Russell Crowe played the Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius.
Russell Crowe . He came to international attention for his role as the Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 historical epic film Gladiator , directed by Ridley Scott , for which Crowe won an Academy Award for Best Actor , a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor , an Empire Award for Best Actor and a London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor and 10 further nominations for best actor .