Looking youthful, Russell sported a salt and pepper beard ... he starred in the original smash hit film Gladiator (2000), Crowe is set to battle the Roman Empire once again.

He's played a brave, upstanding warrior, a moral hero with right on his side. But Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe's performance was anything but Gladiatorial at the Bafta awards on Sunday night.

Russell Crowe is an Academy award-winning actor ... but The Pope's Exorcist proves that the genre could be a good fit for the actor. Crowe's performance as Amorth is surprising and charismatic ...