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Russell Crowe is about to buy one of Sydney’s last classic ’tile and carpet’ corner pubs.
The Hollywood star told locals he fell in love with the Shakespeare Hotel in Surry Hills while playing slots there as a young actor performing at the nearby Belvoir Street Theatre.
Crowe, 59, spent nearly two hours at the pub on Saturday, meeting owner Margaret Hargreaves and her three daughters.
The Oscar winner had asked all Hargreaves members involved with the company to be present so he could make his strongest case for the purchase estimated to be worth more than $12 million.
Crowe asked to see each of the pub’s three floors – including boutique accommodation, a bistro and private dining rooms – and one could even see going down into the basement.
One witness described the reaction of regulars to Crowe’s appearance: “They just stepped back and said, ‘What the f***?’
The iconic Shakespeare Hotel, in Sydney’s Surry Hills, is up for sale and a major Hollywood movie star
Russel Crowe, 59 (pictured with Britney Theriot), spent nearly two hours at the pub on Saturday, meeting owner Margaret Hargreaves and her three daughters.
Crowe was overheard giving an ’emotional speech’ to the Hargreaves family, saying that if he were to get the Grade II listed hotel he wanted to keep the pub’s ‘family attitude’.
The ‘Shakey’, as the pub is affectionately known, is one of the most famous in Sydney, first opening its doors in 1879.
It is about 300 meters from Central Station, on the route to Sydney Cricket Ground and Allianz Stadium.
With that position, the Shakespeare has long been a stronghold for supporters of South Sydney, Crowe’s rugby league club, as well as the Sydney Swans of the AFL.
The pub has also hosted a Who’s Who of Sydney’s arts, business and media world, as well as being a comfortable retreat for some of the city’s less well-off residents.
The Devonshire Street location has bared actors Mel Gibson, Geoffrey Rush, Jacki Weaver, Rose Byrne, Brendan Cowell and Bill Hunter, as well as sports stars, major crime squad detectives and the occasional murderous mobster.
Crowe was overheard giving an ’emotional speech’ to the Hargreaves family, saying that if he were to get the Grade II listed hotel he wanted to maintain the pub’s ‘family attitude’ (interior photo)
The ‘Shakey’, as the pub is affectionately known, is one of the most famous in Sydney, first opening its doors in 1879
It is about 300 meters from Central Station, on the route to Sydney Cricket Ground and Allianz Stadium
The Shakey is located opposite one of Sydney’s most notorious public housing commission blocks, Northcott Estate, or as it is more commonly known, ‘The Suicide Towers’.
In 1990, paranoid schizophrenic Paul Anthony Evers shot and killed five people with a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun during a rampage across the street.
Margaret Hargreaves has owned the pub for 45 years, beginning with the Anzac Day lease of the hotel in 1975, before buying it outright three years later.
For years she lived upstairs with her husband and daughters.
“I remember tapping the barrel on my first day of trading in August 1975,” Ms Hargreaves told the trade publication Hotel Conservation in July when the property went up for sale.
“On that day we brought in $69 in sales and the rest is history.
‘The pub has been very good to our family so the decision to sell was quite overwhelming, but the time is right for a fresh look at the Shakey.’
About 25 patrons were shocked when Crowe arrived at the Harbor City home mid-afternoon Saturday. He was with two employees and a couple of brokers.
Crowe left a hire car parked outside the Steel Street bar while he inspected the place.
The Oscar winner had asked all Hargreaves members associated with the company (pictured) to attend so he could make his strongest pitch for the purchase estimated to be worth more than $12 million.
Despite the well-maintained exterior, other parts of the venue retain a rather rustic charm (the men’s room is pictured)
Graffiti lines the bathroom walls of the iconic venue
Out on the street, fans of the Rabbitohs’ biggest rivals, the Sydney Roosters, poured into the road to watch their team play the West Tigers at Allianz Stadium.
Daily Mail Australia understands that Crowe first showed an interest in buying the Shakespeare about a decade ago.
“He likes old-fashioned things,” a Shakespearean drinker told Daily Mail Australia,
Another said he wasn’t opposed to Crowe buying his favorite watering hole, but referred to an earlier musical project by the actor, hoping he wouldn’t be too practical.
“I just don’t want to see 30 Odd Foot of Grunts here every Thursday night,” he said.
The Hollywood star (pictured in Bondi) told locals he fell in love with the Shakespeare Hotel in Surry Hills while playing slots there as a young actor performing at the nearby Belvoir Street Theatre.
Like many pubs and clubs in Sydney’s once bustling hospitality scene, the Shakey has faced a number of challenges in recent years.
The construction of the light rail in Sydney hindered pedestrian traffic and the harsh lockdowns during the Covid pandemic saw the pub completely closed for months.
Business is still recovering and with the city’s nightlife finally picking up again, the Hargreaves family feel it is now time to retire and diversify their iconic property.
When Crowe takes over the multi-million dollar location, locals hope he stays true to his word and changes nothing.