Russell Crowe: A Man of Passion

Russell Crowe's temper may make for some awful public moments, but it helps create some classic on screen characters.

Russell Crowe has always been known for his temper. I am sure you have heard about his telephone throwing incident in New York. From a brawl in a London pub to shoving a producer of the British Film Awards for supposedly editing his speech, Crowe’s temper has long been making headlines. The secret to Russell Crowe’s screen presence is his temper combined with underplaying a role. Sure he played such larger than life characters as Gladiator and Bud White, but look closely, it is the movies that are over the top, not his performances.

Russell Crowe was born in New Zealand but began his acting career in Australia on a television show called Living with the Law. This lead to roles in several films and a small part on the Australian television show Brides of Christ, with Naomi Watts. His first big role of note came in 1992 playing an angry skinhead wannabe Nazi in Romper Stomper.

In 1995 he finally got noticed in The United States playing a supporting role to Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman and Leonardo Di Caprio in the western The Quick and the Dead. That same year he played the bad guy in the science fiction film Virtuosity, which starred Denzel Washington. Playing the supporting roles changed in 1997 when he played Officer Bud White in the brilliant L. A. Confidential. He is second billed to Kevin Spacey and Kim Bassinger won the best supporting Oscar, but it is his quiet, yet violent, portrayal of a crooked cop that you remember most.

For the next few years Crowe’s career would seem in jeopardy as he made several forgettable films such as 1999's Mystery Alaska. That same year he made up for it with The Insider. Gone was his Bud White bravado. Here he played a “normal” businessman caught up in something big. It showed he had range but it lacked spark.

The next year he cemented himself on the A-list with his portrayal in Gladiator. Here Crowe was able to use his strength of presence combined with his subtle acting skills perfectly. His Gladiator is a stoic, quiet character that threatens to erupt at any moment. He walked away with the best actor Oscar.

However, bad roles were not a permanent part of his past. His next role was playing opposite Meg Ryan in the dreary Proof of Life. Their off screen relationship became more entertaining than the movie.

In 2001, Crowe worked with Ron Howard on A Beautiful Mind. Crowe downplayed the entire movie with an occasional mild outburst. His portrayal of the delusional John Nash was heartfelt but the movie lacked any real emotional bite.

In Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), Crowe again plays a mild character. Sure He has to fight the French but he never lets loose enough to grab the audience by the balls as he did with Bud White or Gladiator.

Working again with Ron Howard on Cinderella Man, Crowe plays a boxer with a family. As a family man, he has to show a tender side and as a boxer he has to demonstrate some toughness. This sounds like the perfect role for Russell Crowe.

In real life, Crowe is a family man. He married actress Danielle Spencer in 2003. They met while filming The Crossing in 1989. On The David Letterman Show, Crowe explained that he threw the telephone out of frustration when he could not get a call through to his wife. He and his wife have a son born in 2003.

Russell Crowe is definitely a passionate man. His best work is a result of that passion. His most embarrassing public moments may also be blamed on that passion. Crowe should save those outbursts for the movies. If he is going to demonstrate all of that raw emotion he might as well get paid for it.