William Edward
"Billy
" Crystal
[1] (born March 14, 1948) is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian, and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap
and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the box office successes When Harry Met Sally...
and City Slickers
.
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BILLY CRYSTAL TICKETS
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Background
Crystal was born in the Doctor's Hospital in
Manhattan and grew up in
Long Beach, New York, the son of Helen (
née Gabler), a housewife, and
Jack Crystal, a record company executive and producer of
jazz records, who owned and operated the
Commodore Record store.
[2] [3] His uncle was musician and songwriter
Milt Gabler, and his brother, Richard Crystal, is a television producer. Crystal grew up in a
Jewish family that he has described as "large" and "loving".
[4] After graduation from
Long Beach High School, Crystal attended
Marshall University in
Huntington, West Virginia, on a baseball scholarship, having learned the game from his father, who pitched for
St. John's University. Crystal never played a game at Marshall because the program was suspended during his freshman year and he didn't return as a sophomore, staying back in New York with his future wife. He then went on to
Nassau Community College, and later attended
New York University where he graduated with a B.F.A. from NYU's
Tisch School of the Arts in 1970.
[5]
Crystal has been married to Janice Goldfinger, whom he met when he was 18 and she 17, since 1970. They have two daughters, actresses Jennifer and Lindsay, and are now grandparents. They reside in
Pacific Palisades, California.
Career
Television
Crystal returned to New York and performed regularly at
The Improv
and
Catch a Rising Star
. He studied film and television direction under
Martin Scorsese at
New York University. Crystal's earliest prominent role was as Jodie Dallas on
Soap
, one of the first gay characters portrayed on American television. In 1976, Crystal appeared on an episode of
All in the Family
. He was scheduled to appear on the first episode of
Saturday Night Live
(October 11, 1975), but his sketch was cut.
[6] He did do a stand-up bit later on that first season as "Bill Crystal", on the April 17, 1976, episode. After hosting a show years later, in 1984, he joined the cast.
His most famous recurring sketch was his parody of
Fernando Lamas – Fernando, a smarmy talk show host whose
catch phrase, "You look... mahvelous!," became a media sensation.
Crystal subsequently released an album of his stand-up material titled
Mahvelous!
in 1985.
Crystal's first film role was in
Joan Rivers's 1978 film
Rabbit Test
. Crystal also made game show appearances such as
The Hollywood Squares
,
All Star Secrets
and
The $20,000 Pyramid
. He holds the record for getting his contestant partner to the top of the pyramid in the bonus round in the fastest time, 26 seconds.
Crystal hosted the
Academy Awards broadcast in 1990–1993, 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2004; and he reportedly turned down hosting the 2006 ceremony to concentrate on his one-man show,
700 Sundays
. His eight times as the M.C. is second only to
Bob Hope in most ceremonies hosted.
Film
Crystal appeared briefly in
Rob Reiner's 1984 "
rockumentary"
This Is Spinal Tap
as Morty The Mime, a waiter dressed as a mime at one of Spinal Tap's parties. He shared the scene with a then-unknown, non-speaking
Dana Carvey. Crystal's line in the film was "Mime is money." Reiner directed Crystal again in
The Princess Bride
, and then in the romantic comedy
When Harry Met Sally...
, for which Crystal was nominated for a
Golden Globe. Crystal starred in
City Slickers
(1991).
Crystal wrote, directed, and starred in
Mr. Saturday Night
(1992) and
Forget Paris
(1995). In the former, Crystal played a serious role in aging makeup, as an egotistical comedian who reflects back on his career. He directed the made-for-television movie
61*
(2001) based on
Roger Maris's and
Mickey Mantle's race to break
Babe Ruth's single-season home run record in 1961. This earned Crystal an
Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special.
Crystal has continued working in film, including
Analyze This
(1999) and
Analyze That
(2002) with
Robert De Niro, and in the English version of
Howl's Moving Castle
as the voice of
Calcifer. Pixar originally approached him to provide the voice of
Buzz Lightyear in
Toy Story
. He turned down that offer, but regretted it after the film became one of the most popular releases of the year,
but later went on to provide the voice of Mike Wazowski in the Pixar film,
Monsters, Inc., which was nominated for the inaugural
Best Animated Feature Oscar.
Broadway
Crystal won the 2005
Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event for
700 Sundays
, a two-act, one-man play, which he conceived and wrote about his parents and his childhood growing up on
Long Island.
He toured the U.S. with the show in 2006 and Australia in 2007.
Following the initial success of the play, Crystal wrote the book
700 Sundays
for
Warner Books, which was published on October 31, 2005. In conjunction with the book and the play that also paid tribute to his uncle,
Milt Gabler, Crystal produced two CD compilations:
Billy Crystal Presents: The Milt Gabler Story
, which featured his uncle's most influential recordings from
Billie Holiday's "
Strange Fruit" to "
Rock Around the Clock" by
Bill Haley & His Comets; and
Billy Remembers Billie
featuring Crystal's favorite Holiday recordings.
Philanthropy
In 1986, Crystal started hosting
Comic Relief
on
HBO with
Robin Williams and
Whoopi Goldberg.
Founded by
Bob Zmuda, Comic Relief raises money for
homeless people in the
United States.
On September 6, 2005, on
The Tonight Show
, Crystal and
Jay Leno were the first celebrities to sign a
Harley-Davidson motorcycle to be auctioned off for Gulf Coast relief.
[7]
Crystal has participated in the Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. Portraying himself in a video, Crystal introduces museum guests to the genealogy wing of the museum.
New York Yankees
On March 12, 2008, Crystal signed a minor league contract, for a single day, to play with the
New York Yankees, and was invited to the team's major league spring training. He wore uniform number 61, in honor of his upcoming 61st birthday and as a reference to his film 61*.
[8] On March 13, in a spring training game against the
Pittsburgh Pirates, Crystal led off as the
designated hitter. He managed to make contact, fouling a
fastball up the
first base line, but was eventually struck out by Pirates pitcher
Paul Maholm on 6 pitches and was later replaced in the batting order by
Johnny Damon.
[9] He was released on March 14, his 61th birthday.
[10]
Although a life-long Yankee fan,
[11] he has been a part-owner of the
Arizona Diamondbacks since their inception.
[12]
In the movie
City Slickers Crystal is wearing a
New York Mets baseball cap.
Awards
In addition to his
Golden Globe Award-nominations,
Emmy Awards, and
Tony Award, Crystal won the
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show for
700 Sundays
and received the
Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2007.
[13]
Filmography
Year
| Movie
| Role
| Other notes
|
1977-1981
| Soap
| Jodie Dallas
| TV series
|
1977
| SST: Death Flight
| David
|
|
1978
| Rabbit Test
| Lionel Carpenter
|
|
1980
| Animalympics
| Lodge Turkell
| Voice
|
1984
| This Is Spinal Tap
| Morty the Mime
|
|
1986
| Running Scared
| Danny Constanzo
|
|
1987
| The Princess Bride
| Miracle Max
|
|
Throw Momma from the Train
| Larry Donner
|
|
1988
| Memories of Me
| Abbie
|
|
1989
| When Harry Met Sally...
| Harry Burns
| American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
|
1991
| City Slickers
| Mitch Robbins
| American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
|
1992
| Horton Hatches the Egg
| Narrator
| Voice
|
Mr. Saturday Night
| Buddy Young, Jr.
| Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
|
1994
| City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold
| Mitch Robbins
|
|
1995
| Forget Paris
| Mickey Gordon
|
|
1996
| Hamlet
| First Gravedigger
|
|
1997
| Deconstructing Harry
| Larry
|
|
Fathers' Day
| Jack Lawrence
|
|
Friends
| The Gynecologist (with Robin Williams)
|
|
1998
| My Giant
| Sam 'Sammy' Kamin
|
|
1999
| Analyze This
| Dr. Ben Sobel
|
|
2000
| The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle
| Mattress salesman
| Uncredited
|
2001
| America's Sweethearts
| Lee Phillips
|
|
Monsters, Inc.
| Michael "Mike" Wazowski
| Voice
|
2002
| Analyze That
| Dr. Ben Sobel
|
|
2005
| Howl's Moving Castle
| Calcifer
| Voice
|
2006
| Cars
| Mike Car
| Voice
|
2010
| Tooth Fairy
| TBA
|
|
Saturday Night Live
Characters
- Al Minkman, a shady businessman
- Fernando, host of Fernando's Hideaway
, a celebrity interview show; based on actor Fernando Lamas
- Buddy Young, Jr. (an insult comic who appears on Weekend Update)
- Lew Goldman
- Ricky, a bowler
- Tony Minetti, a butcher
- Willie, a man who, along with his friend, Frankie (played by Christopher Guest), discuss their masochistic tendencies
Impersonations
- Fernando Lamas
- Howard Cosell
- Muhammad Ali
- John F. Kennedy
- Joe Franklin
- Hervé Villechaize
- Joe Garagiola
- Adam Ant
- Prince
- Sammy Davis, Jr.
Bibliography
- A children's book.
- A children's book.
- Crystal's memoirs with his father.
References
- 700 Sundays
- Billy Crystal Biography
- Jack Crystal: A Man To Remember
- Life Is Short, Laugh Hard
- Billy Crystal Biography
- Billy Crystal, 2nd Visit
- Leno's autographed bike raises $500,000
- Billy Crystal to sign contract with Yankees
- Crystal strikes out in only at-bat
- Yankees release Billy Crystal on 61th birthday - Baseball - NBCSports.com
- http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/sports/baseball/19crystal.html?_r=1&8dpc
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000345/bio
- Billy Crystal, Clearly Funny