Name: Mel Gibson

Birth Name: Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson

Birthdate: Jan. 3, 1956

Birthplace: Peekskill, N.Y.

Gibson's early career featured lots of action roles in such films as Lethal Weapon and Mad Max, following those up with more serious fare: Hamlet and The Man Without a Face, which he directed. He donned a Scotsman's kilt and kicked English ass as Braveheart's William Wallace; the film earned him Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture. Although he acted in films like Signs and What Women Want through the early 2000s, 2004 saw Gibson catapulted into the limelight. He continues to surprise — on and off screen. He was arrested on a DUI in Malibu, and was caught spewing anti-Semitic invectives at the sheriff's deputy who stopped him; and he co-wrote, produced and directed the highly controversial, extremely gruesome — and massively successful — religious drama The Passion of the Christ, followed by the even more gruesome Apocalypto, filmed entirely in the ancient Mayan language.


1. He's a practicing Roman Catholic.
2. Gibson owns an island in Fiji.
3. He lives with his family on a ranch in Australia.
4. He's known for being outspoken about his controversial views on homosexuality and Judaism.
5. He was born with a "horseshoe kidney," a birth defect in which the kidneys are fused at the base.


On spiritual forces affecting his work: "The big realms are slugging it out. We're just the meat in the sandwich."
— Christianity Today, Feb. 23, 2004


Wife: Robyn Moore; born 1967; met through a dating service; married June 7, 1980
Daughter: Hannah Gibson, born 1980
Sons: Edward and Christian (twins), born 1982; Willie, born 1985; Louis, born 1988; Milo, born 1990; Tommy, born 1999

2001: Golden Globe nomination: Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Comedy/Musical), What Women Want

1997: Golden Globe nomination: Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama), Ransom

1996: Academy Award: Best Director, Braveheart; Academy Award: Best Picture, Braveheart; Golden Globe: Best Director, Braveheart

 

FILMS

Apocalypto - (2006) - Director, Screenplay, Producer
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man - (2006) - Producer
The Passion of the Christ - (2004) - Director, Screenwriter
Paparazzi - (2004) - Cameo, Producer
DreamWorks Family Animated Movie Collection - (2003) - Voice
The Singing Detective - (2003) - Actor, Producer
Signs - (2002) - Actor
The Others/Signs - (2002) - Actor
We Were Soldiers - (2002) - Actor
The Million Dollar Hotel - (2001) - Actor
Chicken Run - (2000) - Voice
What Women Want - (2000) - Actor
Chicken Run/The Road to El Dorado - (2000) - Actor
The Patriot - (2000) - Actor
Payback - (1999) - Actor
Lethal Weapon 4 - (1998) - Actor
Big Screen Superstars: Nick Nolte/Richard Gere/Mel Gibson/Michael Douglas - (1998) - Actor
Conspiracy Theory - (1997) - Actor
Ransom - (1996) - Actor
Rock, The/ Ransom - (1996) - Actor
Pocahontas - (1995) - Voice
Braveheart - (1995) - Director, Actor
Maverick - (1994) - Actor
The Man Without a Face - (1993) - Director, Actor
Lethal Weapon 3 - (1992) - Actor
Forever Young - (1992) - Actor
Bird on a Wire - (1990) - Actor
Air America - (1990) - Actor
Hamlet - (1990) - Actor
Lethal Weapon 2 - (1989) - Actor
Tequila Sunrise - (1988) - Actor
Lethal Weapon - (1987) - Actor
The Dame Edna Christmas Experience - (1987) - Actor
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - (1985) - Actor
Mrs. Soffel - (1985) - Actor
The Bounty - (1984) - Actor
The River - (1984) - Actor
The Year of Living Dangerously - (1983) - Actor
The Road Warrior - (1981) - Actor
Gallipoli - (1981) - Actor
Mad Max - (1979) - Actor
Tim - (1979) - Actor
Summer City - (1977) - Actor