Question: Which American actor, writer, producer, director, comedian and television host who has hosted the Academy Awards a number of times?
Context: The 74th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 24, 2002, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.  During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories honoring films released in 2001.  The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Laura Ziskin and directed by Louis J. Horvitz.  Actress Whoopi Goldberg hosted the show for the fourth time.  She first hosted the 66th ceremony held in 1994 and had last hosted the 71st ceremony in 1999.  Three weeks earlier, in a ceremony held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on March 2, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Charlize Theron. James Christian Kimmel (born November 13, 1967) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer.  He is the host and executive producer of "Jimmy Kimmel Live! ", a late-night talk show that premiered on ABC in 2003.  Kimmel hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2012 and 2016, as well as the Academy Awards in February 2017. The 51st Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1978 and took place on April 9, 1979, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 7:00 p.m. PST / 10:00 p.m. EST.  During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 22 categories.  The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Jack Haley Jr. and directed by Marty Pasetta.  Comedian and talk show host Johnny Carson hosted the show for the first time.  Three days earlier in a ceremony held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, on April 6, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by hosts Gregory Peck and Christopher Reeve. William Edward Crystal (born March 14, 1948) is an American actor, writer, producer, director, comedian and television host.  He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom "Soap" and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the critical and box office successes "When Harry Met Sally..." (1989), "City Slickers" (1991), and "Analyze This" (1999) and providing the voice of Mike Wazowski in the "Monsters, Inc." franchise. The 72nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1999 and took place on March 26, 2000, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST.  During the ceremony, the AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 23 categories.  The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by husband-and-wife producing team Richard and Lili Fini Zanuck and was directed by Louis J. Horvitz.  Actor Billy Crystal hosted the show for the seventh time.  He first presided over the 62nd ceremony held in 1990 and had last hosted the 70th ceremony held in 1998.  Three weeks earlier in a ceremony at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California held on March 4, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Salma Hayek. The 70th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 23, 1998, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST.  During the show, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories honoring films released in 1997.  The ceremony, which was televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Gil Cates and directed by Louis J. Horvitz.  Actor Billy Crystal hosted the show for the sixth time.  He first presided over the 62nd ceremony held in 1990, and he had hosted the previous year's gala.  Nearly a month earlier in an event held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on February 28, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Ashley Judd. The 69th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) took place on March 24, 1997, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST.  During the ceremony, AMPAS presented the Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories honoring films released in 1996.  The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Gil Cates, and directed by Louis J. Horvitz.  Actor Billy Crystal hosted the show for the fifth time.  He first presided over the 62nd ceremony held in 1990 and had last hosted the 65th ceremony held in 1993.  Three weeks earlier, in a ceremony held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on March 1, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Helen Hunt. The 67th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) took place on March 27, 1995, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST.  During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as the Oscars) in 23 categories honoring the films released in 1994.  The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Gil Cates and directed by Jeff Margolis.  Comedian David Letterman hosted the show for the first time.  Three weeks earlier in a ceremony held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on March 4, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Jamie Lee Curtis. The 76th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2003 and took place on February 29, 2004, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST.  During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories.  The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Joe Roth and was directed by Louis J. Horvitz.  Actor Billy Crystal hosted for the eighth time.  He first presided over the 62nd ceremony held in 1990 and had last hosted the 72nd ceremony held in 2000.  Two weeks earlier in a ceremony at The Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena, California held on February 14, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Jennifer Garner. The 71st Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best of 1998 in film and took place on March 21, 1999, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST.  During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories.  The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Gil Cates and directed by Louis J. Horvitz.  Actress Whoopi Goldberg hosted the show for the third time.  She first hosted the 66th ceremony held in 1994 and had last hosted the 68th ceremony in 1996.  Nearly a month earlier in a ceremony held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on February 27, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Anne Heche.
Answer: Billy Crystal