Gibson, Mel Columcille Gerard
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson was born on January 3, 1956, in Peekskill, New York, 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 New South Wales, Australia. After high school, Mel studied at the University of ...  show all 

Gibson, Mel Columcille Gerard
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson was born on January 3, 1956, in Peekskill, New York, 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 New South Wales, Australia. 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 and Geoffrey Rush. After college, Mel had a few stints on stage and starred in a few TV shows. Eventually, he was chosen to star in "The Mad Max (1979)" and in a movie called "Tim (1979)", co-starring Piper Laurie. The small budgeted movie "Mad Max (1979)" made him known worldwide, while "Tim (1979)" garnered him an award for Best Actor from the Australian Film Institute (equivalent to the Oscar). Later, he went on to star in "Gallipoli (1981)", which earned him a second award for Best Actor from the AFI. In 1980, he married Robyn Moore, and, as of today, they are still together and have seven children. In 1984, Mel made his American debut in "Bounty (1984)", which co-starred Anthony Hopkins. Then in 1987, Mel starred in what would become his signature series, "The Lethal Weapon (1987)", in which he played Martin Riggs. In 1990, he took on the interesting starring role in "Hamlet (1990/I)", which garnered him some critical praise. He also made the more endearing "Forever Young (1992)" and the somewhat disturbing "Man Without a Face (1993)". 1995 brought his most famous role as Sir William Wallace in "The Braveheart (1995)", for which he won two Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director. From there, he made such box office hits as "Patriot (2000)", "The Ransom (1996)", and "Payback (1999)". 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 (2000)" is the latest milestone for actor's salaries.
(October 1997) Ranked #12 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.
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