Russell Crowe, the man known as Maximus Desimus Meridius in the 2000 movie Gladiator, surely lives up to his name. With a historical connection to England and a revolt, Crowe revealed that he has a very famous ancestor.
The actor took to his X (formerly Twitter) and revealed that he is the descendant of the last man who was beheaded in England! The actor further shared that due to an uncanny incident, the execution of his ancestor led to the coining of the term “laughing my head off”!
Russell Crowe’s Ancestor Has Quite A Story To Tell!
Taking to his X (formerly Twitter), veteran actor Russell Crowe revealed that he went down a little ancestor lane. Finding out the roots and the lineage of his forefathers, Crowe came to a fascinating conclusion, one that seemed to draw spectators from the world!
Also read: Russell Crowe Reunites With Man Of Steel Co-Star For Historical Epic Ahead Of Gladiator 2 Premiere
Taking to X, the actor shared that he was directly related to Simon Fraser, the 11th Lord Lovat who was also called The Old Fox. Well, Fraser was known to be the last man beheaded in England. Crowe shared a fascinating tale of his ancestor and how the beheading of Simon Fraser led to the coining of the term “laughing my head off”!
“On my father’s mother’s side, via John (Jock) Fraser (arrived in NZ in 1841) we directly connect back to Simon Fraser. 11th Lord Lovat. Look him up. He’s quite the character. The Old Fox they used to call him,”
He further continued,
“Seems his Machiavellian ways caught up to him at the age of 80, and he has a claim to infamy as the last man to have the head chopped off his living body in the Tower of London.”
The actor further revealed that there were temporary stands set up so that more spectators could see the beheading. Under the rule of King George II, the stands collapsed due to the heavy weight and 9 spectators reportedly died!
Russell Crowe’s Ancestor Inspired The Phrase “Laughing my head off”!
As if being the last man to be beheaded wasn’t enough, Crowe’s ancestor decided to go out in style. Russell Crowe further revealed that due to the death of the 9 spectators, his ancestor Simon Fraser started laughing before getting beheaded!
“His death even coined a phrase. Apparently, they set up temporary stands for the gentry to watch him die. One of these stands collapsed which resulted in the death of nine onlookers. Being told this just before he was put to death made him laugh. He was still laughing when the blade struck his neck, thereby ‘laughing his head off’. Fascinating.”
Well, Russell Crowe does seem to be having fun with his ancestry research. Having appeared in the 2023 film The Pope’s Exorcist, Crowe is currently associated with 8 other upcoming projects in different stages of development.
