Born:
March 14, 1948
in
New York
Best Known For:
When Harry Met Sally and City Slickers.
Early-life:
William Edward Crystal was born in New York on March 14, 1948. His father was a concert promoter. Billy attended New York University, where he studied film and TV direction. After graduating, he worked as a substitute teacher until he was able to get gigs as a stand-up comedian.
Career:
In 1976, Crystal moved to Hollywood and his big break came a year later when he landed the role of gay character Jodie Dallas in the sitcom Soap, which ran for four seasons. After the show ended, Crystal continued to do his stand-up routine and became a regular on Saturday Night Live in 1984. This led to appearances on the big screen in Running Scared (1986) and Throw Momma from the Train (1987). Roles in When Harry Met Sally (1989) and City Slickers (1991) established him as a Hollywood star. He went on to have further success in Analyze This (1999) and America's Sweethearts (2001), but also appeared in a number of flops, including Fathers' Day (1997), My Giant (1998) and Parental Guidance (2012). In 2005, he won a Tony Award for his one-man play, 700 Sundays.
Quote:
"In high school, I was the class comedian as opposed to the class clown. The difference is, the class clown is the guy who drops his pants at the football game, the class comedian is the guy who talked him into it."
Trivia:
Crystal hosted the Academy Awards for the first time in 1990, a role he has performed several times since. He provides the voice of Mike Wazowski in Monsters Inc (2001) and its sequel Monsters University (2013).