Mel Gibson | |
|---|---|
 Gibson at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival | |
| Born | Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson January 3, 1956 Peekskill, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, filmmaker |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Spouse |
Robyn Moore (m. 1980–2011) |
| Partner | Oksana Grigorieva (2009–10) |
| Children | 8 |
| Parent(s) | Hutton Gibson, Anne Reilly |
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson AO (born January 3, 1956) is a Lethal Weapon buddy cop film series and Max Rockatansky in the first three films in the Mad Max post-apocalyptic action series.
He was born in Peekskill, New York, and moved with his parents to Sydney when he was 12 years old. He studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art. During the 1980s, Gibson founded Icon Entertainment, a production company which independent film director Atom Egoyan has called, "an alternative to the studio system."[2] Director Peter Weir cast Gibson as one of the leads in the critically acclaimed World War I drama Gallipoli (1981), which earned Gibson a Best Actor Award from the Australian Film Institute.[3] The film also helped to earn Gibson the reputation of a serious, versatile actor.
In 1995, Gibson produced, directed, and starred in the epic historical drama film Braveheart, for which he won the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Director, along with the Academy Award for Best Picture. In 2004, he directed and produced The Passion of the Christ, a financially successful, controversial film depicting the last hours in the life of Jesus. Gibson received further critical notice for his directing of the 2006 action-adventure film Apocalypto,[4] which is set in Mesoamerica during the early 16th century.
Early life
editGibson was born in Peekskill, New York, the sixth of eleven children, and the second son of Hutton Gibson, a writer, and Irish-born Anne Patricia (née Reilly, died 1990).[5][6] His paternal grandmother was opera contralto Eva Mylott (1875–1920), who was born in Australia, to Irish parents,[7] while his paternal grandfather, John Hutton Gibson, was a millionaire tobacco businessman from the American South.[8][9] One of Gibson's younger brothers, Donal, is also an actor. Gibson's first name is derived from Saint Mel, fifth-century Irish saint, and founder of Gibson's mother's native diocese, Ardagh, while his second name, Colm-Cille,[10] is also shared by an Irish saint[11] and is the name of the parish in County Longford where Gibson's mother was born and raised. Because of his mother, Gibson retains dual Irish and American citizenship.[12]
His father was awarded US$145,000 in a work-related-injury lawsuit against New York Central Railroad on February 14, 1968; and soon afterwards relocated the family to West Pymble, Sydney.[13] Mel Gibson was 12 years old at the time. The move to his grandmother's native Australia was both for economic reasons and his father's expectation that the Australian Defence Forces would reject his eldest son for the draft during the Vietnam War.[1]
Gibson was educated by members of the Congregation of Christian Brothers at St Leo's Catholic College in Wahroonga, New South Wales, during his high school years.[14][15]
- ^ a b Wendy Grossman. "Is the Pope Catholic?". Dallas Observer. Retrieved September 20, 2007.
- ^ Brian D. Johnson (December 25, 2006). "Mad Mel's passion for vengeance". Maclean’s.
- ^ The Australian Film Institute. Past Winners
- ^ Talleric, Brian. "Apocalypto Review". UGO.com. Retrieved July 20, 2010.[dead link]
- ^ "Mel Gibson to be honoured at IFTA ceremony – RTÉ Ten". Rte.ie. February 8, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ Lawrence Donegan (February 29, 2004). "Observer profile". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ Mel Gibson - John Hanrahan - Google Books. Books.google.ca. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
filedwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Michael Dwyer, The Irish Times film critic, interviewed on RTÉ Radio 1's This week programme, August 6, 2006.
- ^ Stephen M. Silverman. "Jonathan Rhys Meyers Crowned Best Actor in Ireland". People Magazine. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
- ^ Clarkson, Wensley (1993). Mel Gibson: Living Dangerously. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press. p. 30.
- ^ "Mel Gibson's Biography/Filmography – Celebrity Gossip, Entertainment News, Arts And Entertainment". Fox News. August 8, 2006. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "A son's dangerous passion, in the name of the father – OpinionGerardHenderson". www.smh.com.au. March 2, 2004. Retrieved July 13, 2010.