Stage Beauty

Background:

"Every time I do a movie, I think it's going to be a huge hit." Billy Crudup

Initially noticed while playing jolly and defiant big brother Jacey in Inventing the Abbots (1997), Billy Crudup later gained more attention for portraying Oregon running legend Steve Prefontaine in Without Limits (1998) and was hurled toward prominence while costarring with Kate Hudson as Russell Hammond in Almost Famous (2000). He also played roles in such films as Sleepers (1996), Everyone Says I Love You (1996), The Hi-Lo Country (1998), Jesus' Son (1999), Big Fish (2003) and Stage Beauty (2004). Crudup is currently busy filming the upcoming films Mission: Impossible III and The Good Shepherd.

On stage, Crudup received rave reviews for his performance in the widely acclaimed New York production of “Arcadia” (1995) and “Bus Stop” (1996). He was nominated for a Tony for starring in a revival of "The Elephant Man" (2002) and “The Pillowman” (2005).

"Mary Louise (Parker, once 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." Billy Crudup

During the 1996 Broadway run of “Bus Stop,” Crudup met and dated actress Mary-Louise Parker (born on August 2, 1964), but they broke up in 2003 when Marie-Louise was seven months pregnant. The 5' 7" tall actor later confirmed his relationship with his Stage Beauty (2004) costar, actress Claire Danes (born on April 12, 1979) in 2004.

Boy Scouts of America

Childhood and Family:

In Manhasset, New York, William Crudup was born on July 8, 1968. He was raised in Florida and Texas, where he was a member of the Boy Scouts of America. The middle child in a family of three boys, Billy has two brothers: Brooks Crudup (born in 1971) and Thomas Crudup (publicist; works for MGM; born in 1967). When Billy was in junior high school, his parents divorced, later remarried (each other) and then divorced a second time.

Billy enjoyed doing funny impersonations to entertain family and friends. He attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina and earned a Master of Fine Arts from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in 1994.

While not busy on film sets, Billy loves to play golf and his frequent partner is director Bart Freundlich. The father of son William Atticus (born in January of 2004; mother: Mary-Louise Parker) now resides in New York.

Almost Famous

Career:

"I think I'm a good actor because I try really hard. That also means that when I suck, I aggressively suck. That probably happens as much as it doesn't, but at least I'm always in search of the moment where I can do something I haven't done before." Billy Crudup

Once starring in a student-produced, university access channel TV soap opera titled “General College,” Billy Crudup signed up with a theatre troupe called “The Lab” and performed the popular kids’ musical “You're A Good Man Charlie Brown.” Prior to his graduation from New York University, Crudup got his first feature role in Chris Kentis' drama film Grind (filmed in 1994, released in 1997, costarring Adrienne Shelly).

In 1995, Crudup made his Broadway debut as the tutor of a female mathematics genius in Tom Stoppard's widely applauded "Arcadia," where he scored the Outer Critics Circle Outstanding Newcomer Award, the Clarence Derwent Award as well as the Theatre World Award. He followed it up with a costarring role opposite then-companion Mary-Louise Parker in a Broadway revival of William Inge's "Bus Stop" and again won an Outer Critics Circle Outstanding Newcomer Award.

On the wide screen, Crudup costarred as Tommy Marcano, a childhood abuse survivor turned criminal, in Barry Levinson's adaptation of Lorenzo Carcaterra's book, the drama thriller Sleepers (1996), where he shared the screen with Kevin Bacon, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, and Brad Pitt. He also made his screen singing debut in actor-director Woody Allen's musical comedy Everyone Says I Love You (also in 1996).

John Charles 'Jacey' Holt, the charming but rebellious older brother in Pat O'Connor's romantic drama Inventing the Abbotts (1997, with Liv Tyler and Joaquin Phoenix), was Crudup's breakout role. Afterward, he lent his voice for the hero Ashitaka in the English-language version of Hayao Miyazaki's Mononoke-hime (1997, a.k.a. Princess Mononoke) and played a stoned Irish mobster in Ted Demme's crime action Snitch (1998, a.k.a. Monument Ave., starring Denis Leary). On stage, Crudup portrayed Solyoni in a Broadway revival of Anton Chekhov's "Three Sisters" (1997) and played the title role, opposite Frances McDormand, in an Off-Broadway production of "Oedipus Rex" (1998).

The rest of the 1990s saw Crudup star as the legendary, long-distance, 1970s runner Steve Prefontaine in Robert Towne's biopic Without Limits (costarring Donald Sutherland) and as Pete Calder, a post-war rancher and Woody Harrelson's best friend, in Stephen Frears' version of Max Evans' novel, the epic western The Hi-Lo Country (also with Patricia Arquette). The latter handed Crudup a Western Heritage Award and National Board of Review Award. He also starred as FH, a drug addicted tramp, in Alison Maclean's exhilarating adaptation of Denis Johnson's acclaimed short story collection, Jesus' Son (alongside Samantha Morton, screened at Telluride Film Festival and released theatrically in 2000).

In the new millennium, Keith Gordon cast Crudup to star as lawyer Fielding Pierce, who is running for Congress, in his thriller drama film based on Scott Spencer's novel, Waking the Dead (opposite Jennifer Connelly). Crudup also nabbed his most-memorable role to date (that of Russell Hammond) in Cameron Crowe's much-praised rock & roll drama comedy Almost Famous (with Patrick Fugit and Kate Hudson).

After returning to stage to star in the New York Shakespeare Festival staging of "Measure for Measure" in Central Park, Crudup starred as a successful and handsome architect in Bart Freundlich’s World Traveler (2001, opposite Julianne Moore, screened at Toronto Film Festival). He then costarred with Cate Blanchett in Gillian Armstrong's love story, set during WWII and inspired by Sebastian Faulks’ novel, Charlotte Gray.

In 2002, Crudup returned to stage, starring as John Merrick in a Broadway revival of "The Elephant Man," which earned him a Broadway 2002 Tony Award nomination for Best Actor (Play). That same year, he also performed in an Off-Broadway production of "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui." As for the big screen, Crudup portrayed Albert Finney's (Edward Bloom) estranged son in Tim Burton's adaptation of Daniel Wallace's novel, the box-office hit Big Fish (2003, also starred Ewan McGregor). He also starred as Edward 'Ned' Kynaston in Richard Eyre’s Stage Beauty (2004, opposite Claire Danes). The film is set in the 1660's, at a time when live theatre women roles were played by men.

Currently, Billy Crudup is busy filming J.J. Abrams' big screen Mission: Impossible III (starring Tom Cruise) and actor-director Robert De Niro's The Good Shepherd, which also stars Matt Damon. He was also recently nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for starring in a Broadway production of Martin McDonagh's hit play, “Pillowman” (also starring Jeff Goldbloom).

"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." Billy Crudup

Awards:

• Paris Film Festival: Best Actor, Jesus' Son, 2000

• Western Heritage Awards: Theatrical Motion Picture, The Hi-Lo Country, 1999

• National Board of Review: Best Breakthrough Performance by an Actor, The Hi-Lo Country, 1998

• Outer Critics Circle Award: Outstanding Debut of an Actor, Bus Stop, 1996

• Theatre World Award: Arcadia, 1995

• Clarence Derwent Award: Arcadia, 1995

• Outer Critics Circle Award: Outstanding Debut of an Actor, Arcadia, 1995