Mel Gibson

Profile
Name: Mel Gibson
Birth Name: Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson
Height: 5' 9"
Sex: M
Nationality: Australian
Birth Date: January 3, 1956 at 4:45pm-EST
Birth Place: Peekskill, New York, USA
Profession: actor, director, producer
Education: All-boys Catholic school
National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, Australia
South Australia Theater Company
Husband/Wife: Robyn Gibson (dental nurse; married on June 7, 1980)
Father: Hutton Gibson (railroad brakeman)
Mother: Ann Gibson (Australian; died in December 1990)
Brother: Donal Gibson (actor; born on February 13, 1958)
Son: Thomas Gibson (born in 1999), Milo Gibson (born in 1990), Willie Gibson (born in 1985), Christian Gibson (actor; born in 1982), Edward Gibson (actor; twin of Christian; born in 1982)
Daughter: Louis Gibson (born in 1988), Hannah Gibson (born in 1980)
Claim to fame: as Max Rockatansky in Mad Max (1979)

Biography
Gibson was born in Westchester County New York and moved with his family to Australia when he was 12 years old. Gibson attended the National Institute of Dramatic Arts at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. Gibson was brought to the attention of director George Miller, who cast him in Mad Max, the film that first brought him worldwide recognition. This was followed by the title role in Tim, starring as a handicapped young man for which he won an Australian Film Institute Best Actor Award. He went on to reprise his role as Mad Max in Mad Max -- The Road Warrior and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and teamed with director Peter Weir in Gallipoli, which brought Gibson a second Australian Best Actor Award. A few years later, Weir and Gibson again collaborated on The Year of Living Dangerously. Gibson made his American film debut in The River. His other films include The Bounty, Mrs. Soffel,Tequila Sunrise, Bird on a Wire and Air America. He has starred in Icon productions "Forever Young"; "The Man Without a Face," which also marked his film directorial debut; "Maverick," opposite Jodie Foster.

Mel Gibson recently starred in the Revolutionary War drama The Patriot and was one of the featured voices in the animated movie Chicken Run. He is not only one of the world’s most accomplished actors but also an Oscar®-winning director and a respected filmmaker. In the course of his career as an actor, he has tackled roles in films ranging from the smash hit Lethal Weapon series to the western comedy Maverick to the psychological thriller Conspiracy Theory to the historical epic adventure Braveheart. Gibson produced, directed and starred in Braveheart, which won five Academy Awards® out of 10 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Gibson’s company, Icon Productions, which Gibson created with Bruce Davey, developed and produced Braveheart along with many other movies in a diverse range of genres including Immortal Beloved and FairyTale: A True Story. Other Icon productions in which Gibson starred include Hamlet, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, Forever Young, The Man Without a Face, which also marked Gibson’s directorial debut, and the hit thriller Payback. Off the screen, Mel is a true Hollywood Wonder. He's been married since 1980, has 7 children (Hannah, twins Edward and Christian, William, Louis, Milo and Tommy), and has not been divorced!

Filmography
Actor
2006 Payback: Straight Up
2006 Who Killed the Electric Car?
2004 ABC Primetime: Mel Gibson's Passion
2004 The Big Question
2003 The Singing Detective
2002 We Were Soldiers
2002 Signs
2000 Chicken Run
2000 The Patriot
2000 The Million Dollar Hotel
2000 What Women Want
1999 Forever Hollywood
1999 Payback
1998 Lethal Weapon 4
1997 Fairy Tale: A True Story
1997 Conspiracy Theory
1996 Ransom
1995 Casper
1995 Braveheart
1995 Pocahontas
1994 Maverick
1993 Earth and the American Dream
1993 The Man without a Face
1993 Chili Con Carne
1992 Forever Young
1992 World War II Collection: The Year of the Generals
1992 Greatest Stories Ever Told: David and Goliath
1992 Lethal Weapon 3
1992 David and Goliath
1990 Hamlet
1990 Bird on a Wire
1990 Air America
1989 Saturday Night Live: Mel Gibson
1989 Lethal Weapon 2
1988 Tequila Sunrise
1987 Lethal Weapon
1985 Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
1984 Mrs. Soffel
1984 The River
1984 The Bounty
1982 Attack Force Z
1982 The Year of Living Dangerously
1981 Gallipoli
1981 The Road Warrior
1980 The Chain Reaction
1979 Mad Max
1979 Tim
1977 Summer City
ABC World of Discovery: Australia's Outback

Director
2006 Apocalypto
2004 The Passion of The Christ
2004 Complete Savages [TV Series]
1995 Braveheart
1993 The Man without a Face

Executive Producer
2005 Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
2004 Clubhouse [TV Series]
2004 Complete Savages [TV Series]
2001 Invincible
2000 The Three Stooges

Producer
2006 Apocalypto
2005 Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
2004 Paparazzi
2004 The Passion of The Christ
2003 The Singing Detective
1997 Anna Karenina
1995 Braveheart

Screenwriter
2006 Apocalypto
2004 The Passion of The Christ

Awards
Academy
1995 Best Director Braveheart

Broadcast Film Critics Association
1995 Best Director Braveheart

Directors Guild of America
1995 Best Director Braveheart

Golden Globe
2000 Best Actor - Comedy or Musical What Women Want
1995 Best Director Braveheart

National Board of Review
1995 Career Achievement

Trivia

Exploded in anger by using an f word at CSUN college campus after an expert on Mayan culture accused him of stereotyping the Mayans as bloodthirsty savages in the movie APOCALYPTO. (March 22, 2007)

Is allegedly facing a legal battle from a young Australian woman who insists she is his love-child. (December 18, 2006)

Calls his anti-Semitic rant following his arrest for drunk driving in July the stupid ramblings of a drunkard during an exclusive TV interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer. (October 11, 2006)

Will appear on ABC’s Good Morning America on October 12 and 13. (October 9, 2006)

Wore a mask and wig when he visited Oklahoma to attend screenings of his new movie, APOCALYPTO - because he did not want to be noticed by fans. (September 21, 2006)

Has apologized to the police officers he insulted when he was arrested for DUI two months ago by sending them flowers and an invitation to go to the premiere of his new film APOCAYPTO. (September 5, 2006)

Was charged with misdemeanor drunken driving. (August 3, 2006)

Was arrested in Malibu for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol after Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies pulled over his vehicle for speeding. (July 28, 2006)

Is donating money to build houses for poor people in Mexico to thank them for their help and generosity while he was filming his new movie APOCALYPTO in the region. (July 15, 2006)

Is selling his Malibu, California, mansion because he is sick of the commotion neighbor Britney Spears causes. (June 13, 2006)

The set of Gibson's latest movie epic, APOCALYPTO, has been hit by South American storms, prompting studio bosses at Disney to scrap plans for a summer release. (April 18, 2006)

Is America's no.7 favorite movie star according to a poll released by Garris Interactive. (January 21, 2006)

Has tricked fans by making a surprise cameo in the trailer for his new movie APOCALYPTO in the promotional advertisement. (January 2, 2006)

Has been tipped by some Californian Republicans as the next showbiz governor of the state, in a bid to oust increasingly unpopular Arnold Schwarzenegger from office. (December 13, 2005)

Has bought himself a $24 million Malibu house, this one being his second residence in California. (October 20, 2005)

Has been asked to recreate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in the streets of Sydney if the city is selected to host a major Catholic gathering in 2008. (August 8, 2005)

An Idaho drifter who believed he had been sent by God to pray Gibson, was sentenced to three years in prison for stalking. (June 23, 2005)

His Fijian idyllic island getaway is under threat from local villagers, who claim their ancestors were cheated out of the land over a century ago. (March 3, 2005)

His 1995 epic BRAVEHEART is named the worst film ever to win an Academy Award for best picture by Empire magazine. (2005)

Has lost his bid to have a portion of his Connecticut estate classified as a farm. Assessor John Ted Gwartney ruled that Gibson's property was not being used as a bona fide productive farming activity. (January 17, 2005)

His controversial movie THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST won the award for favorite drama in the 2005 Annual People's Choice Awards.

Refused to spend any cash on an Oscar campaign for his controversial movie THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, preferring instead to rely on faith. (2004)

The sale of his farms in the picturesque Kiewa Valley in northeast Victoria went for $6 million. (November 8, 2004)

Lashed out at Arnold Schwarzenegger's backing of a new plan to have California taxpayers fund embryonic stem cell research.

Donated $10 million to two Los Angeles hospitals to help children with serious medical problems who cannot afford treatment or get proper care in their own countries. (2004)

Named as the world's most powerful celebrity by U.S. business magazine Forbes. (2004)

His movie distribution company sued Regal Entertainment Group, the U.S. largest movie chain for $40 million, alleging it reneged on a deal to pay out 55 percent of revenues from THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. (June 9, 2004)

Wants to bring the unedited version of THE PASSION OF CHRIST to TV. (April 15, 2004)

The soundtrack of his movie THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST went gold, selling 500,000 copies in February. (April 15, 2004)

A bid by three Jewish brothers to have Gibson's controversial film THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST banned in France as anti-Semitic has failed after a Paris court found no reason to stop its premiere. (March 30, 2004)

A repentant Texas man went to police after seeing Gibson's controversial film THE PASSION OF CHRIST and confessed to murdering a 19-year-old woman who was pregnant with his child. (March 26, 2004)

Is considering dropping his support for American President George W Bush, after questioning his handling of the Iraq War. (March 19, 2004)

Gibson's company has sued a movie post-production firm where workers allegedly made pirate copies of his hit movie THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. (March 6, 2004)

His movie THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST has inspired a new craze across America for Christian-themed jewelry. (March 2, 2004)

Said his film THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST was unfairly prejudged for a year before its release but he forgives his critics. (February 28, 2004)

Animal rights activists PETA is furious he's raising animals for meat at his beef cattle ranch in Columbus, Montana. (February 27, 2004)

His controversial movie THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST took in an estimated $15 million to $20 million after just one day of release, a remarkable number for a religious-themed movie so divisive that no Hollywood studio would touch it. (February 26, 2004)

One week before the U.S. release of his controversial movie, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, Gibson and his father has publicly reiterated claims that the Holocaust was exaggerated. (February 19, 2004)

Arch Bonnema, a Southern Baptist, was so moved by Gibson's controversial film THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, he bought $42,000 worth of tickets so more people could see it. (February 14, 2004)

Said he used his controversial new film THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST to heal his suicidal tendencies following a severe bout of depression. (February 14, 2004)

Said his need to reevaluate his life inspired him to make the biblical epic THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. (February 9, 2004)

Maia Morgenstern, the Romanian actress who plays Mary in Gibson's THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST does not consider the film anti-Semitic. (February 4, 2004)

A statement from the Global Pastors Network said up to 3000 pastors, representing 80 denominations from 40 countries and every state and province in North America, will be able to view Gibson's controversial film The Passion of The Christ during a conference in Orlando, Florida, on January 21, 2004

His controversial film THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST has received the approval of the Pope -- Vatican insiders have disclosed that the Pope watched a video version at the Vatican and declared: It is as it was. (December 20, 2003)

Pope John Paul II has been given a personal screening of Gibson’s controversial new movie THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. (December 18, 2003)

America's most influential minister, the Rev. Billy Graham, gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up to Gibson's biblical epic, THE PASSION OF CHRIST, after a private screening with him. (December 1, 2003)

Jim Caviezel, the actor who stars as Jesus Christ in Mel Gibson's controversial new movie THE PASSION OF CHRIST was struck by lightning on the set. (October 24, 2003)

Has renamed his epic about the last hours of Jesus to THE PASSION OF CHRIST because the original name - THE PASSION was claimed by another movie in the works. (October 16, 2003)

The well-documented controversy swirling around Gibson's upcoming movie THE PASSION OF CHRIST, has movie fans so curious that they've been crashing Web sites in their search for bootleg trailers. (October 13, 2003)

Was experiencing big problems in his quest to find a major studio willing to take on his controversial film THE PASSION. (October 8, 2003)

Has spent nearly $30 million of his own money to produce, co-write and direct controversial movie THE PASSION. (August 9, 2003)

Gibson's controversial religious film THE PASSION has been praised as the best adaptation of The Bible in Hollywood history by an acclaimed American reviewer, who is also an orthodox Jew -- Critic Michael Medved spoke on television of his approval of the $25.6 million film, funded entirely by devout Roman Catholic Gibson. (August 7, 2003)

Gibson has received an apology from the United States Conference Of Catholic Bishops after members lashed out at his plans to make a film about the last 12 hours of Christ's life -- The high clergy were skeptical about THE PASSION, which Gibson is directing in Italy, but a spokesman for the Conference admits members were wrong to be critical of a film that has yet to be completed. (June 16, 2003)

Gibson's son Edward narrowly escaped death when his truck skidded off a muddy road and plunged into a river -- the lucky 20-year-old and two pals were swept away by the force of the river, but were washed to safety in a shallow stretch after they skidded off a bridge on December 20. (January 2, 2003)

Chosen by People (USA) magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. (1996)

Auditioned for the role of Mozart in THE AMADEUS 1984.

Was considered for the lead role in BATMAN (1989).

A big fan of The Three Stooges.

Awarded the AO (Officer of the Order of Australia), Australia's highest honor, in mid-1997.

He and his wife met through a dating service.

He has a horseshoe kidney (two kidneys fused into one)

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.

He was considered for the role of James Bond in GOLDEN EYE (1995).

His father moved the family to Australia in part because he was afraid his sons would be drafted during the Vietnam War.

Roommates with Geoffrey Rush in college.

Director/producer of BRAVEHEART (1995), Gibson was investigated by the RSPCA, who were convinced that the fake horses used were real.

Gibson was supposed to star in Terry Gilliam's never made film, A TALE OF TWO CITIES, but turned it down to star in BRAVEHEART which he then offered to Gilliam to direct. Gilliam declined.

Because he was relatively unknown in the U.S., trailers and previews did not feature Mel Gibson, but instead focused on the car crashes and action scenes. (MAD MAX).

Cast himself in the role of McLeod for THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE (1993) only after he was unable to find any other satisfactory actor willing to take the part.

Considered for the role of Simon Templar in THE SAINT

For release of PAYBACK (1999) in Australia, the U.S. tagline, Get ready to root for the bad guy, was changed to, Get ready to CHEER for the bad guy, because Gibson pointed out that in Australia, to root is slang for having sexual intercourse.

Franco Zeferelli reportedly decided to offer him the role of Hamlet after seeing his suicide contemplation scene in LETHAL WEAPON (1987).

He and Greg Henry (PAYBACK) have starred in movies called THE PATRIOT. Mel Gibson in THE PATRIOT (2000), and Gregg Henry in THE PATRIOT (1986).

He eats some dog cookies in order to stop smoking in LETHAL WEAPON 3 (1992). In MAD MAX 2: THE ROAD WARRIOR (1981), Mel eats a can of dog food in order to survive.

His character in THE PATRIOT (2000) was originally scripted to be the real historical figure Francis Marion, THE SWAMP FOX, but after historians informed the filmmakers of some of the more sordid aspects of Marion's life (slaughtering Indians, raping his female slaves) they decided to create a fictional story and a more likeable hero.

His voice in MAD MAX (1979) was dubbed after producers were concerned that American audiences wouldn't understand his then-thick Australian accent.

In MAVERICK, he had special lessons to learn how to draw a gun from a holster.

In one scene of PAYBACK, Detective Hicks tells Mel Gibson's character, See you later Rocky. This may be a reference to CHICKEN RUN (2000), where Gibson plays a rooster named Rocky.

M. Night Shyamalan had originally written the main character in SIGNS (2002) as older. Once Gibson showed interest in the project, Shyamalan rewrote the character with Gibson in mind.

Production of RANSOM (1996) was delayed a few days when he needed an emergency appendicectomy.

The producers were looking for someone beaten and rough for the role of Max. The night before his audition for the film, he had his face cut in a bar fight.

Turned down the role of Eliot Ness in THE UNTOUCHABLES (1987) before Costner was signed.

CHICKEN RUN (2000): After Rocky leaves, there is another joke at Mel Gibson's expense. Bunty says, I don't even think he was American, a reference to the common misconception that Gibson is actually Australian. Although he was born in the USA and didn't move to Australia until he was 12, the belief persists, especially in the UK, that he's Australian.

He has his own production agency ( Icon Productions).

His partner at Icon Productions is Bruce Davey.

Mel's father, Hutton, was a railroad brakeman who was injured on the job, resulting in him transporting Mel and the other children to Australia.

Mel has a home in Montana, Connecticut, Australia, and California.

Mel's children were most impressed when he was the voice of John Smith in Disney's Pocahontas.

Mel has 10 brothers and no sisters.

THE THREE STOOGES are Mel's role models.

Was nominated for Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical in 2001 for WHAT WOMEN WANT.

Nominated for Best Male Performance at MTV Movie Awards for THE PATRIOT (2001)

Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical at Golden Globe Awards for WHAT WOMEN WANT (2001)

Nominated for Best Action Sequence at MTV Movie Awards for LETHAL WEAPON 4 (1999) - shared with Danny Glover

Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama, RANSOM (1997)

Nominated for Best Male Performance at MTV Movie Awards for BRAVEHEART (1996)

Nominated for David Lean Award for Direction at BAFTA Awards for BRAVEHEART (1996)

Nominated for Most Desirable Male at MTV Movie Awards (1996)

Nominated for Best Kiss at MTV Movie Awards for LETHAL WEAPON 3 (1993) - shared with Rene Russo

Nominated for Most Desirable Male at MTV Movie Awards for LETHAL WEAPON 3 (1993)