Source: The Australian
December 24, 2003
By Sophie Tedmanson Entertainment reporter
Dadiator goes ape over Charlie
He's not exactly known for being a big softy, but Russell Crowe is totally smitten with his newborn son Charlie.
His father-in-law, former Play School host Don Spencer, said Crowe, 39, was present during the birth of his first child at Sydney's Royal North Shore Private Hospital on Sunday night.
"The old man -- he's gone ape,'' Mr Spencer told the Nine Network yesterday.
"It was very hard to get the baby from him actually. He got hold of it and we kept saying `Is anyone else got a chance of holding this baby, Russell?'
"He said, 'I'm bonding, I'm bonding'.''
But Crowe, now nicknamed "the Dadiator'' after his Oscar-winning movie role, was less than smitten with the media outside the hospital yesterday. The movie star asked the small group of photographers to leave before turning a small hand-held digital camera on them.
He had earlier ducked outside for a cigarette before rushing back inside to look after his wife, entertainer Danielle Spencer, and keep a close eye on Charlie, who was born two weeks early weighing 2.8kg.
Mr Spencer said mother and son were "both fine, both beautiful. The baby was obviously a little premature but everything's fine, no problems whatsoever,'' he said. "It was pretty straightforward. Danielle was very ... she was cool, she was fine, it was pretty straightforward.''
Charlie joins an elite club of A-list newborns of Australian celebrities, including actress Rachel Griffiths, actor David Wenham, costume and set designer (and wife of film director Baz Luhrmann) Catherine Martin and the Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin.
Crowe is not alone in wanting to hide his new son away from the spotlight. At the premiere of Cold Mountain last week, Martin said she and Luhrmann had decided to keep their daughter Lily's life private. "That's something we're pretty adamant about. We'd rather keep her to ourselves for now,'' she said.
Mr. Spencer said the Crowes would also have to think about shielding little Charlie from the prying eyes of the media.
Caption: Snapping the snappers: Crowe films the media outside Sydney's Royal North Shore Private Hospital after visiting his wife yesterday
Picture: Chris Pavlich
