Billy Crystal's father owned a record shop, and his uncle was CEO at Commodore Records and later Decca. Billie Holiday was Crystal's babysitter on several occasions. Louis Armstrong once stopped by, and as Crystal tells it, his grandmother asked Armstrong: "Louis", she said, "have you ever tried just clearing your throat, just coughing it up?"
In high school Crystal was a top shortstop, and he attended Marshall University on a baseball scholarship. Then the school discontinued its baseball program, and he transferred to NYU, where he majored in film and started doing stand-up. On the sitcom Soap, Crystal played Jodie Dallas, the first recurring gay character on American TV. It was quite controversial for 1977 -- right-wingers were offended that a "pervert" was presented on TV at all, and many gay/lesbian activists were angry that Crystal's performance played into gay stereotypes. Crystal responded by toning down the stereotypical behavior, making the character something most activists came to consider a positive portrayal.
Crystal remains a big baseball fan, and he was a recurring if somewhat tedious talking head in Ken Burns' PBS documentary Baseball. He also directed a pretty good baseball movie for cable, 61*, about Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, and the 1961 Yankees.
[1] Jerry Roberts. Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors (2009).
Father: Jack Crystal (record shop owner, jazz promoter, d. 1962)
Mother: Helen Crystal (housewife)
Brother: Joel Crystal (teacher)
Brother: Richard Crystal (TV producer)
Wife: Janice Goldfinger (dancer, m. 4-Jun-1970, two daughters)
Daughter: Jennifer Crystal (actress, b. 26-Jan-1973)
Daughter: Lindsay Crystal (actress)
High School: Long Beach High School, Long Beach, NY (1965)
University: Marshall University, Huntington, WV (transferred to Nassau)
University: Nassau Community College
University: BFA Film and Television, New York University (1970)
Friars Club
Hillary Clinton for President
Obama Victory Fund 2012
Emmy 1989 for The 31st Annual Grammy Awards
Emmy 1990 for Midnight Train to Moscow (writing, shared)
Emmy 1991 for The 63rd Annual Academy Awards (writing, shared)
Emmy 1992 for The 64th Annual Academy Awards (writing, shared)
Emmy 1998 for The 70th Annual Academy Awards
Hollywood Walk of Fame 6925 Hollywood Blvd.
Funeral: Muhammad Ali (2016)
TELEVISION
The Comedians Billy Crystal (2015)
Saturday Night Live (1984-85)
Soap Jodie Dallas (gay, 1977-81)
FILMOGRAPHY AS DIRECTOR
61* (28-Apr-2001)
Forget Paris (19-May-1995)
Mr. Saturday Night (12-Sep-1992)
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind (Jan-2018) · Himself
Monsters University (8-Jun-2013) [VOICE]
Parental Guidance (25-Dec-2012)
Small Apartments (10-Mar-2012)
I'm Still Here (6-Sep-2010) · Himself
Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (13-Oct-2007) · Himself
Cars (14-Mar-2006) [VOICE]
Tell Them Who You Are (11-Sep-2004) · Himself
Analyze That (6-Dec-2002) · Ben Sobel
Monsters, Inc. (28-Oct-2001) [VOICE]
America's Sweethearts (17-Jul-2001) · Lee Phillips
The Journey (13-Jun-2001) · Himself
The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (24-Jun-2000)
Analyze This (5-Mar-1999) · Ben Sobel
Get Bruce (24-Jan-1999) · Himself
My Giant (10-Apr-1998)
Deconstructing Harry (26-Aug-1997)
Father's Day (9-May-1997)
Hamlet (25-Dec-1996)
Forget Paris (19-May-1995) · Mickey
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (10-Jun-1994) · Mitch Robbins
Mr. Saturday Night (12-Sep-1992) · Buddy Young, Jr.
City Slickers (7-Jun-1991)
When Harry Met Sally (12-Jul-1989)
Memories of Me (14-Sep-1988)
Throw Momma from the Train (11-Dec-1987) · Larry
The Princess Bride (25-Sep-1987) · Miracle Max
Running Scared (27-Jun-1986) · Danny Costanzo
This Is Spinal Tap (2-Mar-1984) · Morty the Mime
Animalympics (1-Feb-1980) [VOICE]
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do (5-Sep-1979)
Rabbit Test (9-Apr-1978)
SST: Death Flight (25-Feb-1977)
Author of books:
700 Sundays (2005)
AKA William Edward Crystal