Billy Crystal is an American comedian, actor, producer, and T.V host whose net worth is $45 million. William Edward Crystal was born in New York City (USA) on March 14th, 1948. He is the son of Jack and Helen Crystal, both of Jewish origin. His father worked at, and later directed, the Commodore Music Store.
His uncle was the music producer Milt Gabler. He studied at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia with a baseball scholarship, whose coach was his father, who was a pitcher at St. John’s University. Crystal, however, never got to play at Marshall because his team was dismantled during his first year, and he did not return the second year, staying in New York with his future wife.
He is married to Janice Goldfinger, with whom he has two daughters, since 1970. He is a devoted fan of the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Clippers.
Career.
Crystal returned to New York, and studied film and television direction with Martin Scorsese at New York University. Crystal’s first major role was as “Jodie Dallas” in Soap, one of the first gay characters on American television. It was expected to appear in the first episode of Saturday Night Live (October 11, 1975), but his sketch was canceled.
He worked as a comedian in the first season as “Billy” Crystal, in the episode on April 17th, 1976. In 1978, he appeared in the 6th episode of the second season of Love Boat. Playing a shy, and somewhat awkward Newton Weems who, in turn, has a masked alter ego with Casanova dowries. After leading a program years later, in 1984, he joined the team. His most famous sketch was his parody of Fernando Lamas, in which the character frequently exclaimed “You look marvelous!”
On cinema.
He appeared briefly in Rob Reiner’s 1984 film This Is Spinal Tap, as “Morty the Mime,” a waiter dressed in pampering at one of the Spinal Tap parties. Later, Reiner returned to direct Crystal in The Princess Bride, and in the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally … for which Crystal was nominated for a Golden Globe.
Career as filmmaker and Academy Award Host.
Billy Crystal produced and directed in 2001 * 61 *, a baseball film, a sport he is passionate about, and tells the real fight between two players, Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle in the 1961 season for breaking the record 60 home -runs record of the legendary Babe Ruth.
Crystal hosted the awards ceremony in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2004 and 2012. He reportedly rejected the opportunity to re-host the event in 2016 to focus on other projects. Only the legendary Bob Hope had hosted more Oscar ceremonies.
From the turn of the century, Billy Crystal has significantly reduced his film production rate to devote more time to his private life.
