William Gaither “Billy” Crudup (/krudp/; produced July 8, 1968) is an American actor of film and stage. He’s famous for his characters as the guitarist Russell Hammond in “Almost Famous”, Will Bloom in “Big Fish”. He also starred in the 2007 romantic comedy movie “Dedication”, alongside Mandy Moore. In 2009, he appeared as Doctor Manhattan in the movie “Watchmen” and as J. Edgar Hoover in the movie “Public Enemies”. Crudup also has expertise in voice acting, having expressed the English edition of the character Ashitaka from the Studio Ghibli animated movie, “Princess Mononoke”.
He also starred in The Metal Children, an off Broadway play written and directed by Adam Rapp in 2010. Crudup finished Watchmen with director Zack Snyder in Vancouver, British Columbia. He impersonates the superhero Doctor Manhattan. He impersonated former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner in a narrative about 2008’s fiscal disaster, Too Big to Fail (2011). He’s to the Board of Directors for The Actors Center in Nyc. In August 2013, he costarred with Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in the Harold Pinter play, No Man’s Land along with in Waiting for Godot in the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. The shows transferred to The Cort Theatre in Nyc, where they’ll be performed in repertory until March 2014.
New York University, University of North Carolina at Chapel, Hill Tisch School of the Arts St. Thomas, Aquinas High School
Nationality
United States of America
Children
William Atticus Crudup
Parents
Georganne Gaither, Thomas Henry Crudup III
Siblings
Tommy Crudup, Brooks Crudup
Nicknames
William Crudup , William Gaither Crudup , William Gaither "Billy" Crudup
Awards
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play, Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Performance, Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award, Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Debut Performance, Online Film C...
Nominations
Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Play, Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play, Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play, MTV Movie Award for Best Line, Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - D...
Movies
Watchmen, Almost Famous, Rudderless, Spotlight, Big Fish, Alien: Covenant, The Stanford Prison Experiment, Stage Beauty, Blood Ties, Eat Pray Love, Mission: Impossible III, Public Enemies, Without Limits, Jesus' Son, The Longest Week, Inventing the Abbotts, Charlotte Gray, Sleepers, Princess Mononok...
"I don't think actors should have to do anything but come in and act. I feel the film companies should pay for proper advertising to see that the movie will sell, instead of putting it on our backs. I've tried to narrow the contractual language, which requires a 'fair and reasonable' amount of publicity. I've said in negotiations; 'How much will you pay me not to have to promote?'
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If I had done 'Titanic,' it would have made, probably, $200,000 --worldwide. So I think my life would have been very, very similar.
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I wish I could say that when I didn't agree with a director I defer to him, but I think sometimes I'm a little self-righteous.
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(on his career) "Every time I do a movie, I think it's going to be a huge hit."
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When asked who has been the biggest influence on his career, he says, "Mary Louise [Parker, his girlfriend and fellow actor] is a tremendous influence on me. She has incredible discipline. She takes the time day-to-day to watch people, to listen to people. To understand why people do things. And to me, a great actor is someone who's incredibly compassionate. To me, that's really it as far as an actor is concerned".
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Fact
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He has English, German, and Scottish ancestry.
2
Starring in the Broadway production of Martin McDonagh's hit play, "Pillowman", also starring Jeff Goldblum. [March 2005]
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Performing on Broadway with Jeff Goldblum in "The Pillowman". [April 2005]
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On Broadway playing "Vissarion Belinsky" in Tom Stoppard's "Coast of Utopia" trilogy. [December 2006]
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In Off-Broadway production of "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui" [2002]
He and his Watchmen (2009) co-star Jeffrey Dean Morgan both have been in pretty tumultuous relationships with Mary-Louise Parker. Crudup's and Parker's relationship ended when he left her to be with Claire Danes when Parker was seven months pregnant with Crudup's son. Morgan started dating Parker in 2007, they broke up in June the same year, then they got back together and became engaged, but eventually broke up for good in 2008.
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Though it is commonly mispronounced, his last name is actually pronounced, "croo-dup.".
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In 2007, he won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in "The Coast of Utopia".
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Once worked as an historical interpreter at Roanoke Island Festival Park, in Manteo, NC.
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MFA in Acting - New York University, Tisch School of the Arts (1994).
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Won the Theatre World Award for his role in Arcadia.
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Nominated for the 1997 drama desk award for outstanding featured actor in a play for Anton Chekhov's "Three Sisters.".
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In 2005, he was nominated for Best Actor in a Play at the Tony Awards for his part in Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman.
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Graduated from University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill with a degree in Speech Communication.
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Has been the voice of the acclaimed MasterCard "Priceless" commercials (airing in America) since 1997, but first appeared on-camera in one of these spots in 2005.
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Was nominated for Broadway's 2002 Tony Award as Best Actor (Play) for portraying the title character of John Merrick in a revival of "The Elephant Man."
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Has a son, William Atticus (born January 7, 2004) with actress, Mary-Louise Parker.
19
Declined an offer to play Bruce Banner in Hulk (2003).
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Was "replaced" by actor Michael Hayden in the Lincoln Center Theatre production of "Henry IV". [2003]
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He was the second choice for the role of Russell in Almost Famous (2000). The first choice, Brad Pitt decided instead to appear in the more financially successful film Fight Club (1999).
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Attended St. Thomas Aquinas HS in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
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He is able to turn down many jobs, because he makes millions of dollars each year using his voice to sell products as a 'voice over actor'.
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Loves to play golf, and often partners director Bart Freundlich.
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Was in the "Boy Scouts of America" while growing up in Texas.
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While attending the University of North Carolina, he starred in a student-produced, university access-channel TV soap opera called General College.
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In 1998, he joined a theatre group called, "The Lab!" at UNC Chapel Hill and performed the role of 'Schroeder' in the musical "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown!".
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Grew up in Dallas, Texas, and has two brothers.
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His parents divorced when Billy was in junior high school, and then remarried -- each other -- when he was in high school.
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Has a Master's in Fine Arts.
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Attended University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for undergraduate work.
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Won Outer Critics Circle award for outstanding newcomer for his work on the New York stage-Arcadia and Bus Stop.
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