Information AboutMel Gibson |
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3 , 1956 ) is an American Academy Award winning Director and Producer best known for acting in the '' Mad Max '' movie series, the '' Lethal Weapon '' series, acting in and directing the Academy Award winning '' Braveheart '' and directing the 2004 Blockbuster '' The Passion Of The Christ ''. In February of 1985 , he became the first person to garner the title of " Sexiest Man Alive " from '' People '' magazine. OVERVIEW Gibson was born in Peekskill , New York , the sixth of ten children born to Hutton Gibson (the son of a US businessman, John Hutton Gibson, and an Irish - Australian Opera singer Eva Mylott ) and Anne Reilly Gibson (who was born in the USA to Irish immigrants). The family also adopted a child, bringing the total number of children in the family to eleven. One of Mel's younger brothers, Donal , is also an actor. Although Gibson always maintained his United States Citizenship , he lived in Australia from the age of twelve. Following a victory on the TV Game Show '' Jeopardy! '', Gibson's father moved his family to Australia in 1968 in protest of the Vietnam War for which his elder sons were potentially at risk for being drafted, and also because he believed that changes in American society were Immoral . Early Gibson films feature a distinct, noticeable Australian Accent . Some people have criticised Mel Gibson and his father for their Traditional Catholic beliefs and political views, which have drawn accusations of Anti-Semitism and Holocaust Denial . Extremely devoted to his faith, as evidenced by his production of '' The Passion Of The Christ '', Mel Gibson has donated money to finance the construction of an "Independent" Traditional Catholic chapel in Malibu , California , in which only the Latin Tridentine Mass is celebrated. Gibson claims to go to Catholic Mass everyday. Gibson married Robyn Moore, whom he initially met through a dating service, on June 7 , 1980 , with whom he has the following children:
Rumors that Hannah was going to become a Nun were quashed by the family after initial mention in the media. His wife remains an Anglican despite 26 years of marriage to Gibson. Hutton never disapproved of her religion, saying that "true love knows no boundaries". Nor has Gibson attempted to convert her (although all their children are Catholic, not Anglican) although he did admit to believing his wife will burn in hell for her beliefs. {Link without Title} FILM CAREER After graduating from the National Institute Of Dramatic Art in 1977 , Gibson's acting career began in Australia with appearances in the television series including '' The Sullivans '', '' Cop Shop '' and '' Punishment ''. He made his Australian movie debut as the leather-clad post-apocalyptic survivor in George Miller's '' Mad Max '', which later became a Cult Hit and launched two of its own sequels. His international profile increased through Peter Weir 's First World War film '' Gallipoli ''. Gibson's boyish good looks made him a natural for leading man roles. In 1984 , he made his US movie debut, starring as Fletcher Christian in '' The Bounty ''. Actor Anthony Hopkins played Captain Bligh opposite Gibson. In December 2005 , it was announced that Gibson will produce a television movie about Dutch Holocaust survivor Flory Van Beek, although it had been rumoured previously that he would make a movie about the Maccabees . Gibson's next film, ''Apocalypto'', will be a mythic action-adventure set in the days of the Mayan civilization. ''Lethal Weapon'' and ''Hamlet'' Gibson moved to more mainstream filmmaking with the popular ''Lethal Weapon'' series, where he starred as a maverick and violent cop Martin Riggs in a Buddy relationship with his older and more conservative partner played by Danny Glover . Gibson surprisingly moved to the classical genre, playing the melancholy Danish prince in Franco Zeffirelli 's movie of Shakespeare 's '' Hamlet '' ( 1990 ). Gibson has been equally successful as a comedic actor, in movies such as '' Maverick '' ( 1994 ) and '' What Women Want '' ( 2000 ). ''Braveheart'' See Also: Braveheart In 1996 , Gibson received two Academy Awards ( Best Director and Best Picture ) for '' Braveheart '' ( 1995 ), based on the life of Sir William Wallace , a thirteenth century Scottish warlord who fought the English in the late 13th century and early 14th century. Gibson played Wallace. ''The Passion of the Christ'' See Also: The Passion of the Christ '']] Gibson co-wrote, produced and directed '' The Passion Of The Christ '' ( 2004 ), a movie in Aramaic , Hebrew , and Latin , recounting a description of the last twelve hours of the life of Jesus . The movie has received praise, including from Christian s and a number of politically conservative Jew ish leaders and scholars (e.g., Michael Medved , David Horowitz , and Steven Waldman ). The movie was initially criticised by some Christian and Jewish figures, a number of whom claimed that it may promote Anti-Semitism , as it relies on imagery similar to that of Passion-play s, a mainstream Christian tradition that some activists believe to be capable of inciting anti-Semitic incidents. The movie has been criticised by a group of Protestant scholars for its adherence in a number of scenes and details to the visions of a 17th Century Mystic and nun, the Venerable Mary Of Agreda and a 19th Century German visionary, Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich , both Roman Catholics. Despite such fears, no anti-Semitic incidents traceable to the movie's influence ever materialized. Gibson was asked if his movie would be offensive to Jews today; his response was: :It's not meant to. I think it's meant to just tell the truth. I want to be as truthful as possible. But when you look at the reasons Christ came, he was crucified—he died for all mankind and he suffered for all mankind. So that, really, anyone who transgresses has to look at their own part or look at their own culpability. He also stated on his decision to cut a scene in which Caiaphas says "his blood be on us and on our children" soon after Pontius Pilate washes his hands of Jesus: :I wanted it in. My brother said I was wimping out if I didn't include it. But, man, if I included that in there, they'd be coming after me at my house. They'd come to kill me. [http://www.seethepassion.com/article.php?id=21 , [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=34497 In spite of the criticism (or perhaps helped by it), the movie grossed US$611,899,420 worldwide ($370,782,930 in the US alone) and became the eighth highest-grossing film in history and the highest-grossing rated R film of all time. The ticket sales were boosted by the film attracting viewers who generally do not attend theaters, including entire congregations from churches attending together. {Link without Title} The film was nominated for Best music (score), Best cinematography, and Best make-up at the 77th Academy Awards and won the People's Choice Award for Best Drama. When the Carmelite nuns at the Convent in Coimbra , Portugal got word out that they wanted to see a copy of the film before it was released on DVD, Gibson personally arranged for a special digital screening from one inch tape and shipped in a projector and screens to view it and introduced the film in person. Later, he stopped by again to have a private meeting with the convent's most famous nun, Sister Lucia , who was 97 and was the last survivor of the three children who saw the vision of the Our Lady Of Fatima , the Virgin Mary , and were said to have been given secrets by her, known as the Three Secrets Of Fatima . Sister Lucia died not long after. ''Apocalypto'' See Also: Apocalypto '']] Gibson's next historical epic, '' Apocalypto '', will be released into theaters in the summer of 2006 . The film is set 600 years ago in Meso-America , before the Spanish Conquest , during the Decline Of The Maya . Dialogue is spoken in the Yucatec Maya language, in the same way Gibson used Aramaic and Latin for his ''The Passion of the Christ''. It will feature a cast of unknown actors from Mexico City , the Yucatán , and some Native American s from the United States . While Gibson financed the film himself, Disney will release it in certain markets. All that has been revealed about the plot is that the film is set against the turbulent End Times of the once great Mayan civilization. When a Mayan man's idyllic existence is brutally disrupted by a violent invading force, he is taken on a perilous journey. Through a twist of fate and spurred by the power of his love for his woman and his family he will make a desperate break to return home and to ultimately save his way of life. The title is a Greek term which means " an unveiling" or "new beginning", but the movie is not religiously themed or connected to the Biblical Apocalypse . CONTROVERSIES Some Gay Rights groups have accused Gibson of Homophobia for a 1992 interview in the Spanish Magazine '' El Pais ''. In the interview, when asked what he thought of gay people, he said, "They take it up the ass." Gibson then bent over and pointed to his buttocks, saying "This is only for taking a shit." When the interviewer recalled that Gibson previously had expressed fear that people would think he is gay because he's an actor, Gibson responded in saying "Do I sound like a homosexual? Do I talk like them? Do I move like them?" Gibson later defended his comments on '' Good Morning America '', saying "I don't think there's an apology necessary, and I'm certainly not giving one. remarks were a response to a direct question. If someone wants my opinion, I'll give it. What, am I supposed to lie to them?" In January 1997 , to make amends with the Gay Community and to show that he wasn't homophobic, Gibson hosted along with Gay And Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) ten lesbian and gay filmmakers for an on-location Seminar on the set of the movie '' Conspiracy Theory ''. During the seminar Gibson provided up-and-coming Lesbian and gay filmmakers with an up-close and personal look into the inner workings of a major Hollywood feature film. {Link without Title} Other groups were later angry at the depiction of a homosexual character in ''Braveheart''. Although historians agree that the character, the Prince (later King) Edward II Of England , was indeed homosexual, and also agree with what was portrayed in the movie of the King being a mere puppet of Thomas Of Lancaster (though Edward's father never threw his lover out of a window), historians dispute the portrayal of Edward as effeminate. It should also be noted that Gibson did not write the Screenplay for that film. Gibson was accused of Homophobia once more in his movies with his portrayal of Herod Antipas in ''The Passion of the Christ''. Antipas is portrayed as an effeminate character (despite never being explicitly stated, some people believe it is implied he is a homosexual). Although this was a common Caricature of Herod in Medieval Passion plays, it does not appear in The Gospels and is contrary to the historical record regarding Antipas. In 2006, Gibson threatened to sue Melgibsonsblog.blogspot.com ([http://melgibsonsblog.blogspot.com link ), a Hoax website which a person pretending to be Gibson writes ridiculous statement, if the site did not shut down. The site remains open, however. Despite the fact that he has been perceived as being a conservative Republican (even though he has never identified himself as such), Gibson joined many of his colleagues in the entertainment industry in opposition to the Iraq War and even praised the liberal director Michael Moore and his documentary film '' Fahrenheit 9/11 '', leading some to question labeling him as a Conservative , although it's possible he leans more towards traditionally anti-interventionist Paleoconservatism . Many of Gibson's positions are, however, in accordance with traditional Catholicism. In 2004 he publicly condemned taxpayer-funded Embryonic Stem-cell Reasearch that involves the Cloning and destruction of human Embryo s. In March 2005 he issued a statement condemning the ending of Terri Schiavo 's life. He is also a proponent of the Death Penalty , which many conservative catholics support, even though the Roman Catholic Church oppose it. TRIVIA in the Teaser Trailer for '' Apocalypto '']]
PRANKSTER Gibson has a reputation for being a prankster on the set of his movies, and many of his leading ladies have often accused him of acting juvenile on the set. On the set of Conspiracy Theory , he played several pranks on co-star Julia Roberts , and grossed out co-star Jodie Foster by licking the dirt off a wagon wheel on the set of Maverick . On the set of Braveheart , he spread the false rumor that co-star Sophie Marceau was the granddaughter of famous French mime Marcel Marceau . He also directed several scenes in an Elmer Fudd voice, including the funeral scene of Murron Wallace, causing everyone to break down laughing. Before the filming of What Women Want , co-star Helen Hunt pleaded with Gibson to be spared of his pranks. Reportedly, there was no incident. QUOTES
FILMOGRAPHY As actor
As director
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