Actor, film producer and musician, Russell Crowe is credited by the critics as the "virtuoso" actor and it is his birthday today!

Born on April 7, 1964, his family moved to Australia when Russell was four and they pursued a career in film set catering. At the age of five or six, he was hired for a line of dialogue in one episode of Spyforce. He left education when he was 16, to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. 

Crowe began his performing career as a musician in the mid-1980s, under guidance from his good friend Tom Sharplin, when he performed as a rock 'n roll revivalist, under the stage name Russ Le Roq. From 1986 to 1988, he was given his first professional role by director Daniel Abineri, in a production of The Rocky Horror Show. After appearing in the TV series Neighbours and Living with the Law, Crowe was cast in his first film, The Crossing (1990), a small-town love triangle directed by George Ogilvie.

After initial success in Australia, Crowe began acting in American films. He co-starred with Denzel Washington in Virtuosity and with Sharon Stone in The Quick and the Dead in 1995. After this, Crowe received three consecutive best actor Oscar nominations, for The Insider, Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind. But in recent years, Crowe's box office standing has declined.

Crowe's work has earned him several accolades, including a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, three Academy Award nominations in a row (1999–2001), one Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, one BAFTA, and an Academy Award. 

Fridaymoviez wishes Russell Crowe a Very Happy Birthday!