American Gangster is a 2007 American biographical crime drama film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Steve Zaillian. The film is based on the criminal career of Frank Lucas, a gangster from La Grange, North Carolina who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War. It features Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in leading roles, with John Ortiz, Josh Brolin, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Norman Reedus, Ruby Dee, and Lymari Nadal in supporting roles.

Development for the film initially began in 2000, when Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment purchased the rights to a New York magazine story about the rise and fall of Lucas. Two years later, screenwriter Steven Zaillian introduced a 170-page scriptment to Scott. Original production plans were to commence in Toronto for budget purposes; however, production eventually relocated permanently to New York City. Because of the film's rising budget Universal Pictures canceled production in 2004. After negotiations with Terry George, it was later revived in March 2005. Principal photography commenced over a period of five months from July to December 2006; filming took place throughout New York City and concluded in Thailand.

American Gangster premiered in New York on October 20, 2007, and was released in the United States and Canada on November 2. The film was well-received by most film critics, and grossed over US$266.5 million worldwide, with domestic grossed standing at $130.1 million. The film was nominated for twenty-one awards, including two Academy Awards nominations for Best Art Direction and Best Supporting Actress, and won three including a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role.

Plot[link]

The beginning shows enforcer Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) burning and shooting a rival to death.

In 1968, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson (Clarence Williams III), a disciplined and intelligent gangster, runs much of Harlem and imparts his wisdom to Frank, his former limo driver, now turned out his right-hand man. One day, Johnson dies of a heart attack at an electronics store. Frank dislikes the new, flashy gangsters who are in line to take over Harlem and decides to take control himself.

Meanwhile, Newark Police Department detective Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) is juggling a failing marriage, late-night law school classes, and his police career. When Richie and his partner, Javier Rivera (John Ortiz), discover nearly $1 million in unmarked bills in a car, Richie resists temptation and turns the money in. His rare honesty makes him a hated member of his precinct, causing his partner to be exiled from the force, while Richie's rampant womanizing behavior and undercover double life leads his wife to seek a divorce and custody of their son. After his exiled partner dies from overdosing on "Blue Magic", a relatively new and powerful type of heroin being sold for less money than its drug competition, Richie's honesty catches him a break when his superior Captain Lou Toback (Ted Levine) puts him in charge of a newly created task force to stop major drug trafficking in Essex County, New Jersey by going after the actual supplier, rather than the middle-men. Richie handpicks honest cops and gets to work on finding who is supplying Blue Magic.

Blue Magic is being supplied by Frank Lucas, who took over Bumpy's gang. After hearing a TV report referring to the cheaper drugs supplied to servicemen in Vietnam, Lucas decided to cut out the middle-man and buy his drugs directly from the producers in Thailand. By cutting out the middle-man, Frank is able to provide a higher quality product at a cheaper price than his rivals, eventually wholesaling drugs to most of the dealers in the New York area, while making his tracking by the authorities more difficult. He smuggles his drugs into the country by way of the US military involved in the Vietnam War. He creates a brand drug “Blue Magic” and with a great monopoly on quality product, Frank quickly makes a fortune and buys several nightclubs and apartments. He moves his family from North Carolina to New Jersey, where he purchases a large estate for his humble mother. His five brothers are enlisted as his gang lieutenants in the drug trade – forming “The Country Boys” - who work together to traffic and sell dope on New York area streets. During his rise, Frank meets and falls in love with Eva, a Puerto Rican beauty queen. Through his discipline, intelligence, organization, power, and willingness to kill everyone who stands in his way, Frank quickly rises to the top of the Harlem drug and crime scene as the biggest gang leader and drug dealer.

As Frank's business prospers, he makes a point of operating quietly and dressing with a modest conservatism both as a sign of strength and to avoid attracting the attention of the law. However, Frank disregards this habit for his soon-to-be wife for one ostentatious night out, attending the Fight of the Century between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, in a gaudy chinchilla fur coat and hat, along with a ringside seat. As it happens, Roberts is on duty observing the event and sees this unknown, but obviously wealthy person associating with high-level criminals, as well as having better seats than the Italian Mafia high-stake members. Roberts becomes suspicious, and he begins to investigate this, unknown to him but well-known to the criminals, figure in New York organized crime.

Even as Frank realizes he has exposed himself to police scrutiny, he must make deals with the Mafia, in this case Lucchese crime family Mob boss Dominic Cattano (Armand Assante), and fend off corrupt NYPD detectives, such as Det. Nick Trupo (Josh Brolin), who attempt to extort and threaten him. Trupo interrupts Frank as he and his new wife are heading to their honeymoon. In retaliation Frank has Trupo's prized Shelby Mustang bombed before his eyes. Frank must also contend with local crime figure called Nicky Barnes (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), who is taking some of Frank's product, diluting it himself, and selling it under Frank's "Blue Magic" brand name. Unidentified assassins try to kill Frank & his wife, further destabilizing him and threatening his marriage. Things take a turn for the worse when the Fall of Saigon cuts off Frank's supply. His Kuomintang supplier sympathetically tells him "Quitting while you are ahead...is not the same as quitting."

Richie catches another break when his men witness Frank's cousin shooting a woman. They use the driver’s predicament to get him to wear a wire. The wire allows Richie and his task force to discover when a plane carrying drugs is landing. The plane is a C-130 carrying some of the last U.S. Soldiers returning from Vietnam. Richie has his men search everyone and everything literally tearing the plane apart and even looking in the coffins of dead soldiers. Richie is ordered to cease his search by a Federal agent, who dismisses the influence of Frank and his "negro"-run drug family. Meanwhile, Trupo and his men break into Frank's mansion and steals his emergency cash supply, as well as kill his German Shepherd dog. Frank initially sets out to kill Trupo, but his mother manages to dissuade him.

Richie and his men continue observing the plane's contents and follow the drugs into Newark's projects and obtain a warrant. A huge group of police and detectives attack the drug apartments en masse and a large shootout ensues. Steve Lucas, Frank's nephew (T.I.), who gave up a promising baseball career with the New York Yankees to work for his uncle, is shot in the shootout. Frank is at the church when the bust goes down, but he is arrested after the service ends. Richie meets with Frank and makes it clear to him that he has enough evidence to put him away for the rest of his life. He then tells Frank that he has a chance of doing a shorter term in jail if he helps him in the case.

With no other options, Frank decides to provide names of numerous other criminals, including detectives of the NYPD. Numerous cops are arrested, and a distraught Trupo commits suicide with his .357 Smith & Wesson Model 19 snubnose revolver to avoid arrest. Richie, having passed the bar exam, prosecutes Frank. In the end, three quarters of the New York Drug Enforcement Agency are arrested and convicted. Once convicted, Lucas provides evidence that leads to more than 100 further drug-related convictions. In 1977, Lucas and his family are placed in the witness protection program, hiding somewhere in the country. Frank has his Federal and state term reduced four years later in 1981, and in 1984 is caught and convicted of trying to exchange one ounce of heroin and $13,000 for one kilogram of cocaine. He is defended by his former prosecutor, Richie Roberts, now a criminal defense attorney, and receives a sentence of seven years. At the film’s end, Frank steps out of jail in 1991, significantly older and out of place, now just a normal man.

Cast[link]

• Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas
• Russell Crowe as Det. Richie Roberts
• Josh Brolin as Det. Reno Trupo
• John Ortiz as Det. Javier Rivera
• Norman Reedus as Det. Norman Reilly
• Chiwetel Ejiofor as Huey Lucas
• Lymari Nadal as Eva Kendo Lucas
• Ted Levine as Capt. Lou Toback
• Roger Guenveur Smith as Nate
• Cuba Gooding Jr. as Nicky Barnes
• John Hawkes as Det. Freddie Spearman
• RZA as Det. Moses Jones
• Yul Vazquez as Det. Alfonso Abruzzo
• Malcolm Goodwin as Jimmy Zee
• Ruby Dee as Mama Lucas
• Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Doc
• Carla Gugino as Laurie Roberts
• Armand Assante as Dominic Cattano
• Idris Elba as Tango
• Jon Polito as Rossi
• Clarence Williams III as Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson
• T.I. as Steve Lucas
• Common as Turner Lucas
• Ric Young as Khun Sa

Production[link]

Scott collaborated with actor Russell Crowe on the film's script.

In 2000, Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment purchased the rights to "The Return of Superfly", a New York magazine story by Mark Jacobson about the rise and fall of the 1970s heroin kingpin Frank Lucas.^[2] In 2002, screenwriter Steven Zaillian brought a 170-page script to director Ridley Scott, who expressed interest in making two films from it. However, Scott did not immediately pursue the project. In November 2003, Universal and Imagine entered negotiations with Brian De Palma to direct Tru Blu, with a script by Zaillian based on Frank Lucas.^[3] Zaillian interpreted the story as one of "American business and race", focusing the script thematically on corporate business.^[4] Production was initially slated for a spring 2004 start.^[3] In March 2004, the studio entered new negotiations with Antoine Fuqua to direct, as well as Denzel Washington to star in the film as Frank Lucas.^[5] The following May, Benicio del Toro entered negotiations to star as Detective Richie Roberts, who brought down Lucas. Production of Tru Blu was reset to begin in early fall 2004, with the film slated for a release date of June 3, 2005.^[6] In September 2004, Dania Ramirez entered negotiations to join the cast of the film, now titled American Gangster.^[7]

Universal Pictures reported that it greenlit American Gangster with a budget of $80 million, which escalated to $93 million, with $10 million for development costs and $3 million for the delay of the production start date. Sources close to the director insist that the budget was $93 million from the beginning. The studio also sought for American Gangster to be produced in Toronto rather than New York City to save money, but Fuqua resisted the re-location. The studio's parent company General Electric received tax credits in New York City, so production was moved to the city. The move, however, inflated the budget to $98 million. Fuqua's camp insisted that it was seeking ways to reduce the budget, but the studio contended several aspects of the project under him. The director had wanted to film a Vietnam sequence in Thailand and to cast notable names such as Ray Liotta and John C. Reilly in minor roles. To add to the studio's budgetary concerns, Fuqua was rewriting the script during the preproduction process. The director also did not have a shot-list, final locations, and supporting actors signed to initiate production.^[8]

Fuqua was fired on October 1, 2004, four weeks before principal photography would begin.^[8] The studio cited creative differences for the director's departure.^[9] After Fuqua's departure, the studio met with Peter Berg to take over directing the film, and Denzel Washington had approved of the choice.^[8] Due to the search potentially escalating a budget already in the US$80 million range and the difficulty in recouping the amount based on the film's subject matter, Universal canceled production of American Gangster, citing time constraints and creative elements for its reason.^[10] The cancellation cost the studio $30 million, of which $20 million went to Washington and $5 million went to del Toro due to their pay or play contracts. Entertainment Weekly reported that Fuqua's ambition to produce the film was primarily based on the prospect of an African-American director and an African-American actor leading a big-budget film that would potentially be nominated for an Academy Award.^[8]

In March 2005, American Gangster was revived as Universal and Imagine entered negotiations with Terry George to revise Zaillian's script and direct the film, which was to be financed with a target budget of US $50 million.^[12] The following May, Will Smith was approached to replace Washington as Frank Lucas, though an offer would be held off until George completed his revision of the script.^[13] After a meeting between Scott and Zaillian on another project, Zaillian brought the project up again with Scott, who decided he was ready to do it. Producer Brian Grazer and Imagine executive Jim Whitaker decided against pursuing George's attempt and to return to Zaillian's vision.^[14] In February 2006, Ridley Scott entered talks with the studio to take over American Gangster from George, returning to Zaillian's draft as the film's basis. Washington returned to his role as Lucas, and Russell Crowe was attached to star as Roberts.^[15]

Scott had discussed the script with Crowe as they worked on A Good Year (2006) in France, and they sought to take on the project. The director reviewed Zaillian's script, Terry George's rewrite, and a revision by Richard Price during the project's incarnation with director Antoine Fuqua. Scott preferred Zaillian's approach and chose to follow it. In realizing the project, the director encountered a challenge in the script since the characters Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts do not encounter each other until twenty minutes before the end of the film. The director sought to flesh out the private universes of the characters that would evolve and have scenes cut between the two characters to provide a balance. Elements like Frank Lucas's interaction with his family and Richie Roberts' dysfunctional marriage were written to add to the characters' backgrounds.^[16]

Many abandoned buildings in Harlem were shot, to give an accurate and authentic depiction of the area in the 1970s.

Scott chose to direct American Gangster based on the paradoxical values of Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts. The film focuses a bit on the comparatively ethical business practices of the "wicked gangster" and the womanizing and failed marriage of the "do-gooder" police detective. Washington, who was not normally a fan of gangster films, chose to portray Lucas when he saw "the arc of the character" had ended with prices that Lucas paid for his actions.^[2] Crowe was drawn to the project based on his previous work with the director on Gladiator and A Good Year.^[17] Production was slated in summer 2006.^[15] To prepare for their roles, the actors met their real-life counterparts. Washington acquired Lucas's Southern accent, and Crowe practiced to match Roberts's manner of speaking and body language, requesting tape recordings of Roberts to assist in his preparation.^[2] The following March, the studio rehired Zaillian to rewrite the script for American Gangster.^[14] It was rumored that Washington got paid another $20 million for when the project was greenlit again; that rumor proved to be false. According to Variety, he only signed on for his gross.^[18]

Director Ridley Scott produced television commercials from the 1960s to the 1980s, which entailed visits to New York City in the same time period in which the film's story took place. The director sought to downplay a "Beatles" atmosphere to the film and to instead create a shabbier atmosphere. Scott described his perspective of the setting, "Harlem was really, really shabby, beautiful brownstones falling apart."^[16] Production and costume design was emphasized, transforming the location into the rundown streets of upper Manhattan from the late 1960s and early 1970s. Denzel Washington, as Frank Lucas, went through 64 different costume changes.^[19]

Principal photography took place in several location throughout New York, including the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Principal photography began in July 2006 in New York City, in the Morningside Heights area of Manhattan; filming spanned over a period of eighteen hours from seven o'clock to one o'clock in the morning.^[20] American Gangster was filmed over a period of approximately two months in over 180 different locations throughout the city's five boroughs; it set the record for containing the highest number of filming locations of a movie.^[16] Approximately fifty to sixty locations were set in Harlem alone. While in the borough, Scott stated that he found several interiors that had been untouched since the 1940s.^[16] In his interview with ComingSoon.net, Scott stated that "[he] just walked in and just shoot in the house." Several gas masks were brought by producers due to health hazards and sanitary concerns existing in the buildings. Scott found filming in Harlem to be difficult, commenting that the rapid gentrification in Harlem provided poor opportunities for shooting angles.^[16] Other locations for principal photography include the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Madison Square Garden, a segment of the George Washington Bridge, and the Brooklyn Supreme Courthouse. Filming locations began setting up in Thailand in November 2006, after Branko Lustig consulted with Suvit Yodmanee, the country's tourism minister.^[21] Filming for American Gangster concluded in Chiang Mai the following month.^[21]

Music[link]

In 2006, Greg Calloway was approached by producer to produce a soundtrack for the film. He presented the idea to Atlantic Records chairman Craig Kallman; once Calloway learned that Universal Pictures own the rights to the film, he was informed that he could not take part in the production of the soundtrack.^[22] Between April and May 2007, composer Marc Streitenfeld recorded the musical score for American Gangster by using an 80-piece orchestra recorded in sections as well as acoustic pre-records, performed by Streitenfeld himself. Additional score material was composed and recorded by Hank Shocklee.^[23]

The official soundtrack album for American Gangster was released by Def Jam Recordings within a week of the film's release. In addition to Streitenfeld and Shocklee's score material, the soundtrack album also features songs influenced by music in the 1960s and 1970s, including from blues and soul musicians such as Bobby Womack, The Staple Singers, Sam & Dave, and John Lee Hooker.^[24]

The film inspired the rapper Jay-Z to create a concept album, also entitled American Gangster. The rapper recorded tracks that were prompted by specific scenes in the film. It was speculated that the album's release in conjunction with the film would attract a young audience and help Universal Pictures generate profits to recover from the film's troubled development history.^[24] According to Jay-Z, the film had a profound resonance on him, and explained with the New York Times his inspiration behind the album:

"It was like I was watching the film, and putting it on pause, and giving a back story to the story. It immediately clicked with me. Like Scarface or any one of those films, you take the good out of it, and you can see it as an inspiring film."^[24]

Release[link]

Box office[link]

The film premiered at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

American Gangster premiered in New York City at the Apollo Theater on October 20, 2007.^[25] Over two weeks before the release of American Gangster, a screener for the film leaked online.^[26] The film debuted in the United States and Canada on November 2, 2007 in 3,054 theaters.^[27] In its opening weekend in the United States and Canada, it grossed an estimated $43.6 million, averaging $14,264 per theater, placing the film first in the weekend box office.^[1] It outgrossed Bee Movie by $4.5 million.^[28] The film achieved numerous feats: it had the highest-grossing opening weekend since for a mature-rated film over 150 minutes since Troy, and it became the fastest-grossing crime film in history, beating out its preceder Sin City ($29 million).^[28] It marked the biggest opening weekend out of any film in both Washington and Crowe's careers, scoring considerably higher than the Inside Man and Gladiator, respectively.^[29] In its second week, grosses declined by 44.8 percent to $24 million, being beaten out by Bee Movie. In contrast by its third week, screenings for the film increased to 3,110 theater. Domestic grosses for the film stand at $130,164,645.^[1]

The film experienced similar success outside the United States and Canada. American Gangster was released in the United Kingdom on November 16, and became the highest-grossing film of the week, garnering £2.6 million ($5.3 million) in the box office.^[30] It retained the feat in its second week, grossing an estimated £1.82 million ($3.7 million) in the box office and beating out Beowulf two consecutive times.^[31] The weekend of November 16–18 saw American Gangster take $14.7 million from fourteen territories internationally. At the same time, American Gangster expanded in the European market; it received $2.8 million from 366 in Germany and $3.6 million from 366 in France during its opening weekend.^[32] Releases followed in Norway and Sweden the succeeding week, where it earned $392,608 and $465,238 from thirty-seven and fifty-nine theaters, respectively.^[33] The film was released in the United Arab Emirates during the film's sixth week, and grossed a modest $281,922 in the box office during its first week in the emirate. Similarly, it earned $6.9 million in international markets during its sixth week, adding the total at the time to $40.9 million.^[34]

By January 25, 2008, American Gangster began expansion into Italy, where it debuted in first place at the box office with $4.4 million from 252 theaters, making it the fastest-grossing crime film in history. It outgrossed it preceder The Departed by 68 percent.^[35] At the same time, the film tallied $9.1 million from thirty-seven markets, bringing international grosses to $93 million.^[35] Entering in the February, screenings for American Gangster expanded into Mexico and Japan; in the Japan, the film grossed $2.3 million in the box office, landing in second place. In contrast, the film received a modest earning from Mexico, where it grossed $820,482 during its opening weekend.^[36] The film has grossed over $266.5 million worldwide in the box office, with international grosses making up 51 percent at $136.3 million.

Home media[link]

The film was released in DVD and HD DVD format on February 19, 2008. It sold an estimated 2.4 million units during its first week, translating to $40.6 million in sales.^[37] Sales during its second week declined by 68 percent to 758,838, an equivalent of $12.5 million in sales.^[37] To date, American Gangster has sold over 4.1 million units and gained $67.8 million in revenue.^[37]

Reception[link]

Critical response[link]

Professional reviews
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(76/100)[38]
Rotten Tomatoes	79%[39]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Entertainment Weekly	(C-)[40]
Roger Ebert	[41]

American Gangster was met with generally positive reception from film critics. Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes reports that 79% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 206 reviews, with a rating average of 7 out of 10, with the consensus being: "American Gangster is a gritty and entertaining throwback to classic gangster films, with its lead performers firing on all cylinders." Among Rotten Tomatoes' "Top Critics", which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs, the film holds an overall approval rating of 79%, based on a sample of 37 reviews.^[39] Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from film critics, has a rating score of 76 based on 38 reviews.^[38]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a perfect four star rating and opined, "This is an engrossing story, told smoothly and well." Ebert also praised Crowe's performance, saying that his contribution to the storytelling was "enormous".^[41] In comparison, Jonathan Crocker of Time Out London was polarized with the film, criticizing its aesthetics. In his review, he wrote, "Scott's meticulous aesthetics can’t touch the urban texture and deep focus of The French Connection, The Godfather, Serpico and Prince of the City – all looming heavily in intertextual nods." In contrast, Crocker praised Washington's acting, writing, "He's immense: centering every scene with tractor-beam charisma, that dangerous, easy charm hovering between a luxury smile or blazing violence." In conclusion, Crocker gave the film a three out of five stars.^[42] Similarly, Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a 'C-' grade, expressing that American Gangster is "never dull, but it could have used more good old-fashioned melodramatic intrigue." Gleiberman was pessimistic towards Washington's performance, citing that it "had a ghastly ingenuity".^[40]

Manohla Dargis of the New York Times strongly commended the film, opining that "greatness hovers just outside American Gangster." She continued: "It's a seductive package, crammed with all the on-screen and off-screen talent that big-studio money can buy, and filled with old soul and remixed funk that evoke the city back in the day, when heroin turned poor streets white and sometimes red."^[43] Similar sentiments were echoed by Sukhdev Sandhu of The Telegraph, who asserted that the storyline was "amazing".^[44] Slant Magazine journalist Nick Schager harshly criticized the film, giving the film a one out of four stars. Schager remarked that the film was "dumb as a rock", and that it was "far too convinced of its import to be any fun."^[45] Giving American Gangster a two out of five stars, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian was disappointed with Washington's acting, asserting, "He doesn't seem to relax and enjoy himself in the role, or even inhabit it very satisfyingly." He resumed: "He never has the menace of his dirty cop in Training Day, and we don't see anything like the transformation from street-hustler to leader in Malcolm X. That shoulder-shimmying swagger is rarely seen, and the brand-classic robes of American Gangster sit on him heavily.^[46]

Paul Byrnes of The Sydney Morning Herald felt that American Gangster was "one of the most intelligent gangster films in years" and expressed that the film offers "the spectacle of grand themes and two bigger-than-life characters played by two of the best actors in cinema." Concluding his review, Byrnes gave the film a four out of four stars.^[47] IGN's Christopher Monfette and Phil Pirrello gave the episode a nine out of ten, signifying an "amazing rating".^[48]

Accuracy of the film[link]

In an interview with MSNBC, Lucas expressed his excitement about the film and amazement at Denzel Washington's portrayal.^[49] However, Lucas admitted to several news outlets that only a small portion of the film was true,^[50] and that much of it was fabricated for dramatic effect.^[51] In addition, Richie Roberts criticized the film for portraying him in a custody battle while in real life he never had a child. Roberts criticized the portrayal of Lucas, describing it as "almost noble."^[50]

Sterling Johnson, Jr., a federal judge who served as a special narcotics prosecutor and assisted the arrest and trial of Lucas, described the film as "one percent reality and ninety-nine percent Hollywood." In addition, Johnson described the real life Lucas as "illiterate, vicious, violent, and everything Denzel Washington was not."^[52] Former DEA agents Jack Toal, Gregory Korniloff, and Louis Diaz filed a lawsuit against Universal saying that the events in the film were fictionalized and that the film defamed them and hundreds of other agents.^[53] The lawsuit was eventually dismissed by US District Judge Colleen McMahon. While McMahon noted that the intertitle that appears at the end of the film was "wholly inaccurate", in that Lucas' cooperation did not lead to the convictions, and admonished that "It would behoove a major corporation like Universal (which is owned by a major news organization, NBC) not to put inaccurate statements at the end of popular films", she stated that the film failed to meet legal standards of defamation because it failed to "show a single person who is identifiable as a DEA agent".^[54]

Many of Lucas' other claims, as presented in the film, have also been called into question, such as being the right hand man of Bumpy Johnson, rising above the power of the mafia and Nicky Barnes, and that he was the mastermind behind the Golden Triangle heroin connection of the 1970s. Ron Chepesiuk, a biographer of Frank Lucas, deemed the story as a myth. Associated Press entertainment writer Frank Coyle noted that "this mess happened partially because journalists have been relying on secondary sources removed from the actual events."^[55]

Accolades[link]

American Gangster earned various awards and nominations, in categories ranging from recognition of the film itself to its screenplay and music, to the performance of Ruby Dee and Denzel Washington. Prior to the film's release, it was observed as a candidate for the Academy Awards based on the its style and the performance of the actors, including the possibility of an Academy Award for Best Director for Ridley Scott.^[56] It received two Academy Award nominations—Ruby Dee was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.^[57] At the 14th Screen Actors Guild Awards, the film received two nominations, of which Dee won the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role.^[58][59] At the 12th Satellite Awards, Pietro Scalia attained an award for Best Editing.^[60]

American Gangster was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards, including nominations for Best Motion Picture – Drama.^[61] At the 61st British Academy Film Awards, the film was nominated for five awards, but ultimately lost out.^[62] American Gangster was recognized as a candidate for best film by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Broadcast Film Critics Association.^[63] In addition, the film was included on the lists of the ten best films of 2007 by Rolling Stone and the Associated Press.^[64][65]

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Leland, John (October 29, 2006). "Gross National Product". The New York Times. 
• Collins, Max Allan (October 2007) (Mass Market Paperback). American Gangster. Novelization of the film. Forge Books. ISBN 0-7653-5901-4. 

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: American Gangster (film)

• Official website
• American Gangster at the Internet Movie Database
• American Gangster at Rotten Tomatoes
• American Gangster at Metacritic
• American Gangster at Box Office Mojo
• American Gangster at AllRovi
• The Return of Superfly
• Entertainment Weekly interview with Denzel Washington & Russell Crowe
• American Gangster Production Notes
• Frank Lucas's son clears up the controversy surrounding American Gangster
• Dateline NBC Interviews with Frank Lucas, Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe
• Scoring Session Photo Gallery at ScoringSessions.com

Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington in 2000
Born	Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. (1954-12-28) December 28, 1954 (age 57) Mount Vernon, New York, United States
Occupation	Actor, screenwriter, director, producer
Years active	1974–present
Spouse	Pauletta Washington (1983–present)

Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr. Philip Chandler for six years. He has received much critical acclaim for his work in film since the 1990s, including for his portrayals of real-life figures, such as Steve Biko, Malcolm X, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Melvin B. Tolson, Frank Lucas and Herman Boone.

Washington has received two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe awards, and a Tony Award.^[1] He is notable for winning the Best Supporting Actor for Glory in 1989; and the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2001 for his role in the film Training Day.^[2]

Early life[link]

Denzel Washington was born in Mount Vernon, near New York City, New York on December 28, 1954. His mother, Lennis "Lynne", was a beauty parlor-owner and operator born in Georgia and partly raised in Harlem. His father, Reverend Denzel Hayes Washington, Sr., a native of Buckingham County, Virginia, served as an ordained Pentecostal minister, and also worked for the Water Department and a local department store, S. Klein.^[3][4][5]

Washington attended grammar school at Pennington-Grimes Elementary School in Mount Vernon until 1968. When he was 14, his parents' marriage fell apart and his mother sent him to a private preparatory school, Oakland Military Academy, in New Windsor, New York. "That decision changed my life," Washington later said, "because I wouldn’t have survived in the direction I was going. The guys I was hanging out with at the time, my running buddies, have now done maybe 40 years combined in the penitentiary. They were nice guys, but the streets got them."^[6] After Oakland, Washington next attended Mainland High School, a public high school in Daytona Beach, Florida, from 1970–71.^[3] Washington was interested in attending Texas Tech University: "I grew up in the Boys Club in Mount Vernon, and we were the Red Raiders. So when I was in high school, I wanted to go to Texas Tech in Lubbock just because they were called the Red Raiders and their uniforms looked like ours."^[7] Washington earned a B.A. in Drama and Journalism from Fordham University in 1977.^[8] At Fordham he played collegiate basketball as a freshman guard^[9] under coach P. J. Carlesimo.^[10] After a period of indecision on which major to study and dropping out of school for a semester, Washington worked as a counselor at an overnight summer camp, Camp Sloane YMCA in Lakeville, Connecticut. He participated in a staff talent show for the campers and a colleague suggested he try acting.^[11]

Returning to Fordham that fall with a renewed purpose and focus, he enrolled at the Lincoln Center campus to study acting and was given the title roles in both Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones and Shakespeare's Othello. Upon graduation he attended graduate school at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, where he stayed for one year before returning to New York to begin a professional acting career.^[12]

Career[link]

Early work[link]

Washington at the 62nd Academy Awards, at which he won his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Washington spent the summer of 1976 in St. Mary's City, Maryland in summer stock theater performing Wings of the Morning, the Maryland State play. He also filmed a series of commercials in the Fruit of the Loom ensemble, as Grapes. Shortly after graduating from Fordham, Washington made his professional acting debut in the 1977 made-for-television film Wilma with his first Hollywood appearance in the 1981 film Carbon Copy. Washington shared a 1982 Distinguished Ensemble Performance Obie Award for playing Private First Class Melvin Peterson in the Off-Broadway Negro Ensemble Company production A Soldier's Play which premiered November 20, 1981.^[13]

A major career break came when he starred as Dr. Phillip Chandler in the television hospital drama St. Elsewhere which ran from 1982 to 1988 on NBC. He was one of only a few African American actors to appear on the series for its entire six-year run. Washington also appeared in several television, film and stage roles such as the films A Soldier's Story (1984), Hard Lessons (1986) and Power (1986). In 1987 Washington starred as South African anti-apartheid political activist Steven Biko in Richard Attenborough's Cry Freedom for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 1989 Washington won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing a defiant self-possessed ex-slave soldier in the film Glory. Also that year he appeared in the film The Mighty Quinn, and as the conflicted and disillusioned Reuben James, a British soldier who, despite a distinguished military career, returns to a civilian life where racism and inner city life leads to vigilantism and violence in For Queen and Country.

1990s[link]

1991, Washington starred as Bleek Gilliam in the Spike Lee film Mo' Better Blues. In 1992, he starred as Demetrius Williams in the romantic drama Mississippi Masala. Washington was reunited with Lee to play one of his most critically acclaimed roles as the title character of 1992's Malcolm X. His performance as the black nationalist leader earned him another nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. The next year he played the lawyer of a gay man with AIDS in the 1993 film Philadelphia. During the early and mid 1990s, Washington starred in several successful thrillers, including The Pelican Brief and Crimson Tide, as well as in comedy Much Ado About Nothing and alongside Whitney Houston in the romantic drama The Preacher's Wife.^{[citation needed]}

In 1998, Washington starred in Spike Lee's film, He Got Game. Washington played a father serving a six year prison term who is propositioned by the warden to a temporary parole on the terms that he must convince his top-ranked high-school basketball player son (Ray Allen), into signing with the governor's alma mater, Big State. The film also marked the third time that Spike Lee and Washington worked on a film together.^[14]

In 1999, Washington starred in The Hurricane a film about boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter whose conviction for triple murder was overturned after he had spent almost 20 years in prison. A former reporter who was angry at seeing the film portray Carter as innocent despite the overturned conviction began a campaign to pressure Academy Award voters not to award the film Oscars.^[15] Washington did receive a Golden Globe Award in 2000 and a Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival for the role.

He also presented the Arthur Ashe ESPY Award to Loretta Claiborne for her courage and appeared as himself in the end of The Loretta Claiborne Story film.^{[citation needed]}

2000s[link]

In 2000, Washington appeared in the Disney film Remember the Titans which grossed over $100 million at the United States box office.^[16]

When Washington won a Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a Dramatic Movie in 2000, as he noted: "No African-American has won best actor in the Golden Globes since Sidney Poitier, until I did".^[17] That made him the first Black actor to win the award in 36 years.^[18]

He won an Academy Award for Best Actor in his next film, the 2001 cop thriller Training Day as Detective Alonzo Harris, a rogue Los Angeles cop with questionable law-enforcement tactics. Washington was the second African-American performer to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, the first being Sidney Poitier who happened to receive an Honorary Academy Award the same night that Washington won. Washington holds the record (five so far) for most Oscar nominations by an actor of African descent, along with Morgan Freeman since 2009.

After appearing in 2002's box office success, the health care-themed John Q., Washington directed his first film, a well-reviewed drama called Antwone Fisher, in which he also co-starred.

Between 2003 and 2004, Washington appeared in a series of thrillers that performed generally well at the box office, including Out of Time, Man on Fire, and The Manchurian Candidate.^[19] In 2006, he starred in Inside Man, a Spike Lee-directed bank heist thriller co-starring Jodie Foster and Clive Owen, and Déjà Vu released in November 2006.

In 2006, Denzel worked alongside multi-talented Irish off-rock band The Script on their new project combining music and Hollywood. The hybrid of genres was critically acclaimed but didn't receive much mainstream attention due to a legal conflicts between The Script's record label and Denzel's studio commitments.

In 2007, he co-starred with Russell Crowe, for the second time after Virtuosity in 1995, in American Gangster. Washington directed and starred in the drama The Great Debaters with Forest Whitaker. Washington next appeared in the 2009 film The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, a remake of the 1974 thriller The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, directed by Tony Scott as New York City subway security chief Walter Garber opposite John Travolta.^[20]

Return to theater[link]

Washington after a performance of Julius Caesar in May 2005

Washington was last seen onstage in the summer of 1990 in the title role of the Public Theater's production of Shakespeare's Richard III and in 2005, after a 15-year hiatus, he appeared onstage again in another Shakespeare play as Marcus Brutus in Julius Caesar on Broadway. The production's limited run was a consistent sell-out averaging over 100% attendance capacity nightly despite receiving mixed reviews.^[21]

2010s[link]

In February 2009, Washington began filming The Book of Eli, a post-Apocalyptic drama set in the near future which was released in January 2010. Also the same year, he starred as a veteran railroad engineer in the action film Unstoppable, about an unmanned, half-mile-long runaway freight train carrying a dangerous cargo. The film was directed by Tony Scott, and was the fifth collaboration between the two, after previous films Crimson Tide (1995), Man on Fire (2004), Déjà Vu (2006) and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009).

On June 13, 2010, Washington won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for his role in the play Fences.^[22][23] Washington co-starred with Ryan Reynolds in the 2012 film Safe House, and will star in The Matarese Circle.

Personal life[link]

On June 25, 1983, Washington married Pauletta Pearson, whom he met on the set of his first screen work, the television film Wilma. The couple have four children: John David (b. July 28, 1984), who signed a football contract with the St. Louis Rams in May 2006 and is currently playing with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League (John David also played college football at Morehouse);^[24] Katia (b. November 27, 1987), who graduated from Yale University with a Bachelors of Arts in 2010; and twins Olivia and Malcolm (b. April 10, 1991) (Malcolm attends the University of Pennsylvania). In 1995, the couple renewed their wedding vows in South Africa with Archbishop Desmond Tutu officiating.^[25]

Washington is a devout Christian,^[26] and has considered becoming a preacher. He stated in 1999, "A part of me still says, ‘Maybe, Denzel, you’re supposed to preach. Maybe you’re still compromising.’ I’ve had an opportunity to play great men and, through their words, to preach. I take what talent I’ve been given seriously, and I want to use it for good.”^[27] In 1995 he donated 2.5 million dollars to help build the new West Angeles Church of God in Christ facility in Los Angeles.^[28]

Washington has served as the national spokesperson for Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 1993.^[29] As such, he has been featured in several public service announcements and awareness campaigns for the organization.^[30] In addition, he has served as a board member for Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 1995.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia named Washington as one of three people (the others being directors Oliver Stone and Michael Moore) with whom they were willing to negotiate for the release of three defense contractors that the group had held captive from 2003 to 2008.^[31]

On May 18, 1991, Washington was awarded an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Fordham University, for having "impressively succeeded in exploring the edge of his multifaceted talent".^[32] In 2011 he donated $2 million to Fordham for an endowed chair of the theatre department, as well as $250,000 for a theatre-specific scholarship to Fordham. He also was awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities from Morehouse College on May 20, 2007.^[33]

In 2008, Washington visited Israel with a delegation of African American artists in honor of the Jewish state's 60th birthday.^[34]

Washington is a fan of the New York Yankees. He is good friends with former manager Joe Torre. He is also good friends with comedians Jerry Seinfeld and George Wallace.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Denzel Washington

• Denzel Washington at the Internet Movie Database
• Denzel Washington at the TCM Movie Database
• Denzel Washington at the Internet Broadway Database
• Denzel Washington at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Denzel Washington at Moviefone.com

• Reader's Digest article on symmetrical faces named Denzel as the perfect example of a perfect face. Denzel Washington (shown here as a computer rendering), also named one of the sexiest men alive, was calculated to have one of the most symmetrical faces in Hollywood. http://cebuanddavao.com/2011/05/29/what-makes-denzel-washingtons-face-so-perfect/

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2012)

Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe at Piccadilly Circus in London during filming of A Good Year, October 2005
Born	Russell Ira Crowe (1964-04-07) 7 April 1964 (age 48) Wellington, New Zealand
Nationality	New Zealand
Citizenship	Australian
Occupation	Actor and musician
Years active	1986–present
Spouse	Danielle Spencer (2003–present)[1][2]
Children	Charles Spencer Crowe Tennyson Spencer Crowe
Parents	John Alexander Crowe Jocelyn Yvonne Wemyss

Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is a New Zealand born Australian actor, film producer and musician.^[3][4][5][6] He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 historical epic film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor, an Empire Award for Best Actor and a London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor and ten further nominations for Best Actor. Crowe appeared as the tobacco firm whistle blower Jeffrey Wigand in the 1999 film The Insider, for which he received five awards as Best Actor and seven nominations in the same category. In 2001, Crowe's portrayal of mathematician and Nobel Prize winner John F. Nash in the biopic A Beautiful Mind brought him numerous awards, including an BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor category Motion Picture Drama and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role.

Crowe's other films include L.A. Confidential (1997), Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) Cinderella Man (2005), American Gangster (2007), 3:10 to Yuma (2007) and Robin Hood (2010). 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. Due to his success and character variety, critics have often called him a "virtuoso" actor. He is also co-owner of South Sydney Rabbitohs, an Australian National Rugby League team.

Early life[link]

Crowe was born on 7 April 1964 in Wellington, New Zealand, the son of Jocelyn Yvonne (née Wemyss) and John Alexander Crowe,^[7] both of whom were movie set caterers; his father also managed a hotel.^[8] Crowe's maternal grandfather, Stan Wemyss, was a cinematographer who was named an MBE for filming footage of World War II. Crowe's maternal great-great-grandmother was Māori,^[7] and his paternal grandfather was from Wrexham, Wales;^[9] Crowe also has Scottish, Norwegian, English, and German ancestry.^{[7][10][11][12]} His cousins, Martin and Jeff Crowe, are former New Zealand cricket captains.^{[citation needed]}

When Crowe was four years old, his family moved to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, where his parents pursued a career in film set catering.^[7] The producer of the Australian TV series Spyforce was his mother's godfather, and Crowe at age five or six was hired for a line of dialogue in one episode, opposite series star Jack Thompson (in 1994 Thompson played Crowe's father in The Sum of Us).^{[citation needed]} Crowe also appeared briefly in serial The Young Doctors.

He was educated at the Sydney Boys High School.^[7] When he was fourteen, Crowe's family moved back to New Zealand, where he (along with his brother Terry) attended Auckland Grammar School with cousins Martin Crowe and Jeff Crowe. He then continued his secondary education at Mount Roskill Grammar School, which he left at the age sixteen to pursue his ambitions and childhood dreams of becoming a successful actor.^[13]

Career[link]

Australia[link]

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. He had a New Zealand single with I Just Want To Be Like Marlon Brando.^[14] He managed an Auckland music venue called "The Venue" in the mid '80s.^[15]

Crowe returned to Australia at age 21, intending to apply to the National Institute of Dramatic Art. "I was working in a theatre show, and talked to a guy who was then the head of technical support at NIDA," Crowe has recalled. "I asked him what he thought about me spending three years at NIDA. He told me it'd be a waste of time. He said, 'You already do the things you go there to learn, and you've been doing it for most of your life, so there's nothing to teach you but bad habits.'"^[16] From 1986 to 1988, he was given his first professional role by director Daniel Abineri, in a production of The Rocky Horror Show.^[7] He played the role of Eddie/Dr Scott.^[7] He repeated this performance in a further Australian production of the show. In 1987, Crowe spent six months busking when he could not find other work. In the 1988 Australian production of Blood Brothers, Crowe played the role of Mickey.^[17] He was also cast again by Daniel Abineri in the role of Johnny, in the stage musical Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom in 1989.

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. Before production started, a film-student protégé of Ogilvie, Steve Wallace, hired Crowe for the film Blood Oath (1990) (aka Prisoners of the Sun), which was released a month earlier than The Crossing, although actually filmed later. In 1992, Crowe starred in the first episode of the second series of Police Rescue. Also in 1992, Crowe starred in Romper Stomper, an Australian film which followed the exploits and downfall of a racist skinhead group in blue-collar suburban Melbourne, directed by Geoffrey Wright. For the role, Crowe won an Australian Film Institute (AFI) award for Best Actor, following up from his Best Supporting Actor award for Proof in 1991.^[7]

USA[link]

Crowe at London film premiere for State of Play, 21 April 2009

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.^[7] He went on to become a three-time Oscar nominee, winning the Academy Award as Best Actor in 2001 for Gladiator.^[7] Crowe was awarded the (Australian) Centenary Medal in 2001 for "service to Australian society and Australian film production."^[18]

Crowe received three consecutive best actor Oscar nominations, for The Insider, Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind.^[7] Crowe won the best actor award for A Beautiful Mind at the 2002 BAFTA award ceremony, as well as the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for the same performance. However, he failed to win the Oscar that year, losing to Denzel Washington. It has been suggested by the Guardian and Entertainment Weekly that his attack on television producer Malcolm Gerrie for cutting short his acceptance speech^[19] may have turned voters against him.^[20]

All three films were also nominated for best picture, and both Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind won the award. Within the six year stretch from 1997–2003, he also starred in two other best picture nominees, L.A. Confidential and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. In 2005, he re-teamed with A Beautiful Mind director Ron Howard for Cinderella Man. In 2006 he re-teamed with Gladiator director Ridley Scott for A Good Year, the first of two consecutive collaborations (the second being American Gangster co-starring again with Denzel Washington, released in late 2007). While the light romantic comedy of A Good Year was not greatly received, Crowe seemed pleased with the film, telling STV in an interview that he thought it would be enjoyed by fans of his other films.^[21]

In recent years, Crowe's box office standing has declined.^[22] The Hollywood stock market (HSX) share Russell Crowe (RCROW), issued in 1997, however maintains constant accretion.^[23] Crowe appeared in Robin Hood, a film based on the Robin Hood legend, directed by Ridley Scott and released on 14 May 2010.^[24]

Crowe starred in the 2010 Paul Haggis film The Next Three Days, an adaptation of the 2008 French film Pour Elle.^[25]

Crowe will be taking on the role of Inspector Javert in the musical film of Les Misérables.^[26]

It was announced that Crowe will be the lead in the Darren Arnofsky film "Noah," set to release in March of 2014. ^[27]

Music[link]

Crowe singing on open mic at O'Reilly's Pub in St. John's, Canada. 13 June 2005

In the 1980s, Crowe, going under the name of "Russ le Roq", recorded a song titled "I Want To Be Like Marlon Brando".^[28]

In the 1980s, Crowe and friend Billy Dean Cochran formed a band, "Roman Antix", which later evolved into the Australian rock band 30 Odd Foot of Grunts (abbreviated to TOFOG). Crowe performed lead vocals and guitar for the band, which formed in 1992. The band released The Photograph Kills EP in 1995 as well as three full length records, Gaslight (1998),Bastard Life or Clarity (2001) and Other Ways of Speaking (2003). In 2000 TOFOG performed shows in London, Los Angeles and the now famous run of shows at Stubbs in Austin, TX which became a live DVD that was released in 2001 called Texas. In 2001 the band came to the US for major press, radio and TV appearances for the Bastard Life or Clarity release and returned Stubbs in Austin, Texas to kick off a sold out US tour with dates in Austin, Boulder, Chicago, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York City and the last show at the famous Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

In early 2005, 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts as a group has "dissolved/evolved" with Crowe feeling his future music would take a new direction and he began a collaboration with Alan Doyle of the Canadian band Great Big Sea, and with it a new band: The Ordinary Fear of God which also involved some members of the previous TOFOG line-up. A new single, Raewyn, was released in April 2005 and an album entitled My Hand, My Heart which was released and is available for download on iTunes. The album includes a tribute song to actor Richard Harris, who became Crowe's friend during the making of Gladiator.

Russell Crowe & The Ordinary Fear of God set out to break the new band in by performing a successful sold out series of dates of Australia in 2005 and then in 2006 returned to the US to promote their new release My Hand, My Heart with another sold-out US Tour and major press, radio and television appearances.

In March 2010, Russell Crowe & The Ordinary Fear of God's version of the John Williamson song "Winter Green" was included on a new compilation album The Absolute Best of John Williamson: 40 Years True Blue, commemorating the singer-songwriter's milestone of 40 years in the Australian music industry.

As of May 2011, there are plans to release a new Russell Crowe & The Ordinary Fear of God recording (co-written with Alan Doyle) and for a US tour which would be the first live dates in the US since 2006.

On 2 August 2011, the third collaboration between Crowe and Doyle was released on iTunes as The Crowe/Doyle Songbook Vol III, featuring nine original songs followed by their acoustic demo counterparts (for a total of 18 tracks). Danielle Spencer does guest vocals on most tracks. The release coincided with a pair of live performances at the LSPU Hall in St. John's, Newfoundland.^[29] The digital album was released as download versions only on Amazon.com, iTunes, spotify. The album has since charted at No. 72 on the Canadian Albums Chart.^[30]

On 26 September 2011, Crowe appeared on-stage at Rogers Arena in Vancouver in the middle of Keith Urban's concert. He sang a cover of Folsom Prison Blues, before joining the rest of the band in a rendition of "The Joker".^[31]

Philanthropy[link]

Moreton Bay Fig donated by The Crowe Family in Centennial Park, New South Wales

During location filming of Cinderella Man, Crowe made a donation to a Jewish elementary school whose library had been damaged as a result of arson.^[32] A note with an anti-Semitic message had been left at the scene.^[33] Crowe called school officials to express his concern and wanted his message relayed to the students.^[34] The school’s building fund received donations from throughout Canada and the amount of Crowe’s donation was not disclosed.^[35]

On another occasion, Crowe donated a large sum of money ($200,000) to a struggling primary school near his home in rural Australia. Crowe's sympathies were sparked when a pupil drowned at the nearby Coffs Harbour beach in 2001, and he believes the pool will help students become better swimmers and improve their knowledge of water safety. At the opening ceremony he dove into the pool fully clothed as soon as the venue was declared open. Nana Glen principal Laurie Renshall says, "The many things he does up here, people just don't know about. We've been trying to get a pool for 10 years."^[36]

Personal life[link]

From his youth to the present, Crowe has had a special love of horses. "They're just like people," he told CraveOnline, "there are some horses that you have a deeper connection with immediately, and you can work on that over time."^[37] He has also noted that he sometimes finds it difficult to part with his equine co-stars when a film wraps.

Most of the year, Crowe resides in Australia. He has an apartment in Sydney at the end of the Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo and a 320 ha (791 acres) rural property in Nana Glen near Coffs Harbour. In 2011 the family moved to a house with a garden in Sydney´s Rose Bay.^[38] The Nana Glen property, a cattle farm (700 Black Angus), includes a chapel that Crowe built for his wedding to Spencer.^[39]

Russell Crowe and his wife Danielle Spencer, Sept 14, 2011

Crowe also owns a house in the North Queensland city of Townsville: he purchased the $450,000 home in the suburb of Douglas on 3 May 2008.^[40] It is believed the home is for his niece, who is studying at James Cook University.^[41]

Crowe stated in November 2007 that he would like to be baptised a Christian, and feels that he has put it off for too long. "I do believe there are more important things than what is in the mind of a man," he says. "There is something much bigger that drives us all. I'm willing to take that leap of faith."^[42]

In July 2010 Crowe, who had started smoking cigarettes on a regular basis during his elementary schooldays, announced he had quit for the sake of his two sons.^[43] On 10 November 2010 he told David Letterman that he had been smoking more than 60 cigarettes a day.^[44] By April 2011, it was officially confirmed that his attempt to quit nicotine consumption after 36 years of smoking was not a success and that he has taken up smoking again.^[45][46]

In preparation for several film roles in 2012, from June to November 2011 Crowe underwent a gluten-free and non-alcoholic diet and fitness program that consisted of walking, mountain biking and workout in the gym. During this period he lost 24 kg (53 lb) reducing his weight from 114 kg (251 lb) to 90 kg (198 lb).^[47]

Al-Qaeda threats[link]

On 9 March 2005, Crowe revealed to GQ magazine that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents had approached him prior to the 73rd Academy Awards on 25 March 2001 and told him that the Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda wanted to kidnap him. Crowe told the magazine that it was the first time he had ever heard of al-Qaeda and was quoted as saying:^[48]

You get this late-night call from the FBI when you arrive in Los Angeles, and they're, like, absolutely full-on. 'We’ve got to talk to you now before you do anything. We have to have a discussion with you, Mr. Crowe.'

Crowe recalled that:^[49]

it was something to do with some recording picked up by a French policewoman, I think, in either Libya or Algiers...it was about taking iconographic Americans out of the picture as a sort of cultural destabilisation plan.

Crowe was guarded by United States Secret Service agents for the next few months, both while shooting films and at award ceremonies. Scotland Yard also guarded Crowe while he was promoting Proof of Life in London in February 2001.

Stamps series Australian Legends Of The Screen[link]

In the beginning of 2009, Crowe appeared in a series of special edition postage stamps called "Legends of the Screen", featuring Australian actors. He, Geoffrey Rush, Cate Blanchett, and Nicole Kidman each appear twice in the series: once as themselves and once as their Academy Award-winning character.^[50]

Sport[link]

Rugby league[link]

Crowe is a known sports fan and has been a supporter of the rugby league football team the South Sydney Rabbitohs since childhood. Since his rise to fame as an actor, he has continued appearing at home games, and supported the financially troubled club. Following the Super League war of the 1990s Crowe made an attempt to use his Hollywood connections to convince Ted Turner, rival of Super League's Rupert Murdoch, to save the Rabbitohs before they were forced from the National Rugby League competition for two years.^[51] In 1999 Crowe paid A$42,000 at auction for the brass bell used to open the inaugural rugby league match in Australia in 1908 at a fund-raiser to assist Souths' legal battle for re-inclusion in the League.^[52] In 2005, he made the Rabbitohs the first club team in Australia to be sponsored by a film, when he negotiated a deal to advertise his film Cinderella Man on their jerseys.^[53]

Crowe is friends with many current and former players of the club, and currently employs former South Sydney forward Mark Carroll as a bodyguard and personal trainer. He has encouraged other actors to support the club, such as Tom Cruise and Burt Reynolds.^{[citation needed]}

On 19 March 2006, the voting members of the South Sydney club voted (in a 75.8% majority) to allow Crowe and businessman Peter Holmes à Court to purchase 75% of the organisation, leaving 25% ownership with the members. It cost them A$3 million, and they received four of eight seats on the board of directors. A six part television miniseries entitled "South Side Story" depicting the takeover aired in Australia in 2007.^[54]

On 5 November 2006, Crowe appeared on Tonight Show with Jay Leno to announce that Firepower International was sponsoring the South Sydney Rabbitohs for $3 million over three years.^[55] During a Tonight Show with Jay Leno appearance, watched by over 11 million viewers, Crowe showed viewers a Rabbitoh playing jersey with Firepower's name emblazoned on it.^[56]

Crowe helped to organise a rugby league game that took place in Jacksonville, Florida between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the English Super League champions Leeds Rhinos on 26 January 2008 (Australia Day). The game was played at the University of North Florida.^[57] Crowe told ITV Local Yorkshire the game was not a marketing exercise.^[58]

Crowe wrote a letter of apology to a Sydney newspaper following the sacking of South Sydney's coach Jason Taylor and one of their players David Fa'alogo after a drunken altercation between the two at the end of the 2009 NRL season.^[59]

Also in 2009 Crowe persuaded young England international forward Sam Burgess to sign with the Rabbitohs over other clubs that were competing for his signature, after inviting Burgess and his mother to the set of Robin Hood, which he was filming in England at the time.^[60]

In the 2010 post-season it was reported that Crowe's influence was critical in persuading Greg Inglis, one of the world's best players, to renege on his deal to join the Brisbane Broncos and sign for the Rabbitohs for 2011.^[61]

On 5 December 2010 the Sunday Telegraph reported that the NRL was investigating the business relationships Russell Crowe has with a number of media and entertainment companies in relation to the South Sydney Rabbitohs' salary cap. Salary cap auditor Ian Schubert was reported to be delving into Crowe's recent dealings with Channel Nine, Channel Seven, ANZ Stadium and V8 Supercars.^[62]

On 26 January 2011 the Sydney Morning Herald reported that the Rabbitohs were about to embark on a five year multi-million dollar sponsorship deal with the giant Star City Casino. Souths also announced a corporate partnership with the bookmaking conglomerate Luxbet.^[63]

Previously Crowe had been prominent in trying to prevent gambling being associated with the Rabbitohs. Reuters, on 3 January 2008, reported that Crowe was "fighting a new gladiatorial combat to wean his countrymen off their addiction to gambling machines."^[64]

In May 2011 Crowe was credited for an arrangement with Fox to have the 2011 State of Origin series broadcast live for the first time in the United States, in addition to the NRL Grand Final.^[65]

Other sporting interests[link]

In football (soccer), Crowe said he followed Bristol City^[66] and Leeds United.^[67][68]

Crowe watches and plays cricket. He played in school, and his cousins Martin Crowe and Jeff Crowe are former Black Caps Captains. Russell Crowe captained the 'Australian' Team containing Steve Waugh against an English side in the 'Hollywood Ashes' Cricket Match.^[69] On 17 July 2009 Crowe took to the commentary box for the British sports channel, Sky Sports, as the 'third man' during the second test of the 2009 Ashes series, between England and Australia.^[70]

Russell Crowe supports the Leeds Rhinos^{[citation needed]} in the Super League and Richmond Tigers in the Australian Football League^[71]

Crowe supports the University of Michigan Wolverines American football team, an interest that stems from his friendship with former Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr. Carr used Crowe's movie Cinderella Man to motivate his team in 2006 following a disappointing 7–5 season the previous year. Upon hearing of this, Crowe called Carr and invited him to Australia to address his Rugby league team the South Sydney Rabbitohs, an offer Carr took Crowe up on the following summer. In September 2007, after Carr came under fire following the Wolverines' 0–2 start, Crowe travelled to Ann Arbor, Michigan for the Wolverines' 15 September game against Notre Dame to show his support for Carr. He addressed the team before the game and watched from the sidelines as the Wolverines defeated the Irish 38–0.^{[citation needed]}

Crowe is also a fan of the National Football League, and on 22 October 2007 appeared in the booth of a Monday Night game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars.^[72] He is also a devout fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs which stems from his shooting of Cinderella Man at Maple Leaf Gardens.