Billy Crystal

Billy Crystal
Background information
Born	William Edward Crystal March 14, 1948 (age 76) New York City, New York, United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actor, voice actor, comedian, writer, producer, director, television host
Years active	1975–present
Family information
Spouse	Janice Goldfinger (1970–present)
Children	Jennifer Lindsay
Parents	Helen Crystal † (mother) Jack Crystal † (father)
Siblings	Joel Crysal † (brother) Richard "Rip" Crystal † (brother)
Other relatives	Julius Gabler † (grandfather) Milt Gabler (uncle)

William Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, writer, producer, director, and television host. He is best known for his roles as Miracle Max in the 1987 comedy-fantasy adventure film The Princess Bride, Harry Burns in 1989 comedy-drama film When Harry Met Sally..., Mitch Robbins in the City Slickers films, and Jodie Dallas in the ABC sitcom Soap. He is also well-known for voicing Rugs Turkell and other characters in the 1980 animated telefilm Animalympics. Additionally, he guest-starred in Episode 103 of Muppets Tonight and portrayed Billy in the short-lived FX comedy series The Comedians. He is also known as a member of The Not Ready for Prime Time Players on NBC's Saturday Night Live since 1984.

For Disney, he is best known for voicing Mike Wazowski in Disney/Pixar's 2001 film Monsters, Inc., its 2013 prequel Monsters University, and the 2021 Disney+ original series Monsters at Work. He also played himself in deleted scenes of the 2011 musical comedy film The Muppets. Additionally, he voiced Calcifer in the English dub of Studio Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle.

Crystal was born at Doctors Hospital on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and initially raised in the Bronx. As a toddler, he moved with his family to 549 East Park Avenue in Long Beach, New York, on Long Island. He and his older brothers Joel, who later became an art teacher, and Richard, nicknamed Rip, were the sons of Helen (née Gabler), a housewife, and Jack Crystal, who owned and operated the Commodore Music Store, founded by Crystal's grandfather, Julius Gabler. Crystal's father was also a jazz promoter, a producer, and an executive for an affiliated jazz record label, Commodore Records, founded by Crystal's uncle, musician and songwriter Milt Gabler. Crystal is Jewish (his family emigrated from Austria, Russia, and Lithuania), and he grew up attending Temple Emanu-El (Long Beach, New York), where he had his bar mitzvah. The three young brothers would entertain by reprising comedy routines from the likes of Bob Newhart, Rich Little, and Sid Caesar records their father would bring home. Jazz artists, such as Arvell Shaw, Pee Wee Russell, Eddie Condon, and Billie Holiday were often guests in the home. With the decline of Dixieland jazz and the rise of discount record stores in 1963, Crystal's father lost his business and died later that year at the age of 54 after having a heart attack. His mother died in 2001.

Filmography

Year	Film	Position	Company
2001	Monsters, Inc.	Voice actor (Mike Wazowski)	Pixar
2005	Howl's Moving Castle	Voice actor (Calcifer; Disney dub)	Studio Ghibli
2006	Cars	Voice actor (Mike Car)	Pixar
2011	The Muppets	Actor (Himself) (cameo)	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
2013	Monsters University	Voice actor (Mike Wazowski)	Pixar

Shorts filmography

Year	Film	Position	Company
2002	Mike's New Car	Voice actor (Mike Wazowski)	Pixar
2013	Party Central

Roles

Mike Wazowski
(Monsters, Inc. franchise)

Calcifer
(Howl's Moving Castle; Disney dub)

Gallery

Billy Crystal on Muppets Tonight.

Billy Crystal speaks with Garry Shandling in an episode of The Larry Sanders Show.

Billy Crystal behind the scenes of Monsters, Inc..

Billy Crystal and John Goodman behind the scenes of Monsters, Inc..

Billy Crystal at the premiere of Monsters, Inc. in October 2001.

Billy Crystal poses with a copy of his self-biography book 700 Sundays in May 2005.

Billy Crystal and Robin Williams attending the Sony after-party in April 2006.

Billy Crystal attending the 2011 D23 Expo.

Billy Crystal hosting the 84th annual Academy Awards in February 2012.

Billy Crystal behind the scenes of Monsters University.

Billy Crystal at the premiere of Monsters University in June 2013.

Billy Crystal and his wife, Janice, at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in January 2014.

Billy Crystal and Josh Gad speak onstage at The Comedians panel during the 2015 Winter TCA Tour.

Billy Crystal attending the 40th anniversary of Saturday Night Live in February 2015.

Billy Crystal visiting The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in August 2017.

Billy Crystal poses at his Chinese Theatre Handprint ceremony in April 2019.

Billy Crystal attending the 2019 Tribeca Film Fest.

Trivia

• He was the first actor to be offered to voice Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story, but turned down the role afterwards. After seeing the finished film, he said his decision was the biggest mistake of his career. When Pixar asked Crystal if he wanted to voice Mike Wazowski, he accepted immediately.^{[citation needed]}
• Pixar took some lines from the coffee table scene in the 1989 film When Harry Met Sally... and used his voice in some early test animation footage before Tim Allen was cast as Buzz.
• He stated in his Disney Legends acceptance speech that when growing up, his favorite film was Pinocchio, his favorite cartoon characters were Jiminy Cricket and Dopey, he had a crush on Annette Funicello, and he imagined going to camp with Spin and Marty.^{[citation needed]}
• His films City Slickers and When Harry Met Sally... were parodied in his appearance on Muppets Tonight.
• During his Hollywood Chinese Theatre Hand/footprint ceremony in April 2019, Crystal was handed a small foot stamp in the shape of Mike's foot, and he had it pressed into the cement next to Crystal's actual prints and signature written "Mike W".

External links

• Billy Crystal on Wikipedia
• Billy Crystal on IMDb
• Billy Crystal on Muppet Wiki