In 1999, Crowe was involved in a scuffle at the Plantation Hotel in Coffs Harbour, Australia, which was caught by a security video.Two men were acquitted of using the video in an attempt to blackmail Crowe.

When part of Crowe's appearance at the 2002 BAFTA awards was cut out to fit into the BBC's tape-delayed broadcast, Crowe used strong language during an argument with producer Malcolm Gerrie. The part cut was a poem in tribute to actor Richard Harris who was then terminally ill, and was cut for copyright reasons. Crowe later apologized, saying "What I said to him may have been a little bit more passionate than now, in the cold light of day, I would have liked it to have been." Later that year, Crowe was alleged to have been involved in a "brawl" inside a trendy Japanese restaurant in London.

He finally broke through in acting circles everywhere as the no-nonsense cop and Kim Basinger's lover in 1997's L.A. Confidential. Although he was snubbed at the Oscars, Crowe was being toted as the new "it" boy of Hollywood, despite Leo's claims of being "king of the world" that same year.

In 1999, Crowe's portrayal of real-life whistle-blower Jeffrey Wigand in the drama The Insider earned the actor rave reviews, as well as a Best Actor Oscar nomination. As Roman general Maximus in the blockbuster epic, Gladiator, Russell Crowe showed moviegoers and critics alike that he was unstoppable in the Roman arena, and in Hollywood, with his Oscar for Best Actor in a Motion Picture in 2001.

His Maximus role also garnered him Best Actor awards from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, San Diego Film Critics, and Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association.

Although Crowe has been compared to legendary greats James Dean, Marlon Brando and Robert Mitchum, he refuses to give in to the Hollywood scene. The only way one can say that he has succumbed to it though, is having been romantically linked to Hollywood cutie, Meg Ryan; his Proof of Life co-star.

While filming Jodie Foster's Flora Plum, Crowe suffered a shoulder injury. He will next be seen in A Beautiful Mind, co-starring Jennifer Connelly.

While Crowe is only becoming a more powerful force in film, he continues to tour with his band, 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts. As one of Australia's greatest imports since Elle MacPherson and Mel Gibson, this gladiator is taking his career to the maximus.