A walking dichotomy, this controversial Hollywood megastar is the embodiment of prankster and preacher, hero and villain, success and failure, both on and off screen. Born in the U.S. but raised in Australia from age 12, the ruggedly handsome, blue-eyed actor hit it big (at least Down Under) in 1979, with a pair of antithetical films. He earned an Australian Film Institute Award as a mentally challenged laborer involved with an older woman in
Tim, and proved himself an able action hero in
Mad Max, which launched a successful franchise. But his international breakthrough came two years later, when he again showcased his range as a short-distance runner in the World War I-set
Gallipoli (snagging him a second Australian Film Institute Award) and a return run as Mad Max in
The Road Warrior. Hollywood pounced on the actor, and while his U.S. career got off to a rocky start with a number of flops, he became an icon playing a crazy cop in the 1987 smash
Lethal Weapon, marking the beginning of a fruitful collaboration between Gibson and director Richard Donner. Over the years, the two worked together on a number of movies, including three more
Lethal Weapon flicks. While Gibson was a winner in front of the camera, his private life was messy. Although he seemed to have a stable personal life with his wife and children, he was also an alcoholic with a talent for putting his foot in his mouth. In the '90s, he seemed to put that all behind him. He ostensibly sobered up, worked steadily and even went behind the camera, winning an Oscar for best director for his second feature, the Scottish war saga
Braveheart. Although the devout Catholic was well liked in Hollywood, charming his costars with his outrageous on-set pranks and donating millions of dollars to charity, he made a number of public statements about homosexuals and non-Catholic Christians that prompted some to brand him a bigot. Then in 2004, his film
The Passion of the Christ stirred up controversy once again. Gibson wrote, produced, directed and independently financed the movie, an extremely graphic depiction of Jesus Christ's suffering on the day of his crucifixion. Critics claimed that the film had an anti-Semitic slant — a claim the auteur pooh-poohed on various TV news shows — and regardless of the film's social politics, it was a box-office smash. After keeping a low profile for the next two years, Gibson's name was suddenly plastered all over the media again when he made a number of allegedly anti-Semitic and sexist remarks while being arrested for drunk driving in July 2006. Although he quickly issued an apology and checked into rehab, his reputation had been tarnished, and many weren't able to look at him — or his work — in the same way afterward.
Mel Gibson Fast Facts:
- The sixth of 11 children (he has five brothers and five sisters).
- Though he considers himself an Australian, he was 12 when he moved Down Under with his family.
- The night before his Mad Max audition, a bar fight left him with a black eye and stitches — the exact apocalyptic, world-weary look that director George Miller was seeking. When the 1979 film was released stateside, an American actor dubbed Gibson's voice.
- His father was involved with the Alliance for Catholic Tradition, a group opposed to the more liberal philosophies of the post-Vatican II Catholic Church; this influenced Mel's own conservative stance. His father was also a Holocaust denier, although Gibson publicly disagreed with him (yet stopped short of calling him a liar).
- A renowned practical joker, he has famously played pranks on costars including Rene Russo and Julia Roberts, and director Ron Howard.
- Was arrested in 1984 for drunk driving while filming Mrs. Soffel, 22 years before his much more infamous DUI arrest in 2006.
- Named People magazine's first Sexiest Man Alive in 1985 and has been frequently cited in their annual Most Beautiful People issue.
- In a 1985 People Magazine interview, Gibson stated: "I have a very bad habit of saying embarrassing, goofy things. The next day, I could kill myself."
- In 2004, his self-financed The Passion of the Christ sparked a debate about its possible anti-Semitic slant while breaking box-office records.
- Produced a number of TV projects, including the short-lived sitcom Complete Savages, which was loosely inspired by his own life.
- Mel Gibson Relationships:
- Anne Gibson - Mother
- Christian Gibson - Son
- Edward Gibson - Son
- Hannah Gibson - Daughter
- Hutton Gibson - Father
- Louis Gibson - Son
- Milo Gibson - Son
- Robyn Gibson - Wife
- Tommy Gibson - Son
- Will Gibson - Son
- Mel Gibson Awards:
- 1995 Oscar: Best Achievement in Directing - Winner
- 1995 Oscar: Best Motion Picture of the Year - Winner
- 1996 Golden Globe: Best Director - Motion Picture - Winner
- 1997 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - Nominee
- 2001 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
- College:
- National Institute of Dramatic Art, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (1977)
