Russell Ira Crowe is a New Zealand-born actor, director and musician. He was born in Wellington, spending 10 years of his childhood in Australia and residing there permanently by age 21. His work on screen has earned him various accolades, including an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a British Academy Film Award.
Crowe began acting in Australia and had his breakout role in the drama Romper Stomper. He gained international recognition for his starring roles as a police detective in the thriller L.A. Confidential and Jeffrey Wigand in the drama The Insider. Crowe gained wider stardom for playing the title role in the period film Gladiator, winning the Academy Award for Best Actor. Further acclaim came for portraying mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. in the biopic A Beautiful Mind. He then starred in the war film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, the sports drama Cinderella Man, the Western 3:10 to Yuma, the crime drama American Gangster, the thriller State of Play, and the action film Robin Hood.