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Name: Billy Crudup
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Date of Birth:
July 08, 1968
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Place of Birth:
Manhasset, New York, USA
Mini-bio:
Initially known for his work on the stage, Billy Crudup emerged in the late '90s asa young actor of considerable talent, gracing the screen in an increasing number offilms. Tall, lean, and possessing ...( read more)one of the best-defined jaws in the WesternHemisphere,Crudup was born on Long Island, NY, on July 8, 1968. Raised in Floridaand Texas, he earned an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolinaat Chapel Hill, and then received a Master's degree from New York University.Crudup first won audience attention and critical acclaim in his role as an amoroustutor in the widely praised New York production of Tom Stoppard's +Arcadia. Hisperformance netted him both an Outer Critics Circle Outstanding Newcomer Award and aTheater World Award. He followed this success with a lead in the stage production of+Bus Stop, winning similarly excellent reviews for his performance. He made his filmdebut in 1996 with a small part in Woody Allen's Everyone Says I Love You, and thesame year he got a more sizable part among the all-star cast of Sleepers. Actingalongside Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Brad Pitt, Jason Patric, and MinnieDriver, Crudup received some recognition for his portrayal of a troubled survivor ofchildhood abuse. This recognition was amplified the following year, when he starredwith Joaquin Phoenix in Inventing the Abbotts, a small film that cast him as anamorous, destructive ladies' man. That same year, he starred with Woody Harrelson inStephen Frears' critically maligned The Hi-Lo Country (1998), and he won kudos forhis performance as runner Steve Prefontaine in Without Limits. Critics praised bothhis physical resemblance to the late athlete and his ability to portray him with avivid blend of arrogance, pathos, and sympathy. In 1999, Crudup could be seen starring in Jesus' Son, an independent film that hadits premiere at that year's Telluride Film Festival. While he received high marksfrom critics for his lead role in the adapatation of the acclaimed Denis Johnsonbook, Crudup wouldn't have his mainstream breakthrough until the following year.Cast by Cameron Crowe in a role originally intended for Sleepers costar Brad Pitt,Crudup was a hit with audiences and critics alike in the ode to 70s-erarock-and-roll Almost Famous, a film that allowed him to flex his abilities as both adramatic and comedic actor while cementing his status as a bonafide sex-symbol.Though his star was clearly on the rise, Crudup opted to avoid overexposure bytaking roles in the independent films World Traveler and Charlotte Grey. However, itwouldn't be long before he graced the sceens of multiplexes again. In late 2003,Crudup played the straight foil to a delightfully eccentric Albert Finney in TimBurton's Big Fish. The film was a hit at the box-office and declared by many to beBurton's best film in years.