Russell Crowe is stunned to learn he is related to last man beheaded in Britain: Machiavellian schemer known as ‘The Fox’ was the origin of the phrase ‘laughing his head off’ after he broke out in laughter when nine died in stand collapse at his execution
In his most famous film role, Russell Crowe played the role of a Roman general who became a slave and brutally routed his enemies.
Maximus Decimus Meridius was the tragic hero of Ridley Scott's 2000 megahit Gladiator.
But now the Hollywood star has discovered his own connection to a notorious traitor who was slaughtered in an equally brutal manner.
The actor, 59, revealed on X that he is related on his father's side to Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat, who became the last man to be beheaded in Britain when he was executed on Tower Hill in 1747.
Fraser's murder gave rise to the expression 'laughing your head off', because just before he was put to death a scaffold filled with spectators collapsed, prompting the rebel to burst into fits of laughter.
Hollywood star Russell Crowe has discovered he is related to Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat, who became the last man to be beheaded in Britain when he was executed on Tower Hill in 1747.
The Scot was executed after supporting doomed Jacobite figurehead Bonnie Prince Charlie, who was defeated at the Battle of Culloden in April 1746.
Crowe said he has also tracked down his Italian great-great-grandfather, whose name was Luigi Ghezzi.
He said: 'I have been looking for my Italian ancestors for some time.
'Followish family stories and spelling mistakes have led me down some wrong tracks.'
Ghezzi was born in 1829 and went to Argentina to work before being shipwrecked on a voyage to India.
He ended up in Cape Town, where he met his wife Mary Ann Curtain and the couple moved to New Zealand.
Crowe revealed on X that he has delved into his family's history. He discovered that his great-great-grandfather was the Italian Luigi Ghezzi. He is related to Fraser on his mother's side
Crowe added: 'Also, another thing that has recently come to light on my father's mothers side is that we link directly back to Simon Fraser through John (Jock) Fraser (arrived in NZ in 1841). 11th Lord Lovat. Look at him.
'He has a lot of character. They always called him the Old Fox.
'It seems his Machiavellian ways have caught up with him at the age of 80, and he claims infamy as the last man to have his head chopped off from his living body in the Tower of London. His death even coined a phrase.
“Apparently they set up temporary stands for the nobility to watch him die.
'One of these stands collapsed, killing nine spectators.
'When he was told this just before his death, he laughed. He was still laughing when the knife hit his neck, causing him to “laugh his head off”. Fascinating.'
Crowe said he has now discovered he has Norwegian, Italian, Scottish and even Maori heritage.
But he said it is 'strange' that a close relative's DNA test 'still comes back as majority Irish'.
He also revealed that women in his family were all married to men with the surname Crowe, three generations apart.
Fraser, the head of his family's clan, was buried under the floor of a chapel attached to the Tower of London.
It was long believed that his body was later moved to the family's Wardlaw Mausoleum near Inverness.
Many believed that a coffin at the mausoleum containing a headless body belonged to Fraser.
But in 2018, DNA testing on the bones showed they belonged to a young woman.
Fraser became infamous during his lifetime for his frequent changes of allegiance.
He was initially sentenced to death in 1698 after provoking a bitter feud with the relatives of the woman he forcibly married, Lady Lovat.
The clan head ended up in France, where I made contact with the exiled Stuarts. The last Stuart king, James II, had been deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
Fraser then betrayed the Jacobite cause to the Duke of Queensbury and was held prisoner in France for ten years.
Crowe is also a cousin of the late New Zealand cricket legend Martin Crowe. When he died in 2016, the actor paid tribute to him, saying: “My champion, my hero, my friend. I will always love you.' Above: Martin Crowe (right), with his brother Jeff, who also played cricket for New Zealand
After escaping, he returned to Scotland in 1715 and was pardoned.
But then he again supported the Stuart cause. After Bonnie Prince Charlie's defeat at Culloden he urged the pretender to continue his campaign.
He was eventually captured and sentenced to death by the House of Lords in March 1747.
Fraser is also known as the grandfather of the fictional Jamie Fraser, the main character in the Outlander books and television adaptation.
Crowe is also a cousin of the late New Zealand cricket legend Martin Crowe.
When he died in 2016, the actor paid tribute to him, saying: “My champion, my hero, my friend. I will always love you.'