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Mel Gibson
Born
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson in Peekskill, New York on January
3, 1956, Gibson was the sixth of 11 children later raised in Australia,
where father Hutton
Gibson moved the family in 1968 in protest of the Vietnam
war.
Still
holding American citizenship, Gibson would later return to the
U.S. to take Hollywood by storm with a string of successful action
movies and at least one attempt at Hamlet.
Although
today world famous as a leading Hollywood actor, Gibson remains
today at the center of controversy for his religious views as
director of The
Passion of the Christ.
Gibson
began his acting career on Australian television and then went
on to debut in one of his most famous roles as Mad
Max (later resulting in two hit Hollywood sequels). His
early Australian film career also included a critically acclaimed
performance in Gallipoli.
His
U.S. movie debut came with a starring role as Fletcher Christian,
in The
Bounty playing opposite Anthony Hopkins as Captain Bligh,
later achieving superstar status with the release of the first
in a series of action movies in which he starred as cop Martin
Riggs in Lethal Weapon
alongside Danny Glover.
Moving
against type, Gibson next took on the role of Hamlet
in 1990, surprising the critics with a strong performance in the
Shakespeare classic, then appeared throughout the decade in an
eclectic mix of movie performances in such films as the screwball
comedy Bird on a Wire opposite Golden Hawn, and in the
sensitive drama Man Without A Face, his directorial debut.
Gibson's second foray into acting and directing was as the Scottish
warlord William Wallace in Braveheart
for which he won two Academy awards for Best Picture and Best
Director in 1996.
In
2004, Gibson was at the center of worldwide controversy for his
directing and producing role in The
Passion of the Christ, recounting the last 12 hours of
the life of Jesus Christ.
The
film spawned an international debate on its merits as historically
accurate, with charges that Gibson's own staunch Catholicism had
colored the depiction of the Jews as violent antagonists within
the story, and thereby fomenting anti-Jewish sentiment. Despite
the controversy (or perhaps because of it) the film went on to
take in than $600 million in tickets worldwide to become the most
successful independent film of all time.
Most
recently, Gibson came under fire from Jewish groups once again
after he was stopped on a Los Angeles highway in July 2006 for
driving
while intoxicated, later reportedly spewing anti-Semitic remarks
at police. According to portions of the police
report, Gibson at one point reportedly asks if the officer
is a Jew, and later claims "all wars are started by Jews."
The
report was first published on TMZ.com,
which hinted at a cover-up by LA police for excising Gibson's
comments from the official record. The controversial actor later
apologized for the remarks, which he described as "despicable".
In
a bid to mend his personal and professional reputation in the
U.S., Gibson is scheduled to appear on the talk show Good
Morning America on October 12, 2006 with Diane Sawyer.
The
actor's upcoming film foray is as writer and producer of the action
film Apocalypto,
set
for December 8, 2006 release.
Mel's
World - Major fan site with recent pictures, along with
pages of photos, magazine layouts and screen captures chronicling
the actor's career.
The
Unauthorized MEL GIBSON Site - Fan site with biography,
award lists, links to past interviews and related links.
Mel
Gibson News - The latest headlines and breaking news related
to the actor from various sources on the Web.
Mel
Gibson Pictures - The motherlode from a major fan site,
browseable by topic with photos from his major hits.
Mel
Gibson - Wikipedia - A complete biography from Gibson's
earliest acting career up to The Passion of the Christ,
with photo and related links.
Mel's
Mel Gibson Page - Fan site offering links to photo galleries,
interview transcripts and movie reviews, along with vital stats,
filmography, related book suggestions.
Interviews:
Mel Gibson - Christianity Today Movies - An archived discussion
with the movie actor/producer from 2004 on the controversy surrounding
The Passion of the Christ.
Also
see -> Orlando
Bloom | George
Clooney
Russell
Crowe | Tom
Cruise | Matt
Damon | Johnny
Depp
Leonardo
DiCaprio | Colin
Farrell | Harrison
Ford | Jake
Gyllenhaal
Tony Jaa
| Hugh
Jackman | Ashton
Kutcher |
Jude Law | Heath
Ledger
Joaquin Phoenix | Brad
Pitt | Keanu
Reeves | Will
Smith
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