|
Biography
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson was born on January 3, 1956, in
Peekskill, NY, 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 South Wales, Australia after his father won
as a _"Jeopardy!" (1964)_ (qv) contestant, in part because he
wanted to avoid having his sons drafted in the Vietnam War. 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' (qv) and 'Geoffrey
Rush' (qv). 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)_ (qv) and in a movie called _Tim (1979)_ (qv)
costarring 'Piper Laurie' (qv). The small budgeted movie _Mad Max
(1979)_ (qv) made him known worldwide, while _Tim (1979)_ (qv)
garnered him an award for Best Actor from the Australian Film
Institute (equivalent to the Oscar). Later he would go on to star
in _Gallipoli (1981)_ (qv), which would earn him a second award for
Best Actor from the AFI. In 1980 he married 'Robyn Moore' (qv) and
as of today are still together and have seven children. In 1984,
Mel made his American debut in _Bounty, The (1984)_ (qv), which
costarred 'Anthony Hopkins' (qv). Then in 1987, Mel starred in what
would become his signature series - _Lethal Weapon (1987)_ (qv), in
which he played Martin Riggs. In 1990, he took on the interesting
starring role in _Hamlet (1990)_ (qv), which garnered him some
critical praise. He also made the more endearing _Forever Young
(1992)_ (qv), and the somewhat disturbing _Man Without a Face, The
(1993)_ (qv). 1995 brought his most famous role as Sir William
Wallace in _Braveheart (1995)_ (qv), for which he won two Oscars
for Best Picture and Best Director. From there, he made such box
office hits as _Patriot, The (2000)_ (qv), _Ransom (1996)_ (qv),
and _Payback (1999)_ (qv). 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 _Patriot, The (2000)_ (qv) is the latest milestone for
actor's salaries.
Biography courtesy of the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com).
|
|
Mel
Gibson 
