Actor Billy Crudup is mostly known for his supporting roles in films like Big Fish, Almost Famous, and The Good Shepherd. He is known by DC fans as the first live-action portrayal of the superhero Dr. Manhattan in Zack Snyder’s Watchmen. He reunited with the director and the franchise when he was cast as Henry Allen, father of Barry Allen a.k.a the Flash in Justice League.
The actor had a dream debut in the 90s with the Robert De Niro and Brad Pitt starrer Sleepers. However, the actor has not been the A-lister that he was hyped up to be. But, that does not seem to bother the DCU star.
Billy Crudup’s Life And Career
Actor Billy Crudup has made it in the industry, in the sense that he has constantly gotten work. He has been a successful actor on the screen as well as on the stage. He has been nominated for the Tony Awards four times, winning once for the play The Coast of Utopia. The actor has also worked continuously almost every year, be it in films, TV, or the stage since his debut in 1996.
Crudup started pursuing acting during his undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina and then went on to pursue a graduate degree from the Tisch School of Arts. Crudup mentioned his childhood as looking for stability as his parents had divorced when he was young.
In an interview with the Guardian, Crudup opened up about his father, his struggles as a middle child, and his chaotic childhood,
“My way of fitting in was being a class clown…Oh yeah, it was awful…When [my father] says he’s going to pay your tuition and then you show up to register for your classes and they say: ‘I’m sorry, you’re not paid, you can’t register,’ and then you can’t get him on the phone and you have to drive to your grandfather’s, and then your grandfather gets mad at your dad. Yeah, then it gets less charming.”
The actor then went straight to the stage after graduating from Tisch. He made his film debut in the film Sleepers, which had an ensemble star cast. He featured along with stalwarts such as Robert De Niro, Kevin Bacon, Dustin Hoffman, and Brad Pitt.
The actor became widely known for his highly publicized break-up with his then-partner, actress Mary-Lousie Parker. Parker was reportedly seven months pregnant when Crudup decided to leave her in 2003. He began dating actress Clare Danes right after. He is currently married to actress Naomi Watts.
Also read: Zack Snyder Did Not Want His Favorite Superhero Movie To Get Released For The Most Bizarre Reason
Billy Crudup Does Not Regret His Subdued Fame
Since his debut in 1996, Billy Crudup has been seen in a number of big-budget films such as Alien: Covenant, Mission Impossible III, Eat, Pray, Love, and Justice League, albeit all in supporting roles. The actor has also been appearing on TV with his most noted appearance being in the miniseries Gypsy, and his Emmy award-winning performance in Jennifer Aniston’s The Morning Show.
However, with a dream debut like Sleepers and working with acclaimed directors like Cameron Crowe, Woody Allen, Ridley Scott, and Tim Burton, Billy Crudup is not exactly an A-lister like his contemporaries. But the actor revealed that he does not regret it. He mentioned in an interview with The Guardian,
“I grew up with an affection for great actors – Al Pacino, Meryl Streep. They were chameleons, their process of becoming stars was about creating vivid characters.”
Crudup also mentioned that he is grateful that he has been able to last this long as an actor and that he had never imagined himself to have the charisma of an A-lister. He said,
“I didn’t feel like I was the kind of actor or the kind of personality that could sustain that, but I did feel like I could be a good enough working actor to sustain a stable career.”
The actor has been able to sustain his career through his stage, TV, and film work while also being appreciated for his performances. Billy Crudup won the Critic’s Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor In a Drama Series as well as a Primetime Emmy Award for the same category for his appearance in the Apple TV+ show The Morning Show.
Source: The Guardian
