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Mel Gibson
Real Name: Mel Columcille Gerard
Gibson
D.O.B: January 3, 1956
Place of Birth: Peekskill, New York, USA
Height: 5'11"
Spouse:
Robyn Moore (1980-present)
Children:Hannah, Edward, Christian, William,Louis,
Milo, Tommy
Fan Mail:
C/O International Creative Management
8942 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
USA
Biography
Mel
Gibson was born January 3rd, 1956 to parents Hutton
and Ann Gibson. While many may think that Gibson
is originally Australian, he was in fact born
in Peekskill, N.Y.
The
sixth of eleven children, Gibson relocated to
Sydney, Australia after his father, a railroad
brakeman, suffered a work injury. Their move "down
under" was also apparently to avoid the elder
Gibson boys from being drafted in the Vietnam
war.
Once
a high school graduate, Gibson wanted to pursue
a career in cooking or journalism, but after his
sister submitted an application to the National
Institute of Dramatic Art at the University of
New South Wales, behind Gibson's back, he decided
to try his hand at acting.
While
at the University, Gibson's film repertoire began
with his role in Summer City. Luckily for the
thespian, director George Miller caught his Summer
City performance and called on the State Theatre
Company of South Australia actor to audition for
the title role of his film.
By
another stroke of luck for Gibson, and another
sign that he was in the right arena, he landed
the lead in "Mad Max" not only despite
the fact that he auditioned with a knocked up
face (thanks to a fight he was in the night before),
but practically because of it. His role in the
1980 film became Gibson's claim to fame, and eventually
led to his transition to the United States. Ironically,
his voice was dubbed for the film's American release
of the film; it was the follow-up of Mad Max,
The Road Warrior, which further increased Gibson's
stardom.
With
the lead role in the most successful Australian
movie to date and a Best Actor Australian Film
Institute Award for the film Tim, under his belt,
it was obvious that his star was on the rise.
By the time he had co-starred with Danny Glover
in the box-office hit "Lethal Weapon",
Gibson had earned another Best Actor Australian
Film Institute Award for his role in "Gallipoli",
and starred in films such as "The Year of
Living Dangerously", "The River",
"The Bounty", and "Mrs. Soffel".
After
completing the next installment in the "Lethal
Weapon" franchise, Gibson starred opposite
Goldie Hawn in "Bird on a Wire"; starred
in the film remake of "Hamlet"; teamed
up with Rene Russo for "Lethal Weapon 3";
directed and starred in "The Man Without
a Face"; and starred in the successful western
"Maverick".
But
the highlight of Gibson's career came about in
1995, when his role as William Wallace in the
epic film "Braveheart" garnered the
actor the award for Best Director and Best Picture.
In
1997, Gibson re-teamed with Rene Russo for the
film "Ransom"; appeared in the bomb
"Father's Day" as a body piercer; co-starred
with Julia Roberts in "Conspiracy Theory";
and appeared yet again as Detective Martin Riggs,
this time for the fourth "Lethal Weapon".
After
his role in "Payback" (with Lucy Liu),
he starred in the Bono-penned film "The Million-Dollar
Hotel". The summer of 2000 showed two sides
of Gibson, albeit two patriotic sides. He starred
in the epic film, "The Patriot", and
lent his voice to a "flying" American
rooster in the animated film "Chicken Run".
This
role was not the first time he lent his voice
to an animated character; he starred as the American
officer in Disney's "Pocahontas", and
even played himself in an episode of "The
Simpsons".
Gibson's
latest movie, Passion of the Christ" is predicted
by many insiders to be his most successful movie
of all time.
The
first one to be named People magazine's "Sexiest
Man Alive" (in 1985), Gibson has also been
on the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World"
list numerous times.
Gibson
he has been married to his wife, Robyn, for the
past 20 years, and together they have 7 children
(practically following in the footsteps of his
parents).
Links:
The
Unauthorized Mel Gibson website
Internet
Movie Database: Mel Gibson profile
The
Passion Of The Christ official website
60
Minutes: The Passion
Media
Man Australia: Entertainment
Profile:
Gary Young, Director & Producer - The Film
Factory
Articles
Movie
Makers and Movie Stars - What Makes a Star?, by
Greg Tingle
Media
In The Movies
The
Great Aussie Promoters, by Greg Tingle
Movie Reviews
The
Passion of the Christ - Blood, not passion stirs
critics
The
Passion of the Christ - Blood As Fact
Mad
Max
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