Billy Crystal

Billy Crystal
Crystal in 2018
Birth nameWilliam Edward Crystal
Born (1948-03-14) March 14, 1948 (age 76)
New York City, U.S.
Medium
  • Stand-up
  • film
  • television
  • theatre
  • books
Alma materNew York University (BFA)
Years active1975–present
Genres
Subject(s)
Spouse
Janice Goldfinger
(m. 1970)
Children2, including Jennifer Crystal Foley

William Edward Crystal (born March 14, 1948)[1] is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Crystal is known as a standup comedian and for his film and stage roles. Crystal has received numerous accolades, including six Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award as well as nominations for three Grammy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2007, the Critics' Choice Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2023.[2][3]

He gained prominence for television roles as Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap from 1977 to 1981 and as a cast member and frequent host of Saturday Night Live from 1984 to 1985. Crystal then became known for his roles in films such as Running Scared (1986), Throw Momma from the Train (1987), Memories of Me (1988), When Harry Met Sally... (1989), Mr. Saturday Night (1992), Forget Paris (1995), Father's Day (1997), and America's Sweethearts (2001). He provided the voice of Mike Wazowski in the Pixar animated Monsters, Inc. franchise. He has hosted the Academy Awards nine times, beginning in 1990 and most recently in 2012.

He made his Broadway debut in his one man show 700 Sundays in 2004 for which he won the Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event. He returned to the show again in 2014 which was filmed by HBO and received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special nomination. He wrote and starred in the Broadway musical Mr. Saturday Night based on his film in 2022 for which he received two Tony Award nominations for Best Actor in a Musical and Best Book of a Musical. He has written five books including his memoir Still Foolin' Em (2013).

  1. ^ On page 17 of his book 700 Sundays, Crystal displays his birth announcement, which gives his first two names as "William Edward", not "William Jacob" Crystal, Billy (2005). 700 Sundays. Grand Central Publishing. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-446-57867-7. Sunday Number One. I'm born. March 14, 1948, in Manhattan at Doctor's [sic] Hospital overlooking Gracie Mansion. 7:30 in the morning.
  2. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (February 2022). "Billy Crystal to Receive Lifetime Achievement Nod at Critics Choice Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  3. ^ "Billy Crystal and Queen Latifah look marvelous as they headline this year's Kennedy Center Honors". Associated Press. June 22, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.