Billy Crystal is a talented actor, writer, producer, director, comedian and television host. He is known for his roles in Throw Mommy off the Train, Memories of Me, Father’s Day, My Giant, Small Apartments, Monster University, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally…, City Slickers, City Slickers II: The Legend from Curly’s Gold, Mr. Saturday Night, Forget Paris, Analyze That, America’s Sweethearts, Monsters, Inc., Analyze, Cars, Parenting Guide, Soap, The Comedians, and Modern Family . A popular choice to host the Academy Awards for several years, Billy has over 700,000 followers on Twitter.

Born name

William Edward Crystal

nickname

Billy, face

Sun sign

fishes

Place of birth

Manhattan, New York, United States

Residence

Pacific Palisades, California, USA

nationality

training

Billy Crystal graduated from Long Beach High School in 1965. He then attended Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, on a baseball scholarship. However, Billy decided to drop out of Marshall University and entered it at Nassau Community College in New York to stay close to his girlfriend Janice Goldfinger.

Later, Billy transferred to New York University to major in film and television directing, graduating in 1970 with a BFA degree from NYU ‘S School of Fine Arts . He also studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village, New York City.

occupation

Actor, writer, producer, director, comedian, TV presenter

family

• Father – Jack Crystal (owner and operator of Commodore Music Store, jazz promoter, producer and executive of Commodore Records)
• Mother – Helen Crystal (Housewife)
• Siblings – Joel Crystal (Older Brother), Richard Crystal (Older Brother)
• Others – Michael Francis Foley (son-in-law), Ella RyanFoley (granddaughter) (born June 20, 2003), Milt Gabler (uncle) (musician, songwriter, founder of Commodore Records), Julius Gabler (maternal grandfather), Susie Kasindorf (grandmother maternal), Louis H. Gabler (maternal grandmother-grandfather), Clara Honsel (maternal great-grandmother), Julius Crystal / Cristal (paternal grandfather), Sophie Hessen / Hassan / Hosel (paternal grandmother)

Manager

Billy Crystal is managed by –

• The Spanky Taylor Company, Burbank, California, United States
• William Morris Agency, Talentagentur, Beverly Hills, Kalifornien, USA

To build

Average

Height

5 feet 7 inches or 170 cm

weight

70 kg or 154 lbs

girlfriend/spouse

Billy Crystal dated –

1. Janice Goldfinger (1966-Present) – In 1966, Billy started dating actress Janice Goldfinger. They were introduced to each other by their close friend Steve Kohut. The couple tied the knot on June 4, 1970 after dating for around four years. They have two daughters – actress Jennifer Crystal Foley (born January 26, 1973) and producer Lindsay Crystal (born October 21, 1977).

race/ethnicity

White

He is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.

hair colour

dark brown

eye color

dark brown

sexual orientation

Just

distinguishing features

• broad forehead
• Receding hairline
• Tends to wear thin round glasses

brand promotion

Billy Crystal has appeared in commercials for brands such as The New York Experience and Diet Pepsi.

Religion

Judaism

Known for

• His varied roles in films and TV shows include Soap (1977-1981) as Jodie Dallas, The Princess Bride (1987) as Miracle Max, When Harry Met Sally… (1989) as Harry Burns, Urbanite (1991) as Mitch Robbins, Mister. Saturday Night (1992) as Buddy Young, Jr., Analyze That (1999) as Dr. Ben Sobel, Monsters, Inc. ( 2001) as Michael “Mike” Wazowski, Cars (2006) as Michael “Mike” Wazowski Car and Parental Guide (2012) as Artie Decker
• Host of the Academy Awards several times since 1990

first movie

In 1978 he made his big screen debut in the comedy Test of Rabbits , as Lionel Carpenter.

In 2001 he made his big screen debut as a voice actor in the animated film Buddy Comedy. Monster Inc. , as Michael “Mike” Wazowski.

First TV show

In 1975, he made his first television appearance in the musical comedy series, Keep on Truckin’ .

In 1993, he made his TV show debut as a voice actor in the animated family series Shelley Duvall’s Bedtime Stories .

Billy Crystal favorite things

• Sportmannschaft – New York Yankees (Baseball), Los Angeles Clippers (Basketball)

Billy Crystal Facts

1. His family moved to Long Beach, New York when he was a baby.
2. During his childhood, he and his young brothers often entertained people by portraying famous comedians like Bob Newhart, Rich Little and Sid Caesar.
3. When Billy was 15, his father died.
4. Katherine Helmond was his acting mentor.
5. He had taught mathematics at Long Beach High School in Long Beach, New York.
6. His close friends include actress Whoopi Goldberg and the late actor Robin Williams.
7. Martin Scorsese was one of Billy’s teachers while at New York University.
8. He mainly imitates people from the 1930s and 40s.
9. His uncle Milton Gabler, who later founded Decca Records, rejected The Beatles .
10. Billy was the first guest on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on May 25, 1992 after Jay took over the late night show.
11. He partially owns the Arizona Diamondbacks.
12. Legendary baseball player Mickey Mantle has been his role model since childhood.
13. As a child, he had a babysitter named Billie Holiday.
14. Billy has claimed that Janice Crystal, his wife, was his first and only date so far.
15. While at Long Beach High School, he was voted “Favorite” by his class of 1965.
16. He’s known for impersonating real-life character Fernando Lamas with the catchy and comical phrase “You Look Mahvelous.”
17. Billy is the author of many books including Absolutely Mahvelous (1986), I Already Know I Love You (2004), Grandpa’s Little One (2006) and Still Foolin ‘Em: Where I’ve Been, Where I’m Going , and Where the hell are my keys?” (2013).
18. Being a fan of Zach Braff’s sitcom Scrubs (2001-2010), he donated a clip of When Harry Met Sally… (1989) for one episode.
19. He had been Sammy Davis Jr.’s predecessor for years.
20. He maintains friendly relations with Serbian NBA superstar Vlade Divac.
21. In 2007 he received the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Award for American Humor.
22. An avid supporter of the New York Yankees, he played with the team in a minor league day against the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 13, 2008 to celebrate his 60th birthday wearing jersey #60.
23. Billy was one of the few non-African Americans to perform a “blackface” routine in full-makeup prosthetics on the Saturday Night Live (1975) show.
24. He had acted in 4 films along with actor Robin Williams, In Search of Dr. Seuss (1994), Hamlet (1996), Father’s Day (1997) and Harry Will Be Deconstructed (1997).
25. He has appeared with actor David Paymer in many films including City Slickers (1991), Saturday Night (1992), City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold (1994) and In Search of Dr. Seuss (1994).
26. On June 4, 1991, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
27. He has admitted turning down the role of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story (1995) was the biggest mistake of his career.
28. He actually wrote the screenplay for America’s Sweethearts with the intention of playing the lead role, but Billy settled on the character of Lee when the film was made years later.
29. A baseball fan, he was an avid collector of autographed baseball and baseball cards.
30. As of 2018, he hosted the Grammy Awards three times in 1987, 1988 and 1989.
31. He has television’s first gay character, Jodie Dallas, on the popular TV show Soap (1977–1981).
32. During the Oscars, Billy carried a toothbrush in his pocket.
33. On July 17, 2008, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
34. From 1971 to 1975 he was a member of a traveling improv comedy group.
35. He has hosted The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour (1982) and Saturday Night Live (1984–1985) shows.
36. His hobbies include playing softball and tennis, cooking Japanese food, collecting miniature furniture, and gardening.
37. His writing credits include Billy Crystal: 700 Sundays (2014), America’s Sweethearts (2001), My Giant (1998), Forget Paris (1995), City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold (1994) , Saturday Night (1992) and Memories of Me (1988).
38. He has produced and directed films such as Forget Paris (1995) and Saturday Night (1992).
39. Follow Billy Crystal on Twitter.