Which actor played Maximus in the 2000 historical war film Gladiator?

Russell Crowe played Maximus in the 2000 historical war film Gladiator.

Maximus Decimus Meridius is a fictional Roman general who is betrayed and forced into slavery before becoming a gladiator. The film begins with a Roman campaign against Germanic tribes and then shifts to political intrigue in Rome under Emperor Marcus Aurelius and his son Commodus.

Ridley Scott directed Gladiator, which combines historical figures and settings with an invented revenge story. Joaquin Phoenix played Commodus, while Connie Nielsen portrayed Lucilla. The production helped renew mainstream interest in large-scale sword-and-sandal films.

Crowe won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the role. Gladiator also won Best Picture, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects. Historians note that the movie changes many details of Roman succession, gladiatorial culture, and the lives of its characters, so it should be understood as historical fiction rather than a literal biography.