Russell Ira Crowe was born in Wellington in April 1964, but moved to Sydney with his parents, Alex and Jocelyn, and his older brother, Terry, at the age of three. His parents managed pubs.
Aged six, he was casted as an orphan in the TV series show called 'Spyforce', on which his mother was the caterer.
When he was 14, the Crowes moved to Auckland. The pubs they ran included the Albion in the city and one in New Lynn.
Started a band,The Profile, while still at school. He called himself  Russ Le Roc and sang lead vocals.
He left school early in the seventh form to work for an insurance company, while pushing for a bigger showbiz break.
A battle of the bands competition resulted in a compilation LP of young, unknown groups, called all 'Dressed Up and No Place to Play', produced by le Roq.
He put together his own group,Russ le Roq and the Romantics.
He designed a uniform, with each lads name emblazoned on the jacket, 1950s-style. He ran his own fan club, but no one knows now if anyone joined or what they might have received ("newsletters etc" were promised). 
Image is crucial and an aspect of image is the illusion of success.
He formed yet another band,Roman Antix, in 1985.
The demo Tracks are:
Pride
Pink Point shoes
Rumble in the Jungle
Shattered Glass(You Broke My Heart)
He was surely due a serious break, and it arrived in 1986. 
He moved to Australia, and after a few small acting jobs - a commercial, the lead in a Seventh Day Adventist religious film, a children?s pantomime that fired him after a day - he got into an Australian production of Rocky Horror, under his own name, with singing as just one string in his acting bow.
Rocky Horror is the point at which Crowe finally gave up on the pop star idea, and became interested in the acting one. The show required both talents, and he surprised himself with his gift of acting.
The Rocky Horror Show (pics in the end)that toured New Zealand that year ran for nearly five months, breaking attendance records from Auckland to Dunedin.
Crowe was auditioning for everything that was going, no matter what it paid...
He is certainly proud to be a down-under kind of guy. 
Crowe has a nearly 600 - acre cattle ranch seven hours Northwest of Sydney.
When his parents and brother come to visit, he lets them stay in the main house and he moves into a trailer. He has horses, dogs, turtles, chickens and reportedly even a platypus. He's called himself an unsuccessful farmer, however,he has names for every one of his animals and vows that none willever be slaughtered.
Frequently takes motorcycle trips through the Outback.
Frontman of 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, which he still sings lead vocals for despite his growing star status these days.