Granddad inspired Crowe

By BRIDGET CARTER

Stan Wemyss is remembered by his family as a charismatic granddad - good at art, sport and music, and widely adored.

But now the Second World War film-maker is known by the world as the inspiration of New Zealand's Hollywood golden boy, Russell Crowe.

Since the film star stood centre-stage on Oscar night wearing his granddad's MBE medal, the late cameraman has become a curiosity of the international media.

His Auckland widow, Joy Wemyss, said she had had a lot of calls yesterday from the media asking about her late husband.

She had found her husband's medal by chance after the couple had been married for 10 years - tucked away by Stan in a drawer.

She gave it to Russell "because I knew he would look after it."

Born in Carterton in 1916, Stan, who died in 1988, was much like Russell, she said.

The pair were very close - Stan was Russell's mentor.

Both were in a high school band and Stan was outgoing like his grandson, "a man's man" and well liked by the ladies.

"He was such a clever, talented person. Very artistic.

"He just had a manner about him ... He was an achiever and everything had to be spot-on in his own quiet way," Mrs Wemyss said.

His big ambition was always to make films.

As the National Film Unit's head cameraman, he was well-respected in the industry, she said.

The couple owned a studio in Wellington, making mainly TV advertisements and documentaries.

It was Stan's career as a cinematographer which first attracted Russell to the movie industry, she said.

Crowe had previously acknowledged his grandfather in the lyrics of the song Memorial Day, in which he sings: "I wear my granddad's medals/The ones he wouldn't wear/ They represented destruction to him/ They feel like freedom/ When you look at them from here."