Which actor played Maximus in 'Gladiator'?

Russell Crowe played Maximus Decimus Meridius in Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator' (2000), a role for which he won the Oscar for Best Actor. To prepare, Crowe trained intensely and studied lion behavior to incorporate it into his character. Interestingly, much of the script was being written during filming, and Crowe initially found the famous line 'My name is Maximus...' problematic.