Role: Officer Wendell “Bud” White
Distributed by: Warner Bros.
Directed by: Curtis Hanson
Written by: Brian Helgeland, Curtis Hanson (based on “L.A. Confidential” by James Ellroy)
The scene that proves it: “Where is the girl?”
Crowe’s first critically acclaimed role came as Officer Wendell “Bud” White in Curtis Hanson’s noir crime thriller “L.A. Confidential.” Nominated for nine Oscars, the film ended up winning two for supporting actress (Kim Basinger) and adapted screenplay (Hanson and Brian Helgeland). Though Crowe’s powerhouse performance as a cop who punishes the abusers of women was not among the best actor nominees that year, neither was Leonardo DiCaprio for the best picture sweeper “Titanic.”
