After tying the knot on June 4, 1970, actor and comedian Billy Crystal and his wife Janice Crystal settled down to welcome two daughters, Jennifer Crystal Foley and Lindsay Crystal. Although the family likes to keep things pretty laid back and out of the spotlight, both women have appeared on the red carpet with their father and worked in show business as well, following in both mom and dad’s footsteps.
Now that Billy is a grandfather to his daughters’ children, he’s opened up about getting to watch his girls become parents in a 2013 interview with The Guardian. “You have to really respect what your kids are doing with their kids and how they’re raising them. You can’t push your way into areas where you shouldn’t be saying anything. You have to always remember they’re not your own kids. Play with them, love them, spoil them to death – then hand them back,” he said.
As a beloved actor and comedian, Billy was honored at the 2023 Kennedy Center Honors in December. The national award ceremony will be airing on Wednesday, December 27. It’s clear that the When Harry Met Sally star’s daughters are very proud of him.
Find out more about Billy’s two girls below!
Jennifer Crystal Foley
Jennifer Crystal Foley was born January 26, 1973 in Los Angeles and grew up in Hollywood under her father’s movie star status. Although she likes to keep things pretty low-key and out of the spotlight these days, Jennifer has dabbled in acting here and there, first appearing in the sequel to her father’s famous flick, City Slickers, as a jogger in City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold. She also appeared in her dad’s 1997 comedy Fathers’ Day where he co-starred with Robin Williams and 2002’s A Midsummer Night’s Rave.
Jennifer really made her acting mark in several popular TV shows of the ’90s and 2000s, with guest roles on Beverly Hills, 90210, NYPD Blue, Touched by an Angel, and more. She had more prominent roles in ABC’s Once and Again and the medical drama House.
Amid her acting career, Jennifer graduated from Northwestern University in Chicago in Evanston, Illinois in 1994. She married her college boyfriend, Michael Foley, in September 2000 and they share two daughters together, Ella Ryan, and Dylan Frances, born in 2003 and 2006, respectively.
Lindsay Crystal
Born October 21, 1977 in Los Angeles, California, Lindsay Crystal also followed in her father’s footsteps, making her big screen debut as Holly Robbins in Billy’s hit 1991 movie City Slickers. Lindsay also acted in the sequel, City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold, and went on to appear in a couple other movies and TV.
Shortly after, however, Lindsay made the transition to work behind the camera, further following in her producer mother’s footsteps. According to her website, Lindsay is a director, producer, and writer, and has won many awards in that realm. She’s produced and directed projects for HBO, NBC, Comedy Central, Crooked Media, and more, and also served as a producer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, winning four Emmy awards with the rest of the team during her tenure.
Moreover, Lindsay’s HBO feature documentary, My Uncle Berns, was an official selection at the Tribeca Film Festival. She also directed her dad and actress Helen Mirren in When Harry Met Sally 2, a humorous short for Funny or Die.
