Billy Crystal has kept his family life fairly private despite his decades in the spotlight. His wife, Janice Crystal, and their two daughters, Jennifer and Lindsay, have undeniably been a source of steady support throughout his career.
Ahead of his appearance on The Graham Norton Show, we take a closer look at the 76-year-old’s family and their lives behind the scenes.
Meeting his lifelong partner Janice
Billy and Janice met in the 1960s when they were both students at Nassau Community College in New York. They married in 1970, and their relationship has remained strong for over five decades.
© GettyDespite Billy’s fame in the spotlight, Janice has had a behind-the-scenes career in the entertainment industry. She’s worked as a producer on several projects, including Billy Crystal: 700 Sundays, a Tony Award-winning one-man show based on Billy’s life, and Midnight Train to Moscow, a 1986 TV special.
Billy has often spoken lovingly of Janice, crediting her with being the heart of their family. “Humor and trust and constantly be interested in what each of us are doing and respecting our separate lives and who we are,” the When Harry Met Sally star recently told Fox News.
© Getty“But our common goal was always just to raise a beautiful family, which we have and continue to do. And just respect each other. And she’s an extraordinary person.”
The pair, who met as teenagers and have remained together ever since, have since become parents to two daughters and four grandchildren. “I’m lucky,” he added. “I was 18. She was 17. And here we still are.”
Family life
Billy and Janice’s eldest daughter Jennifer was born in 1973 and has followed in her father’s footsteps with a career in acting.
Known for her roles in House and Once and Again, 51-year-old Jennifer has built a steady career in television. She also had guest roles on Beverly Hills, 90210, NYPD Blue and Touched by an Angel.
© GettyJennifer is married to Michael Foley, and the couple has two children, Ella and Dylan.
Billy’s second daughter Lindsay was born in 1977, and she took a different route into the entertainment industry as a director and producer. She has worked on documentaries and other film projects, including My Uncle Berns, a 2004 documentary about her great-uncle that garnered critical acclaim.
Lindsay has also worked with her father on projects like HBO’s 61*, directed by Billy, which earned several Emmy nominations.
Despite being more behind the scenes, the 47-year-old made her onscreen debut in her father’s film City Slickers and even had a role in the sequel, City Slickers 2.
Fatherhood and being a granddad
After becoming parents, Billy touched on how much his relationship changed with Janice. “When I first became a dad back in 1973, Janice was working, and I was starting my career as a stand-up at night. So, during the day, I was ‘Mr. Mom’ and that changed my life totally,” he told People.
“The responsibility as a 25-year-old with an infant that can’t get through the day without you,” he continued. “When you learn that you can love something much more than yourself, it was the greatest experience in my life as a person.”
© GettyThe comedy legend added: “That’s been my total effort of my life is to leave the world with two amazing daughters – grown women now, mothers of their own. And that they then teach their children, our four grandchildren, what it means the responsibility in our world, which is changing constantly.”
On becoming a grandparent, Billy told The Guardian in 2013: “When my daughter Jenny was pregnant with our first grandchild, Ella, it was very profound for me because Jenny is my firstborn daughter.”
He added: “You have to really respect what your kids are doing with their kids and how they’re raising them. You can’t push your way into areas where you shouldn’t be saying anything. You have to always remember they’re not your own kids. Play with them, love them, spoil them to death – then hand them back.”
