Shaping culture and breaking barriers
Billy Crystal is the ultimate showman. The actor, writer, director, and comedian is regarded as one of the most versatile performers of his generation. From his humble beginnings as a warm-up act to Hollywood headliner, Crystal is celebrated for his one-line deliveries and outstanding comic timing. His accolades include six Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award, plus the Critics' Choice Lifetime Achievement Award. Still active in film, television, and on stage, Billy Crystal continues to make audiences around the world laugh out loud.
Click through the following gallery for an appreciation of his glittering career to date.
William Edward Crystal was born on March 14, 1948, in New York City, but grew up in Long Beach, California.
After graduating high school he, briefly flirted with the idea of becoming a professional baseball player before opting to study theater and, later, film and television at New York University. One of his tutors was Martin Scorsese.
Long before finding fame, Crystal married his childhood sweetheart, Janice Goldfinger, in 1970. The couple, who are still together, have two children, Lindsay and Jennifer.
Throughout the early 1970s, Crystal was part of a comedy trio with two buddies. His ability to make people laugh as a stand-up comedian and skill as an impressionist started to open doors in television. He's pictured here enjoying a laugh with daughter Jennifer.
Appearances on 'The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson' and on an episode of 'All in the Family' further raised his profile. He also turned up on several TV game shows.
Crystal's earliest prominent television role was as Jodie Dallas on 'Soap.' His was one of the first unambiguously gay characters in the cast of an American television series.
Having already hosted 'Saturday Night Live' twice in March and May of 1984, Crystal joined the regular cast for the 1984–85 season.
Crystal's parody of Argentine-American actor Fernando Lamas on the show spawned the famous catchphrase, "You look... mahvelous!" In 1986, Crystal was nominated for a Best Comedy Album Grammy Award for 'You Look Marvelous.'
Crystal had made his movie debut in 1978's 'Rabbit Test' and enjoyed a minor role in 'This Is Spinal Tap' in 1984 before he starred alongside Gregory Hines in 'Running Scared.' Both actors won praise for their performances.
Billy Crystal's hosting of the Academy Awards won him critical acclaim. The actor presided over nine editions, in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2004 and 2012. He garnered two Primetime Emmy Award wins for hosting and writing the 63rd Academy Awards and an Emmy win for writing the 64th Academy Awards.
In 1987, Crystal starred in 'The Princess Bride,' reuniting with director Rob Reiner, whom he'd worked with on 'This Is Spinal Tap.' Once again the actor was singled out for his comedic prowess.
In the same year, Crystal starred alongside Danny DeVito and Anne Ramsey in the black comedy 'Throw Momma from the Train.' While receiving mixed reviews, the picture was a commercial success.
Billy Crystal's most celebrated film to date is the Rob Reiner-directed 'When Harry Met Sally...' He starred alongside Meg Ryan and Carrie Fisher, and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his efforts.
After creating and producing the six-part miniseries 'Sessions,' Crystal was back on the big screen and in the saddle in 'City Slickers.' A critical and commercial hit, the movie garnered the actor his second Golden Globe nomination.
'Mr. Saturday Night' marked Crystal's directorial debut. He also wrote the picture, produced it, and starred in it. Unfortunately, it was a box-office bomb, though Crystal won a Golden Globe nod and, at the 65th Academy Awards, co-star David Paymer was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
After a run of poorly received films and appearances in various television shows throughout the 1990s, but also while maintaining a high profile as Academy host, Billy Crystal was back in form in 'Analyze This.' The plot follows a crisis-stricken mafioso (Robert De Niro) who solicits the assistance of a reluctant psychiatrist (Crystal). The film was a huge commercial and critical success and spawned a sequel, 'Analyze That,' in 2002.
The actor has lent his voice to several animated features. In 'Monsters, Inc.' (2001), he voiced the one-eyed character of Mike Wazowski. He reprised the role in 'Mike's New Car' (2002), 'Cars' (2006), 'Monsters University' (2013) and 'Party Central' (2014). He also returned to the role in 2021 for the series 'Monsters at Work.'
Crystal was the English-dubbed voice of the fire demon Calcifer in the 2004 Japanese animated fantasy 'Howl's Moving Castle.' The film received critical acclaim and went on to gross US$190 million in Japan and $236 million worldwide, making it one of the most commercially successful Japanese pictures in history.
For his Broadway debut, his one-man show '700 Sundays', the actor/comedian won the Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event in 2005. He also picked up the Drama Desk Award.
In 2008, Crystal, a baseball fan all his life, signed a one-day minor league contract to play with the New York Yankees. He wore uniform number 60 in honor of his upcoming 60th birthday and realized a boyhood dream.
In 2013, Billy Crystal released his autobiographical memoir 'Still Foolin' Em.' The audiobook version was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album at the 2014 Grammy Awards.
Billy Crystal was close friends with Robin Williams and in 2014 paid tribute to the late actor at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards. He's pictured here with Williams and Whoopi Goldberg performing during a 1986 'Comic Relief' fundraising concert at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles.
Another great buddy was Muhammad Ali. In his stand-up days, Crystal had included impersonations of Ali, and made a fan out of the boxing legend. In 2016, he gave one of the eulogies for Ali at his funeral.
Crystal and Ben Schwartz received favorable reviews for their respective roles in director Matt Ratner's comedy drama 'Sanding Up, Falling Down.' The plot centers on a stand-up comedian and his unlikely friendship with an alcoholic dermatologist.
For his work in film, television, and theater, Billy Crystal received the Critics' Choice Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.
Thirty years after its release as a movie, Billy Crystal revived 'Mr. Saturday Night' as a musical. As with the film, the plot follows comedian Buddy Young, Jr. (Crystal), decades past his prime, as he attempts a second chance at fame and his family. The production premiered in Massachusetts before transferring to Broadway, where it received rave reviews, being nominated for five Tony Awards, including for Best Musical and Best Actor in a Musical.
The actor and comedian found himself in good company in 2023 when he was among the celebrities recognized in the Kennedy Center Honors. He's pictured with acclaimed soprano Renée Fleming, singer Dionne Warwick, rapper, singer, and actress Queen Latifah, and singer-songwriter Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees fame.
Disaster struck the Crystal family in January 2025 when their Pacific Palisades home was destroyed by the fire that swept through the affluent residential Los Angeles neighborhood.
In March 2025, Billy Crystal returned to the Oscars as a co-presenter with his 'When Harry Met Sally...' co-star Meg Ryan. "It's great to be back because I used to work here," he quipped.
The pair announced 'Anora' as the winner for Best Picture. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan are pictured backstage with Sean Baker, Samantha Quan, and Alex Coco.
Sources: (Deadline) (Britannica) (People) (CBS News)
See also: The best comedians in history
The glittering career of Billy Crystal
The actor turns 77 this March 14
CELEBRITY Cinema
Billy Crystal is the ultimate showman. The actor, writer, director, and comedian is regarded as one of the most versatile performers of his generation. From his humble beginnings as a warm-up act to Hollywood headliner, Crystal is celebrated for his one-line deliveries and outstanding comic timing. His accolades include six Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award, plus the Critics' Choice Lifetime Achievement Award. Still active in film, television, and on stage, Billy Crystal continues to make audiences around the world laugh out loud.
Click through the following gallery for an appreciation of his glittering career to date.