Post by petrolino on Oct 13, 2017 1:16:01 GMT
Billy Crystal was born on March 14th, 1948 in New York City, New York. He's an actor, comedian, singer, writer, producer, director, voice artist and all-purpose events host. Though he emerged kicking and screaming on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, he was soon transferred to The Bronx, before being relocated to Long Beach, Long Island (he later returned to New York City). Crystal earned a welcome familiarity with his home state and soaked up the cultural diversity. He broke through bigtime with a wider American audience when playing Jodie Dallas in the groundbreaking ABC sitcom 'Soap' which was screened around the world.
Crystal's father Jack was a record executive and jazz promoter, feeding his son's fertile imagination through his social engagements and business contacts. Jack ran the Commodore Music Store for a time, founded by Julius Gabler, the father of Billy's creative mother Helen (née Gabler). Billy has Austrian and Russian heritage. He attended Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia on a baseball scholarship, entering coal country with a hop and a skip. He later enrolled at New York University where one of his media studies classmates was Christopher Guest.
Crystal became a gigging stand-up comedian and made a killing on the club circuit. He also took up teaching positions to pay the rent. His entry into television was electrifying, signalling a major talent had arrived. Crystal combined old school comedy chops with his own style of whip-pan wise-cracking, and he had a rare knack for making audiences feel like they were part of the entertainment. He soon became a sought-after guest for primetime tv slots, culminating in a regular slot hosting the annual film achievement presentation given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He also hosted multiple Grammy telecasts. His one-off specials for stage and screen included 'The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour' which was inexplicably cancelled by NBC.
Billy Crystal is a Tony Award winner who's displayed a dedication to celebrating and preserving the cultural legacy of his home state of New York. He still throws the occasional curveball but he's settled down now. He's a classic old-school entertainer which is just what Hollywood needs right about now ... the Oscars should break the bank to bring him back.
Billy Crystal
Crystal's father Jack was a record executive and jazz promoter, feeding his son's fertile imagination through his social engagements and business contacts. Jack ran the Commodore Music Store for a time, founded by Julius Gabler, the father of Billy's creative mother Helen (née Gabler). Billy has Austrian and Russian heritage. He attended Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia on a baseball scholarship, entering coal country with a hop and a skip. He later enrolled at New York University where one of his media studies classmates was Christopher Guest.
Carol Kane & Billy Crystal
Crystal became a gigging stand-up comedian and made a killing on the club circuit. He also took up teaching positions to pay the rent. His entry into television was electrifying, signalling a major talent had arrived. Crystal combined old school comedy chops with his own style of whip-pan wise-cracking, and he had a rare knack for making audiences feel like they were part of the entertainment. He soon became a sought-after guest for primetime tv slots, culminating in a regular slot hosting the annual film achievement presentation given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He also hosted multiple Grammy telecasts. His one-off specials for stage and screen included 'The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour' which was inexplicably cancelled by NBC.
"You know he was my closest pal and I loved him more than a brother sometimes."
- Billy Crystal on Robin Williams
- Billy Crystal on Robin Williams
Billy Crystal opens the 1992 Oscar Ceremony
Billy Crystal is a Tony Award winner who's displayed a dedication to celebrating and preserving the cultural legacy of his home state of New York. He still throws the occasional curveball but he's settled down now. He's a classic old-school entertainer which is just what Hollywood needs right about now ... the Oscars should break the bank to bring him back.
"In a sense, Mr. Crystal has always been a professional nostalgist, with an admiration for comedy forebears like Alan King and Sid Caesar, and an act that included characters like Sammy Davis Jr. and the fictional Borscht Belter Buddy Young Jr. (“I was getting ready,” Mr. Crystal said. “Everything’s a rehearsal, man.”) But he had more time to focus on the past, he said, during “a period where I didn’t make a movie for 10 years — a lot of it by my choice, and a lot of it by studios’ choice.” More recently, Mr. Crystal said he has found himself riffing and writing on themes of aging and his personal life, occasionally trying lines out on talk show appearances and at social gatherings. Compiling these pieces into a book, he has introduced audiences to unknown parts of his life, and opened himself up to some unfamiliar experiences. In June, Mr. Crystal gave a public reading from “Still Foolin’ ’Em” at New York University, his alma mater. His selections included a chapter called “Buying the Plot,” in which he and his wife, Janice, confront the reality of having to purchase their final resting places."
- Dave Itzkoff, The New York Times
- Dave Itzkoff, The New York Times
'Do The Fonzie' - Leather Tuscadero & The Fonz
1970s :
1978 Rabbit Test (Joan Rivers) - Lionel Carpenter
1980s :
1984 This Is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner) - Morty The Mime
1986 Running Scared (Peter Hyams) - Danny Constanzo
1987 The Princess Bride (Rob Reiner) - Miracle Max
1987 Throw Momma From The Train (Danny DeVito) - Larry Donner
1988 Memories Of Me (Henry Winkler) - Abbie Polin
1989 When Harry Met Sally... (Rob Reiner) - Harry Burns
1990s :
1991 City Slickers (Ron Underwood) - Mitch Robbins
1992 Mr. Saturday Night (Billy Crystal) - Buddy Young, Jr.
1994 City Slickers II: The Legend Of Curly's Gold (Paul Weiland) - Mitch Robbins
1995 Forget Paris (Billy Crystal) - Mickey Gordon
1996 Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh) - First Gravedigger
1997 Deconstructing Harry (Woody Allen) - Larry
1997 Fathers' Day (Ivan Reitman) - Jack Lawrence
1998 My Giant (Michael Lehmann) - Sam 'Sammy' Kamin
1999 Analyze This (Harold Ramis) - Dr. Ben Sobel
2000s & Beyond :
2000 The Adventures Of Rocky And Bullwinkle (Des 'Enuff' McAnuff) - Mattress salesman {Uncredited}
2001 61 (Billy Crystal)
2001 America's Sweethearts (Joe Roth) - Lee Phillips
2002 Analyze That (Harold Ramis) - Dr. Ben Sobel
2010 I'm Still Here (Casey Affleck) - Himself
2010 Tooth Fairy (Michael Lembeck) - Jerry {Uncredited}
2012 Parental Guidance (Andy Fickman) - Artie Decker
2012 Small Apartments (Jonas Ackerlund) - Burt Walnut
2016 The Comedian (Taylor Hackford) - Himself
1978 Rabbit Test (Joan Rivers) - Lionel Carpenter
1980s :
1984 This Is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner) - Morty The Mime
1986 Running Scared (Peter Hyams) - Danny Constanzo
1987 The Princess Bride (Rob Reiner) - Miracle Max
1987 Throw Momma From The Train (Danny DeVito) - Larry Donner
1988 Memories Of Me (Henry Winkler) - Abbie Polin
1989 When Harry Met Sally... (Rob Reiner) - Harry Burns
1990s :
1991 City Slickers (Ron Underwood) - Mitch Robbins
1992 Mr. Saturday Night (Billy Crystal) - Buddy Young, Jr.
1994 City Slickers II: The Legend Of Curly's Gold (Paul Weiland) - Mitch Robbins
1995 Forget Paris (Billy Crystal) - Mickey Gordon
1996 Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh) - First Gravedigger
1997 Deconstructing Harry (Woody Allen) - Larry
1997 Fathers' Day (Ivan Reitman) - Jack Lawrence
1998 My Giant (Michael Lehmann) - Sam 'Sammy' Kamin
1999 Analyze This (Harold Ramis) - Dr. Ben Sobel
2000s & Beyond :
2000 The Adventures Of Rocky And Bullwinkle (Des 'Enuff' McAnuff) - Mattress salesman {Uncredited}
2001 61 (Billy Crystal)
2001 America's Sweethearts (Joe Roth) - Lee Phillips
2002 Analyze That (Harold Ramis) - Dr. Ben Sobel
2010 I'm Still Here (Casey Affleck) - Himself
2010 Tooth Fairy (Michael Lembeck) - Jerry {Uncredited}
2012 Parental Guidance (Andy Fickman) - Artie Decker
2012 Small Apartments (Jonas Ackerlund) - Burt Walnut
2016 The Comedian (Taylor Hackford) - Himself
'Don't Swallow The Cap' - The National