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Theatre, Film, and Television Biographies
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Judy Cornwell to Howard Da Silva
Billy Crystal Biography (1947?-)
Full name, William Crystal; born March 14, 1947 (some sources cite 1948), inLong Beach, Long Island, NY; son of Jack (a record store manager, record company executive, and producer of jazz concerts) and Helen Crystal; nephew of Milt Gabler (a musician and songwriter); brother of Richard Crystal (a television producer); married Janice Goldfinger, June 4, 1970; children: Jennifer (anactress), Lindsay (an actress). Addresses: Agent: International Creative Management, 8942 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211.; Manager: LarryBrezner, MBST Entertainment, 345 North Maple Dr., Suite 200, Beverly Hills,CA 90210.; Publicist: PMK/HBH Public Relations, 700 North San Vicente Blvd.,Suite G910, West Hollywood, CA 90069; 161 Avenue of the Americas, 10th Floor,New York, NY 10013.
- Nationality
- American
- Gender
- Male
- Occupation
- Actor, voice artist, comedian, producer, director, writer
- Birth Details
- March 14, 1947?
- Long Island, New York, United States
Famous Works
-
CREDITS
-
Film Appearances
- Lionel Carpenter, Rabbit Test, Avco Embassy, 1978
- Voice of Lodge Turkell, Animalympics (animated), Barber Rose International Films, 1979
- Morty the Mime, This Is Spinal Tap, Embassy, 1984
- Danny Costanzo, Running Scared, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1986
- Miracle Max, The Princess Bride, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1987
- Larry Donner/Cousin Paddy, Throw Momma from the Train, Orion, 1987
- Dr. Abbie Polin, Memories of Me, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1988
- Harry Burns, When Harry Met Sally ... , Nelson Entertainment, 1989
- Mitch Robbins, City Slickers, Columbia, 1991
- Buddy Young Jr., Mr. Saturday Night, Columbia, 1992
- Narrator, Horton Hatches the Egg, 1992
- Mitch Robbins, City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (alsoknown as City Slickers II and City Slickers: The Legend of Curly'sGold), Columbia, 1994
- Mickey Gordon, Forget Paris, Columbia, 1995
- First gravedigger, Hamlet (also known as William Shakespeare's"Hamlet"), Columbia, 1996
- Jack Lawrence, Fathers' Day, Warner Bros., 1997
- Larry (the Devil), Deconstructing Harry, Fine Line Features, 1997
- Sam "Sammy" Kamin, My Giant, Sony Pictures Releasing, 1998
- Himself, Get Bruce! (documentary), Miramax, 1999
- Dr. Ben Sobol, Analyze This, 1999
- (Uncredited) Academy Awards master of ceremonies, American Movie: TheMaking of Northwestern (documentary; also known as American Movie), Sony Pictures Classics, 1999
- (Uncredited) Mattress salesman, The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (also known as Die abenteuer von Rocky und Bullwinkle), Universal, 2000
- Himself, The Journey (documentary), Journey Productions, 2001
- Lee Phillips, America's Sweethearts, Columbia, 2001
- Voice of Mike Wazowski, Monsters, Inc. (animated), Buena Vista, 2001
- Voice of Mike Wazowski, Mike's New Car (animated), Walt Disney, 2002
- Dr. Ben Sobel, Analyze That, Warner Bros., 2002
- Voice of Calcifer for English version, Hauru no ugoku shiro (alsoknown as Howl's Moving Castle), Buena Vista, 2004
- Himself, Tell Them Who You Are (documentary), ThinkFilm, 2004
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Film Work
- Producer (with Alan King and Michael Hertzberg), Memories of Me, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1988
- Executive producer, City Slickers, Columbia, 1991
- Producer and director, Mr. Saturday Night, Columbia, 1992
- Producer, City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (also knownas City Slickers II and City Slickers: The Legend of Curly's Gold), Columbia, 1994
- Producer and director, Forget Paris, Columbia, 1995
- Producer, My Giant, Sony Pictures Releasing, 1998
- Executive producer, Analyze This, 1999
- Producer, America's Sweethearts, Columbia, 2001
- Executive producer, Analyze That, Warner Bros., 2002
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Television Appearances
-
Series
- Jodie Dallas, Soap, ABC, 1977-81
- Host, The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour, NBC, 1982
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Saturday Night Live (also known as NBC's Saturday Night,
Saturday Night,
Saturday Night Live '80,
SNL, and SNL 25), NBC, 1984-85
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Specials
- ABC team member, Battle of the Network Stars, ABC, 1976, 1977, 1978
- Guest, The 36 Most Beautiful Girls in Texas, ABC, 1978
- Cohost, Battle of the Network Stars, ABC, 1979
- Player, The Celebrity Football Classic, NBC, 1979
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The TV Show, ABC, 1979
- Guest, Doug Henning's World of Magic, NBC, 1982
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Catch a Rising Star's 10th Anniversary, 1982
- Tony Manetti, "Split Decision," Likely Stories, Vol. 3, 1983
- Host, Billy Crystal: A Comic's Line, HBO, 1984
- Host, A Comedy Salute to Baseball, NBC, 1985
- Guest, The Night of 100 Stars II, ABC, 1985
- Witness, Richard Lewis "I'm in Pain" Concert, Showtime, 1985
- Cohost, Comic Relief, HBO, 1986
- Host, "Billy Crystal--Don't Get Me Started," On Location, HBO, 1986
- Guest, Kraft Salutes the George Burns Ninetieth Birthday Special (also known as George Burns' 90th Birthday Special), CBS, 1986
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Comic Relief: Backstage Pass, 1986
- Cohost, Comic Relief II, HBO, 1987
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The Lost Minutes of Billy Crystal, HBO, 1987
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An All-Star Celebration: The 1988 Vote, ABC, 1988
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An All-Star Toast to the Improv, HBO, 1988
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Get Out the Vote, 1988
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Life's Most Embarrassing Moments, syndicated, 1988
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All-Star Tribute to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBC, 1989
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Midnight Train to Moscow, HBO, 1989
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The Barbara Walters Special, ABC, 1989
- Cohost, Comic Relief III, HBO, 1989
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Grand Slam, syndicated, 1989
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Saturday Night Live Fifteenth Anniversary, NBC, 1989
- Cohost, Comic Relief IV, HBO, 1990
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Overtime ... with Pat O'Brien, CBS, 1990
- Guest, Robert Wuhl's World Tour, HBO, 1990
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The World of Jewish Humor, PBS, 1990
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Wolf Trap Salutes Victor Borge: An 80th Birthday Celebration, PBS,1990
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A Comedy Salute to Michael Jordan, NBC, 1991
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Entertainers '91: The Top Twenty of the Year, ABC, 1991
- Member of choir, Voices that Care, Fox, 1991
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HBO's 20th Anniversary--We Hardly Believe It Ourselves, CBS/HBO, 1992
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Muhammad Ali's 50th Birthday Celebration, ABC, 1992
- Cohost, Comic Relief V, HBO, 1992
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When It Was a Game 2, HBO, 1992
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Wax Cracks Hollywood, HBO, 1993
- "What Is This Thing Called Love?," The Barbara Walters Special, ABC, 1993
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But ... Seriously, Showtime, 1994
- "Addicted to Fame," First Person with Maria Shriver, NBC, 1994
- Cohost, Comic Relief VI, HBO, 1994
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The 10th Annual Television Academy Hall of Fame, The Disney Channel, 1994
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All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever! (also known as Sesame Street's All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!), ABC, 1994
- (In archive footage) 20 Years of Comedy on HBO, HBO, 1995
- Interviewee, Countdown to Comic Relief, Comedy Central, 1995
- Cohost, Comic Relief VII, HBO, 1995
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Hollywood Stars: A Century of Cinema (also known as A Century of Cinema), The Disney Channel, 1995
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The Making of "Forget Paris", 1995
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What Makes You Laugh?, 1995
- Correspondent, "Extra Point," Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, HBO,1995
- Segment host, Caesar's Writers, PBS, 1996
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Catch a Rising Star 50th Anniversary--Give or Take 26 Years, CBS,1996
- Cohost, Comic Relief's 10th Anniversary, HBO, 1996
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I Am Your Child (also known as From Zero to Three), ABC, 1997
- (Uncredited) Interviewee, Sports on the Silver Screen, HBO, 1997
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Steve Allen's 75th Birthday Celebration, PBS, 1997
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Canned Ham: Deconstructing Harry, Comedy Central, 1997
- Interviewee, Countdown to Comic Relief 8, Comedy Central, 1998
- Host, Comic Relief VIII, HBO, 1998
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Tony Bennett: An All-Star Tribute--Live by Request, Arts and Entertainment, 1998
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AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies, CBS, 1998
- Host, Warner Bros. Story: No Guts, No Glory: 75 Years of Laughter,TNT, 1998
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Saturday Night Live 25th Anniversary, NBC, 1999
- Master of ceremonies for opening ceremony, 1999 Special Olympics--World Summer Games, 1999
- Narrator, "There's a Nightmare in My Closet," Goodnight Moon and OtherSleepytime Tales, HBO, 1999
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Howard Cosell: Telling It Like It Is, HBO, 1999
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NFL All-Star Comedy Blitz, CBS, 1999
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Radio City Music Hall's Grand Re-Opening Gala, NBC, 1999
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The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Interview Special: Billy Crystal,Comedy Central, 1999
- Interviewee, Yogi Berra: Deja vu All Over Again, PBS, 1999
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Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary Primetime Special, NBC, 1999
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Saturday Night Live: Game Show Parodies, NBC, 1999
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The AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Stars, CBS, 1999
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AFI's 100 Years, 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies, CBS, 2000
- Interviewee, When It Was a Game 3, HBO, 2000
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The Comedy Central Presents the New York Friars Club Roast of Rob Reiner, Comedy Central, 2000
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The Kennedy Center: Mark Twain Prize--Celebrating Whoopi Goldberg,PBS, 2001
- Interviewee, Jack Palance: From Grit to Grace, Arts and Entertainment, 2001
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The Concert for New York City, VH1, 2001
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Muhammad Ali: Through the Eyes of the World, 2001
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Billy Connolly: A BAFTA Tribute, BBC (England), 2002
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Reel Comedy: Analyze That, Comedy Central, 2002
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AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Robert De Niro, USA Network, 2003
- Interviewee, When Stand-up Comics Ruled the World, VH1, 2004
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A Tribute to Joe Mantegna, 2004
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101 Most Unforgettable SNL Moments, E! Entertainment Television, 2004
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Spinal Tap Goes to 20, Independent Film Channel, 2004
- Interviewee, Inside the Actors Studio: 10th Anniversary Special, Bravo, 2004
- Interviewee, The Barbara Walters Special, ABC, 2004
- Interviewee, AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movie Quotes: America's GreatestQuips, Comebacks, and Catchphrases, CBS, 2005
- Also appeared in Dean Martin Celebrity Roast.
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Awards Presentations
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The 28th Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1986
- Host, The 29th Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1987
- Presenter, The 60th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1988
- Host, The 30th Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1988
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The 61st Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1989
- Host, The 31st Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1989
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The 4th Annual American Comedy Awards, ABC, 1990
- Host, The 62nd Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1990
- Host, The 63rd Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1991
- Host, The 64th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1992
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The 6th Annual American Comedy Awards, ABC, 1992
- Host, The 65th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1993
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The 7th Annual American Comedy Awards, ABC, 1993
- Presenter, The Jim Thorpe Pro Sports Awards, ABC, 1995
- Host, The 69th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1997
- Host, The 70th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1998
- Presenter, Sports Illustrated's 20th Century Sports Awards, 1999
- Host, The 72nd Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2000
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2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, Fox, 2000
- Host, The 76th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2004
- Narrator, The 2004 ESPY Awards, ESPN, 2004
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Movies
- David, SST--Death Flight (also known as Death Flight,
Flight of the Maiden, and SST: Disaster in the Sky), ABC, 1977
- Myles Gordon, "Miles the Angel," Human Feelings, NBC, 1978
- Danny Doyle, Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, ABC, 1979
- Lieutenant Jacob "Jake" Beser, Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb, NBC, 1980
- Voice of America, In Search of Dr. Seuss, TNT, 1994
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Episodic
- (As Bill Crystal) Guest, Saturday Night Live (also known as NBC's Saturday Night,
Saturday Night,
Saturday Night Live '80,
SNL, and SNL 25), NBC, 1976
- Al Bender, "New Year's Wedding," All in the Family, CBS, 1976
- Guest, Fridays, 1976, 1977
- Frequent guest, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, NBC, between 1977 and 1992
- Shy young man (title role), "The Kissing Bandit," The Love Boat, ABC, 1978
- Himself, "I Am Democracy," America 2-Night, syndicated, 1978
- Guest host, Midnight Special, 1980
- Paddy, "Make-Up," Darkroom, ABC, 1981
- Guest host, Fridays, 1981
- Guest, The Steve Allen Comedy Hour, 1981
- Guest, Late Night with David Letterman, NBC, 1983, 1988
- Larry (some sources cite Peter), "The Three Little Pigs," Faerie TaleTheatre, Showtime, 1984
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Robert Klein Time, USA Network, 1988
- Guest, Today, NBC, 1991, 2004
- Himself, "Talk Show," The Larry Sanders Show, HBO, 1992
- Narrator, "My New Neighbors," Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories, Showtime, 1992
- Frequent guest, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC, beginning 1992
- Guest, The Whoopi Goldberg Show, syndicated, 1992
- Guest, Late Show with David Letterman, CBS, beginning 1993
- Guest, The Full Wax, BBC1 (England), 1993
- Voice of Gary Grossman, "L.A. Jay," The Critic (animated), ABC, 1994
- Guest, Clive Anderson Talks Back, Channel 4 (England), 1994, 1995
- Voice of guest caller Jack, "Leapin' Lizards," Frasier, NBC, 1995
- Himself, Muppets Tonight!, ABC, 1996
- Guest, Inside the Actors Studio, Bravo, 1996
- Tim, "The One with the Ultimate Fighting Champion," Friends, NBC,1997
- Guest, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, 1997, 1998
- Guest, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC, 1997
- "The Best of Muppets Tonight!," Muppets Tonight, ABC, 1997
- Celebrity square, Hollywood Squares, syndicated, 1998
- Himself, Clive Anderson All Talk, BBC1, 1999
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The Martin Short Show, NBC, 1999
- "The Films of Rob Reiner," The Directors, Encore, 1999
- Guest, The Howard Stern Radio Show, syndicated, 1999
- Guest, Ruby, BBC (England), 1999
- Guest, Howard Stern, E! Entertainment Television, 2000
- "Mickey Mantle," ESPN Sports Century, ESPN, 2000
- "Wilt Chamberlain," ESPN Sports Century, ESPN, 2001
- Guest, Primetime Glick, Comedy Central, 2001
- Guest, "Analyze That," HBO First Look, HBO, 2002
- Himself, "Secrets and Lies," The Bernie Mac Show, Fox, 2002
- Guest, Leute heute, 2002
- Himself, "SportsCenter 25K," SportsCenter, ESPN, 2002
- Voice of John Adams, "United We Stand," Liberty's Kids: Est. 1776(also known as Liberty's Kids), PBS, 2002
- Voice of John Adams, "Postmaster General Franklin, Liberty's Kids: Est. 1776 (also known as Liberty's Kids), PBS, 2002
- "TV and Movie Week," Supermarket Sweep, 2002
- Himself, Filmland, 2003
- Guest, The Oprah Winfrey Show, syndicated, 2003, 2004
- Guest, Extra, syndicated, 2003
- Interviewee, "Best Sports Movies," ESPN25: Who's #1?, 2004
- Interviewee, "Best Plays," ESPN25: Who's #1?, 2004
- Interviewee, On the Record with Bob Costas (also known as Costas Now), HBO, 2005
- Guest, The Tony Danza Show, syndicated, 2005
- Guest, Live with Regis and Kelly, syndicated, 2005
- Also appeared in episodes of Alan King: Inside the Comedy Mind;
Celebrity Profile, E! Entertainment Television; Dinah;
Keep OnTruckin';
Life's Most Embarrassing Moments;
The Mike Douglas Show; and That Was the Year that Was.
-
Other
- Guest, Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell (pilot), ABC, 1975
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Baseball (miniseries; also known as A History of Baseball),PBS, 1994
- Himself, Dick Schaap: Flashing before My Eyes, 2001
- Himself, The 2003 ALCS: A Rivalry Renewed, 2003
- (In archive footage) Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time (miniseries), Comedy Central, 2004
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Television Work
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Specials
- Director, "Split Decision," Likely Stories, Vol. 3, 1983
- Executive producer and director, Comic Relief, HBO, 1986
- Producer and director, "Billy Crystal--Don't Get Me Started," On Location, HBO, 1986
- Executive producer and director, Comic Relief II, HBO, 1987
- Executive producer, Midnight Train to Moscow, HBO, 1989
- Executive producer, My Uncle Berns, HBO, 2003
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Other
- Creator and executive producer, Sessions (series), HBO, 1991
- Executive producer, Survival on the Mountain (movie), NBC, 1997
- Executive producer and director, 61* (movie; also known as 61), HBO, 2001
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Stage Appearances
- Master of ceremonies, Cabaret (musical), Ohio production, 1981
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Night of 100 Stars II, Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY, 1985
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700 Sundays (solo show), La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla, CA, 2004, then Broadhurst Theatre, New York City, 2004-2005
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RECORDINGS
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Albums
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Mahvelous! (comedy album), A & M/Polygram, 1985
- Compiler, Billie Remembers Billy, Verve, 2004
- Compiler, Billy Crystal Presents the Milt Gabler Story, Verve, 2005
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Videos
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Your Favorite Laughs from "An Evening at the Improv," 1984
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Big City Comedy, Artisan Entertainment/Vestron Video, 1985
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Making "Mr. Saturday Night," Wrightwood Group, 1992
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Oscar's Greatest Moments, Columbia TriStar Home Video/RCA-ColumbiaPictures Home Video, 1992
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Back in the Saddle: The Making of "City Slickers II," Wrightwood Group, 1994
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How Harry Met Sally ... , Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists HomeVideo, 2000
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The Greatest Summer of My Life: Billy Crystal and the Making of "61*," HBO Home Video, 2001
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As You Wish: The Story of "The Princess Bride," Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists Home Entertainment, 2001
- Voices of Animalympics characters, The Making of "Tron," Walt Disney, 2002
- Appeared in the music videos "Sweet Freedom" by Michael McDonald and "Voices that Care."
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WRITINGS
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Screenplays
- (With Eric Roth) Memories of Me, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1988
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Mr. Saturday Night, Columbia, 1992
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City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (also known as City Slickers II and City Slickers: The Legend of Curly's Gold), Columbia, 1994
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Forget Paris, Columbia, 1995
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My Giant (also based on a story by Crystal), Sony Pictures Releasing, 1998
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America's Sweethearts, Columbia, 2001
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Analyze That, Warner Bros., 2002
- Also writer (with Randy Newman) of the song "If I Didn't Have You," featured in the animated film Monsters, Inc., Buena Vista, 2001.
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Television Specials
- (With others) The TV Show, ABC, 1979
- "Split Decision," Likely Stories, Vol. 3, 1983
- (With Rocco Urbisci) Billy Crystal: A Comic's Line, HBO, 1984
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A Comedy Salute to Baseball, NBC, 1985
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Comic Relief, HBO, 1986
- "Billy Crystal--Don't Get Me Started," On Location, HBO, 1986
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Comic Relief II, HBO, 1987
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An All-Star Toast to the Improv, HBO, 1988
- (With others) Midnight Train to Moscow, HBO, 1989
- "There's a Nightmare in My Closet," Goodnight Moon and Other Sleepytime Tales, HBO, 1999
-
Television Awards Presentations
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Special Material
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The 63rd Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1991
-
The 64th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1992
-
The 65th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1993
-
The 69th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1997
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The 70th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1998
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The 72nd Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2000
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The 76th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2004
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Television Series
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The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour, NBC, 1982
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Saturday Night Live (also known as NBC's Saturday Night,
Saturday Night,
Saturday Night Live '80,
SNL, and SNL 25), NBC, 1984-85
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Sessions, HBO, 1991
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Television Episodes
- Writer for The Love Boat, ABC.
-
Stage Scripts
- (With Alan Zweibel) 700 Sundays (solo show), La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla, CA, 2004, then Broadhurst Theatre, New York City 2004-05
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Other
- (With Dick Schaap) Absolutely Mahvelous (autobiography), G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1986
-
I Already Know I Love You (juvenile), illustrated by Elizabeth Saylos, HarperCollins, 2004
- Contributor to books, including Rolling Stone Book of Comedy, edited by Bonnie Schiffman and Bill Zehme, 1991. Contributor to periodicals, including New York Times and Playboy.
Further Reference
ADAPTATIONS
- The 1991 film City Slickers was based on a story idea by Crystal.
OTHER SOURCES
Books
- Crystal, Billy, and Dick Schaap, Absolutely Mahvelous, Putnam, 1986
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International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Volume 3: Actors and Actresses, 4th edition, St. James Press, 2000
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St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, St. James Press, 2000
Periodicals
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AARP, March, 2004, pp. 52-56
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American Film, July-August, 1989, pp. 30-33, 48
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Cosmopolitan, June, 1986, p. 80
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Empire, Issue 47, 1993, pp. 54-55; Issue 77, 1995, p. 11
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Entertainment Weekly, June 17, 1994, pp. 26-29
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Gentlemen's Quarterly, August, 1989, p. 199
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In Style, April, 1998, p. 296
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Life, July, 1989, p. 68; April, 1990, p. 90
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McCall's, July, 1991, p. 58
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New York Times, December 6, 2004
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People Weekly, September 30, 1985, p. 40; March 30, 1998, p. 19
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Playboy, September, 1985, p. 140; March, 1988, p. 47
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Premiere, January, 2003, p. 94
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Rolling Stone, October 24, 1985, p. 49
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Sports Illustrated, January 10, 2005, p. 16
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Total Film, November, 2001, pp. 66-70
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TV Guide, November 15, 1980, p. 30; March 24, 1990, p. 5; August 1, 2004, p. 10
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U.S. News & World Report, March 23, 1998, p. 65
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US Weekly, March 17, 2003
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