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Billy Crystal

Born in New York City on March 14, 1948, Billy Crystal grew up on Long Island in a home filled with comedy records and visiting jazz musicians. Those two influences—an ear for timing and a feel for performance—would carry through a career spanning stand-up, television, movies, directing, writing, producing and the stage. Crystal spent several years working in improv before becoming a solo act at New York comedy clubs. His earliest prominent television role came as Jodie Dallas on Soap, which ran from 1977 to 1981. A season in the cast of Saturday Night Live followed in 1984–85, where his Fernando Lamas parody and the catchphrase “You look mahvelous!” became widely known. At the movies, Crystal found his sweet spot playing quick-witted men whose confidence rarely hides their uncertainty for long. His small but highly quotable turn as Miracle Max in The Princess Bride showed how much he could do with a supporting role. When Harry Met Sally... gave his comedy a more vulnerable, romantic dimension opposite Meg Ryan, while City Slickers turned restless middle age into the basis for a buddy comedy. He also starred opposite Robert De Niro in Analyze This and expanded his work behind the camera by writing, directing and starring in Mr. Saturday Night and Forget Paris. For a younger generation, Crystal is immediately recognizable as the voice of Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc., Monsters University and Monsters at Work. His career has also repeatedly returned to live performance. He hosted the Academy Awards nine times, winning Primetime Emmys for his hosting and writing, and created the autobiographical one-man play 700 Sundays, which won the Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event. He later adapted Mr. Saturday Night into a Broadway musical and reprised the role of Buddy Young Jr. Whether carrying a romantic comedy, stealing a few scenes or working a live room, Crystal’s best performances share the same quality: polished timing that still leaves space for warmth, nerves and human messiness.