Billy Crystal: Biography, Achievements & Lasting Legacy

William Edward Crystal (born March 14, 1948) is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He is known as a stand-up comedian and for his film and stage roles. Crystal has received numerous accolades, including six Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award as well as nominations for three Grammy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2007, the Critics' Choice Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2023.

Crystal gained prominence for television roles as Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap from 1977 to 1981 and as a cast member and frequent host of Saturday Night Live from 1984 to 1985. Crystal then became known for his roles in films such as Running Scared (1986), Throw Momma from the Train (1987), The Princess Bride (1987), When Harry Met Sally... (1989), City Slickers (1991), Forget Paris (1995), Father's Day (1997), Analyze This (1999), its sequel Analyze That (2002), and Parental Guidance (2012). Crystal is the voice of Mike Wazowski in Pixar's Monsters, Inc. franchise. He has hosted the Academy Awards nine times, beginning in 1990 and most recently in 2012.

Crystal made his Broadway debut in his one man show 700 Sundays in 2004, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event. Crystal returned to the show again in 2014 which was filmed by HBO and received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special nomination. He wrote and starred in the Broadway musical Mr. Saturday Night based on his film of the same name in 2022, for which he was Tony-nominated for Best Actor in a Musical and Best Book of a Musical. He has written five books including his memoir Still Foolin' 'Em (2013).