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Russell Crowe
Alternatively, if you like puzzles, click here for the Russell Crowe crossword 
Activity 1
Listen and decide if these statements are True (T) or False (F)
1. His parents both worked as cleaners on film sets. ____
2. He first appeared on TV when he was four years old. ____
3. Two of his cousins were excellent sportsmen. ____
4. Russell studied Rock'n'Roll at school. ____
5. He attended drama school in Australia. ____
6. His first American film was made in Washington. ____
7. Russell paid $75 million for a rugby team. ____
Activity 2
Answer these questions:
1. When was Russell Crowe born?
_____________________________________________________
2. How old was he when he moved to Australia for the first time?
_____________________________________________________
3. What sport did his famous cousins play?
_____________________________________________________
4. Why didn't he finish school?
_____________________________________________________
5. What was his first American film?
_____________________________________________________
6. When did he get his first Oscar nomination?
_____________________________________________________
7. For which film did he win an Oscar?
_____________________________________________________
8. What's his wife's name?
_____________________________________________________
Transcript
Russell Crowe was born on the 7th April 1964 in the city of Wellington, New Zealand. Both of his parents worked as caterers on film sets, so it would seem that he had the movies in his blood from a very early age!
When he was four years old his family moved to Australia, and just a couple of years later he had his first part in a TV series, when he said just one line of dialogue. Everyone has to start somewhere.
Ten years after arriving in Australia, the family then moved back to New Zealand and Russell went to the grammar school in Auckland, along with his two cousins Jeff and Martin who both later became captain of the New Zealand cricket team. However, Russell didn't actually finish his school studies because his family were in financial difficulty and he wanted to help. At one point he started a rock'n'roll group and even had a hit single in New Zealand. He then got a part in the famous Rocky Horror Show, as well as other theatre productions.
When he was 21 he moved back to Australia with the intention of joining a drama school, but a friend persuaded him it wasn't such a good idea. Somehow though he managed to get a part in a famous Australian TV series and from that went on to make a couple of films, getting good reviews from the critics.
It wasn't long before he started acting in some American films, and in 1995 he even appeared with Denzil Washington. It seemed the 'Big Time' had arrived. Indeed four years later he started a amazing run of success, getting Oscar nominations for Best Actor three years in a row! In 1999 for The Insider, 2000 for The Gladiator and 2001 for A Beautiful Mind. From those three nominations he won the award for his role in Gladiator. A terrific achievement for someone with relatively limited experience.
On a more personal note, Russell is married to his beautiful wife, Danielle, and they have two sons. Charles was born in 2003 and Tennyson in 2006. In March of the same year that Tennyson was born, Russell bought a 75% share in his favourite Australian rugby league team for 3 million Australian dollars - not bad for the boy who left school early to help with the family finances!
This student worksheet is free to download and print for use in the classroom or for self-study. It is meant to be used in conjunction with the listening file which is available in mp3 format. However, the transcript can be used not only to check answers but also for reading comprehension and vocabulary exercises.
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May 7th 2008 Podcard from: Hurling Crossword on: Las Vegas |
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