On January 7, 2025, California experienced the worst nightmare of the last century. The sunny state in the western United States turned into a hell of great proportions when theEaton and Palisades fires, along with other smaller fires, ravaged 16,000 hectares and claimed the lives of 25 people.
The fire does not discriminate based on social class, so many middle-class people lost what they had built over a lifetime, but celebrities also suffered in some of the elite areas devastated. Among the affected was actor Billy Crystal (78), whose residence was reduced to ashes.
It was a ranch-style mansion of 630 square meters with four bedrooms and six bathrooms that had been the family home since 1979. There, his two daughters Jennifer (53) and Lindsay (49) had grown up, the result of his union with Janice Goldfinger, "my first and only love," the comedian has always stated.
On October 21, the veteran actor premiered the play 860 at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway, which refers to the street number where he lived in Pacific Palisades when his home was engulfed in flames. The set is simple. They recreated the office Crystal had in his home where through a monologue, he recalls "the funny and touching stories that happened to us during that time," he said on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
Among the numerous personalities who frequented the residence was Rob Reiner, who directed Billy and Meg Ryan in the iconic romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally (1989), and with whom he maintained a close friendship. That 2025 ended worse than it had started as Reiner, along with his wife Michele Singer, were murdered in December by their son Nick at their mansion in Brentwood (Los Angeles).
Crystal is still mourning and, therefore, he wanted to pay tribute to his friend in 860. "It's crazy because we were together the night before. We said goodbye late, around ten-thirty at night or something, at the Christmas party we went to together and then...", he recalled a few days ago on CBS.
In his television program narrative, he mentioned how helicopters and sirens woke them up on that January 7. "Janice is the more practical of the two. She was thinking about medications and prescriptions and I was thinking about that half-eaten veal parmesan sandwich in the refrigerator," he said without losing his sharp sense of humor that made him one of the first actors to participate in the newly created Saturday Night Live in 1975.
Of Jewish origin and with Lithuanian, Russian, and Austrian roots, the world of entertainment was not foreign to him during his childhood as his maternal grandfather founded the Commodore Music Store in the late 1920s, the historic jazz record store on 42nd Street in Manhattan. It was quite common for great legends like Eddie Condon or Billie Holiday to be dinner guests at their home, with Billie Holiday even acting as a babysitter for the mischievous Billy and his siblings on more than one occasion.
Crystal imitated them all with such grace that his destiny as a comedian was almost an obligation. At 4 years old, he performed for his family, and at 15, when his father suddenly passed away, he became aware of how important it is to bring laughter in times of sadness, so he perfected his technique so that his mother could have a good time.
"Mom was very funny and loving with us. She was our first audience. When my father died suddenly, I was left alone at home with her, because my two older brothers were in college. I was the man of the house and she was the grieving woman," he confessed in an interview with Oprah Winfrey a few years ago.
During that conversation, the comedian also explained that he could always "improvise. Some of my teachers remember me standing in front of the class with a flower on my head, talking about photosynthesis. I would stop and say, 'Is this working for any of you?'. The kids would say, 'What is he doing?".
In his twenties, he formed an improvisation group with two friends, which allowed him to gain enough experience to make a living. But before succeeding, he worked as a substitute teacher at the same high school he attended. There, he taught everything from English to auto mechanics.
By then, Billy was enjoying his first and only true love, whom he met in the summer of 1966 when he was 18 and Janice was a year younger. Their paths crossed for the first time at a local beach club where he worked at a summer camp. "The moment I saw her, I knew I would marry her," he has declared on many occasions. And he kept his word, exchanging vows on June 4, 1970.
After more than five decades of a happy marriage, Crystal still considers her the most important person in his life. "She is the kindest person, considerate and honest I have ever met. Straight to the point. No nonsense. Not a false moment. And yet, I don't remember her ever saying anything hurtful. Honesty is a rare commodity, and she is straightforward in a charming way," he admitted candidly to Winfrey.
At just 30 years old, Billy Crystal achieved success withSoap and made his film debut thanks to Joan Rivers in Un tío muy especial (1978). Six years later, he worked for the first time with Rob Reiner in the mockumentary This Is Spinal (1984), one of the great gems of the decade.
Undoubtedly, one of the actor's greatest professional achievements is having hosted the Oscars ceremony nine times, a record only surpassed by the comedy legend Bob Hope.
Currently, the role that Billy enjoys the most is that of a grandfather. His eldest granddaughter, Ella (23), inspired his book I Already Know I Love You; then there are Dylan (20) and two teenage boys whose names are unknown.