Crowe was born in New Zealand on 7th April 1964. At the age of four, his family moved to Australia as his parents wanted to further their careers as film set designers. Crowe made his debut as an actor at age 6 in an episode of the Australian TV series Spyforce.
When Crowe was 14, his family moved back to New Zealand. During this time, Crowe pursued a career as a singer using the stage name Russ le Roq. In the 1980s, he released a single, “I Just Want to be Like Marlon Brando”.