Russell: My rebel Scots ancestor was last man to be beheaded

Crowe has family link to infamous clan'chief

HOLLYWOOD Star Russell Crowe has revealed he is the distant relative of a Jacobite lord who was the last man to be executed by beheading in Britain.

The Gladiator warrior has Deen exploring his ancestry and uncovered surprising connections.

While he knew he had Scottish heritage, he recently found out he is related to Simon Fraser, the 11th Lord Lovat, known as "The Old Fox".

Fraser switched sides between the government and Jacobite causes. His clan was among those defeated at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 and he was executed the following year.

Fans of the Outlander novels and TV series will recognise him as the grandad of lead character Jamie Fraser.

On X, formerly Twitter, Crowe said he had begun by trying to trace his Italian roots. He discovered his great-great-grandfather Luigi Ghezzi had moved to New Zealand in 1864 after meeting Mary Ann Curtain in Cape Town.