Veteran comedian Billy Crystal joined other Hollywood stars in voicing their support for Ukraine at the Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday. The 74-year-old Hollywood icon gave a stirring speech while accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award, telling the crowd about his Ukrainian roots and wishing for joy and laughter to be part of that world again.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Crystal said in his speech that funny people and entertainers like him start by making their parents laugh first, then their family and friends. Crystal said he grew up when television was this new frontier. Crystal told the audience that it was the comics that made him want to be a comedian. "Watching them get laughs made me want to get laughs," said the comedian.
Crystal added that before he knew it, he was standing on a coffee table imitating his relatives, many of whom came from Russia and Ukraine. He paid tribute to them.
"My grandmothers were from Odessa and Kyiv. They escaped the pogroms to come to America, where they could live free from tyranny. And their laughter, the first laughs I ever got in my life, is the fuel that my engine is still burning today," Crystal said.
Billy Crystal prays for laughter and joy to return to Ukraine
People magazine reported that Crystal dedicated his award to those amazing people he entertained in Long Ridge, Long Island. Crystal noted that their laughter and joy started that five-year-old boy's journey to this moment where he is receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award. He then delivered a poignant message during his speech.
"I pray that somehow, someway there can be laughter and joy in that part of the world once again," he said.
Crystal's grandfather was an Austrian Jewish immigrant from Vienna, while his mother's family were Jewish immigrants who came from Russia, including the city of Rostov. Crystal's family is in a tough spot right now, with both Russia and Ukraine waging war against each other.
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Crystal developed his comedic talent in New York
Crystal spoke about his relationship with his grandparents in an interview with the Guardian back in 2013. According to the American actor, they were not fun, but they were really interesting people. He said his grandparents spoke Yiddish when they did not want their grandchildren to know what they were talking about.
Crystal was born at Doctor's Hospital on Manhattan's Upper East Side in New York. He was raised in the Bronx before the family moved to East Park Avenue, Long Island. The screen star and his two brothers, Richard and Joel, were the sons of Jack and Helen Crystal.
Crystal's comedic chops were developed at an early age, with the three young brothers reprising comedy routines from the likes of Sid Caesar and Rich Little. His father, Jack, owned and operated the Commodore Music Store founded by his grandfather, Julius Gabler.
