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Mel Gibson Biography |
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Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson was born on January 3, 1956, in Peekskill, New York, USA as the sixth of eleven children to parents Hutton Gibson, a railroad brakeman, and Ann Gibson, who was born in Australia and died in December of 1990. Though born in the US, Mel and his family moved to New South Wales, Australia. After high school, Mel studied at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, performing at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts alongside future film thespians Judy Davis and Geoffrey Rush. After college, Mel had a few stints on stage and starred in a few TV shows. Eventually, he was chosen to star in Mad Max (1979) and in a movie called Tim (1979), co-starring Piper Laurie. The small budgeted movie Mad Max (1979) made him known worldwide, while Tim (1979) garnered him an award for Best Actor from the Australian Film Institute (equivalent to the Oscar). Later, he went on to star in Gallipoli (1981), which earned him a second award for Best Actor from the AFI. In 1980, he married Robyn Moore and, as of today, they are still together and have seven children. In 1984, Mel made his American debut in The Bounty (1984), which co-starred Anthony Hopkins. Then in 1987, Mel starred in what would become his signature series, Lethal Weapon (1987), in which he played "Martin Riggs". In 1990, he took on the interesting starring role in Hamlet (1990/I), which garnered him some critical praise. He also made the more endearing Forever Young (1992) and the somewhat disturbing The Man Without a Face (1993). 1995 brought his most famous role as "Sir William Wallace" in Braveheart (1995), for which he won two Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director. From there, he made such box office hits as The Patriot (2000), Ransom (1996), and Payback (1999/I). Today, Mel remains an international superstar mogul, continuously topping the Hollywood power lists as well as the Most Beautiful and Sexiest lists. His $25 million paycheck for The Patriot (2000) is the latest milestone for actor`s salaries.
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Trivia |
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BiographyFriends and FamilyGeoffrey Rush [Friend] (Geoffrey Rush was Mel`s roomate in college.) :: Anne Gibson [Mother] :: Donal Gibson [Brother] :: Hutton Gibson [Father]Trivia and QuotesQuotes My fears: everything from being afraid that I`m going to run out of cream for my cornflakes right up to someone chopping my privates off. On his religious beliefs: "I`m not a done deal. I`m a work in progress. I`m still extremely flawed." You can`t live up to what people expect. Nobody can. But I guess that`s my problem, not theirs.Trivia Along with Warren Beatty, Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford, Richard Attenborough and Kevin Costner one of 6 people to win and Academy Award for "Best Director", though they are mainly known as actors. His favourite films include, The Big Country (1958), Double Indemnity (1944), and Spartacus (1960). In Portuguese, his name means "honey." In the movie Forever Young (1992), he needed to appear older in the last few scenes. Because his eyes were so bright blue, no matter how many wrinkles they put on him, he did not look authentically older. So, he had to wear gray contacts, in order to look old. Ranked #15 on Premiere`s 2005 Power 50 List. Had ranked #10 in 2004. Ranked number 1 on Forbes 2004 "Celebrity 100 List". He was the highest paid celebrity in 2004 with a reported $210,000,000 salary from his The Passion of the Christ (2004) profits, plus a potential $150,000,000 that is yet to be accounted for. He made more money than Oprah Winfrey ($210,000,000), J.K. Rowling ($147,000,000), Tiger Woods & Michael Schumacher ($80,000,000 each) and Steven Spielberg ($75,000,000) in 2004. Son of the controversial Hutton Gibson and Anne Gibson. Was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles in May 2003, and gave the commencement address. Was considered for the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in Batman (1989). Was considered for the role of Wolverine in X-Men (2000). Almost turned down the role of William Wallace in Braveheart (1995) because he thought he was too old for the role. He asked the producers if he could direct it instead. A compromise was made, he could direct the movie if he agreed to portray Wallace. For The Passion of the Christ (2004), which he directed, wrote and produced, he spent 25 million dollars of his own money. Back in 1992, he started doing research for the movie that was not released until 2004. Has 7 children: daughter, Hannah Gibson (born 1980); twin sons, Edward Gibson and Christian Gibson (born 1982); son, Willie Gibson (born 1985); son, Louis Gibson (born 1988); son, Milo Gibson (born 1990); son, Tommy Gibson (born 1999). Has his own private chapel in his grounds, where he attends mass every day. He was voted the 48th "Greatest Movie Star" of all time by Entertainment Weekly. His father, Hutton Gibson, moved the family from upstate New York to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia in 1968 after winning as a contestant on "Jeopardy!" (1964). Ranked #10 in Premiere`s 2004 annual "Power 100" list. Had ranked #15 in 2003. He is the highest-ranked actor on the 2004 list. Shares birthday with J.R.R. Tolkien. Son, Christian Gibson, is a freshman at the University of Colorado at Boulder. [Fall 2001] Was considered for the role of James Bond in GoldenEye (1995). He was a part of the movment dubbed the "Australian New Wave" by the press. They were a group of filmmakers and performers who emerged from Down Under at about the same time in the early 1980`s and found work in other parts of the world. Other members included actress Judy Davis and directors George Miller, Gillian Armstrong and Peter Weir. He was the first Australian actor to be paid $1,000,000 for a film role. His voice in Mad Max (1979) was dubbed for the film`s US release. Ranked #15 in Premiere`s 2003 annual "Power 100" list. Had ranked #17 in 2002. The doctor who delivered him into the world is believed to be Charles Sweet, grandfather of filmmaker Jay Ruzicka. Chosen as People Magazine`s first "Sexiest Man Alive." [1985] Has a horseshoe kidney (two kidneys fused into one). He and his wife met through a dating service. He took up acting only because his sister submitted an application behind his back. The night before an audition, he got into a fight, and his face was badly beaten, an accident that won him the role. Is a big fan of The Three Stooges. Awarded the AO (Officer of the Order of Australia), Australia`s highest honor, in mid-1997. Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the "100 Sexiest Stars" in film history (#37). [1995] Chosen by People magazine as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" in the world. [1990] Chosen by People magazine as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" in the world. [1991] Trained at NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Arts). As well as Judy Davis, other fellow students, during his time there, included Colin Friels and Dennis Olsen. Attended drama school with Judy Davis. They played Romeo and Juliet together. Born at 4:45pm-EST. Chosen by People (USA) magazine as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" in the world. [1996] Ranked #12 in Empire (UK) magazine`s "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] | ||
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