Billy Crystal’s Wife: Inside His Relationship With His Longtime Sweetheart
Billy Crystal will be leading the In Memoriam tribute to the late Rob Reiner at the 2026 Oscars. Billy and Rob not only worked together over the years, but were close friends for more than 50 years before Rob’s death in December 2025.
With Billy in the spotlight at the biggest award show of the year, Swooon is doing a deep dive into the actor’s love life. He married his wife, Janice Crystal (née Goldfinger), in 1970, and they’re still together today. In 2025, the couple celebrated their 55-year wedding anniversary.
Scroll down to learn more about Janice and her relationship with the actor.
How did Billy Crystal meet his wife?
Billy and Janice met as teenagers in 1966. The When Harry Met Sally star was working at a summer camp in Long Beach, New York, the summer after his freshman year of college when he first laid eyes on his future wife.
“This girl walks by and I said, ‘I’m gonna marry her.’ And I did, four years later,” Billy revealed on Marc Maron‘s podcast.
He was supposed to head back to college at Marshall University in West Virginia, where he was on the baseball team, when summer ended. Instead, he transferred to Nassau Community College in New York to be closer to Janice. He eventually became a student at New York University.
“I loved her so much right away,” Billy admitted. “You know, I don’t know if you’ve ever been in a long-distance relationship … they don’t work out.”
After marrying in 1970, the couple eventually moved to California. They lost their home during the Los Angeles wildfires in January 2025. “Janice and I lived in our home since 1979,” Billy told People at the time. “We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can’t be taken away. We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this.”
What does Billy Crystal’s wife do for a living?
Janice has an acting credit in 2021’s Here Today. She also served as an executive producer on the TV special Billy Crystal: 700 Sundays and My Uncle Berns. Before Billy got his big break, Janice worked as an assistant to the theater director of a junior college in Long Island.
She was the family’s primary breadwinner in the early 1970s, as Billy once revealed that he stayed home with the couple’s oldest child while Janice was at work. “I was Mr. Mom way before it was popular,” he joked on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
How many kids does Billy Crystal have?
Billy and Janice are parents to two children and have four grandchildren. Their eldest daughter, Jennifer Crystal Foley, was born on January 26, 1973, followed by another daughter, Lindsay Crystal, on October 21, 1977.
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Jennifer followed in her father’s acting footsteps, although she has not starred in anything since 2018. Jennifer is best known for her roles on Once and Again (she played Christie Parker) and House (she played Rachel Taub). Some of her other acting credits include ER, The Practice, and Touched By an Angel. She also starred alongside her father in the films 61*, Father’s Day, and Parental Guidance.
In 2000, Jennifer married her college boyfriend, Michael Foley. Their daughters, Ella and Dylan, were born in 2003 and 2006, respectively.
While Lindsay has some acting credits, she mainly works as a producer and director. She has worked on The Daily Show, Busy Tonight, Not Safe With Nikki Glaser, The Jim Jeffries Show, and more. Lindsay is married to Howie Miller. They have two sons.
2026 Oscars, Sunday, March 15, 7/6c, ABC
