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March 14th, 2008 - Happy Birthday Billy Crystal!
By Allie | March 14, 2008
William Jacob Crystal (born March 14, 1948) is a Golden Globe Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning American actor, writer, producer, comedian, and film director.
He’s 60!
He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas, on the ABC sitcom, Soap, and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the box office successes When Harry Met Sally… and City Slickers.
Crystal was born in Doctor’s Hospital in Manhattan and grew up in Long Beach, New York, the son of Helen (née Gabler), a housewife, and Jack Crystal, a record company executive and producer of jazz records, who owned and operated the Commodore Record store. His uncle was musician and songwriter Milt Gabler, and his brother, Richard Crystal, is a television producer.
Crystal grew up in a Jewish family that he has described as “large” and “loving”. After graduation from Long Beach High School, Crystal attended Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, on a baseball scholarship, having learned the game from his father, who pitched for St. John’s University. Crystal though never played a game at Marshall because the program was suspended during his freshman year and he didn’t return as a sophomore, staying back in New York with his future wife. Later, he attended New York University and Nassau Community College.
New York Yankees:
On March 10, 2008, Billy Crystal signed a one game contract to play with the New York Yankees. Billy wore uniform number 60 one day before his 60th birthday. On March 13, in a spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Crystal led off as the designated hitter. He managed to make contact, fouling a fastball up the first base line, but was eventually struck out by Pirates pitcher Paul Maholm on 6 pitches and was later replaced in the batting order by Johnny Damon.
Personal Life:
Crystal has been married to Janice Goldfinger, whom he met when he was 18 and she 17, since 1970. They have two daughters, actresses Jennifer and Lindsay, and are now grandparents. They reside in Pacific Palisades, California.
Other March 14th Birthdays:
Michael Caine/Actor -75
Quincy Jones/Composer -75
Steve Kanaly/Actor -62
Tamara Tunie/Actress -49
Penny Johnson/Actress -47
Chris Klein/Actor -29
Topics: Celebrity Birthdays, Wired Gossip |
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