the movie 'L.A. Confidential', it was my first big purchase," he said.

Just not Los Angeles!
Giving up this place of residence and retreat was never an option: "I would only move to Los Angeles if New Zealand and Australia were engulfed by a tidal wave, if there was a bubonic plague in England and if the African continent was destroyed by a Martian attack," he once said.

In 2003, on his 39th birthday, he married the Australian singer and actress Danielle Spencer, with whom he has two sons. The couple separated amicably in 2012 and divorced in 2018. However, the two are said to maintain a friendly relationship. On Crowe's 59th birthday last year, Spencer posted on Instagram: "20 years ago today I married the father of my sons. Although we no longer celebrate our wedding anniversary, it's still this man's birthday. All the best."

Golden Raspberry instead of Oscar
It remains to be seen where the eternal gladiator's film career will take him. Instead of the Oscar, he was recently nominated for the Golden Raspberry for "Worst Actor" for the second time: After 2018 for his supporting role in the adventure film "The Mummy", he now hailed a nomination for his work as the devil's exorcist in the horror thriller "The Pope's Exorcist".

However, there were also positive voices - and he was spared the dubious fame: Jon Voight ("Mercy") was awarded the Anti Award at the beginning of March. Meanwhile, his best-known film success continues without him: "Gladiator 2" by Ridley Scott is due to be released in cinemas in November.