Biography of Mel Gibson

Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an Australian-American actor and director known for his roles in films such as “Lethal Weapon”, “Braveheart”, “What Women Want”, and “The Beaver”. He began his career in the 1970s and made his television debut with “The Sullivans” in 1976 and his film debut with “Summer City” in 1977. He rose to fame with the film “Mad Max” in 1979 and continued his success with “Lethal Weapon 1 and 2”. He gained international recognition with “Braveheart” in 1995, he also appeared in “Payback”, “What Women Want” and “Signs”. He is also known for his work in “The Passion of the Christ” and “Apocalypto”.

Early years.

Mel Gibson was born in Peekskill, New York. He was the son of Ann and Hutton Gibson. At the age of 12, he and his family, consisting of ten siblings and his parents, moved to Australia to avoid his brothers being drafted for the Vietnam War. Although he was interested in journalism, he eventually decided to pursue a career in acting and in 1974, he started taking classes at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney. There he met actors Judy Davis and Geoffrey Rush.

Career

1977 – 1979, films

Just like many other actors, Gibson started his career in theater and later made his television debut, playing Ray Henderson in “The Sullivans” in the late 1970s. He then made his film debut in “Summer City”

(1977) and appeared in several roles in “Cop Shop” (1978) and “The Hero” (1979). During this time, he achieved fame with “Mad Max” (1979), where he co-starred with Joanne Samuel.

1979 – 1993,  films

Later, he co-starred in “Tim” (1979) with Piper Laurie and “Attack Force Z” (1981) with John Phillip Law. That same year, he reprised his role in “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior” (1981) and then appeared in “The Year of Living Dangerously” (1982) alongside Linda Hunt. Two years later, he arrived in Hollywood with “The Bounty” (1984), directed by Roger Donaldson and starring Anthony Hopkins and Liam Neeson. In this film, Gibson played Fletcher Christian, the leader of the mutineers.

After playing Max in the third installment of Mad Max (1985), he had success with the Lethal Weapon 1 and 2 films (1987 and 1989). In these, he portrayed a fearless officer who risked his life to capture a drug cartel, alongside his partner played by Danny Glover. In the early 90s, Gibson began directing, making his debut with The Man Without a Face (1993), a film in which he also starred alongside Margaret Whitton.

1995 – 2000, films

His second work was Braveheart (1995), a film for which he was awarded the Best Director and Best Picture Oscar. At that time, he appeared in Maverick (1994) with Jodie Foster; in Ransom (1996) with Gary Sinise (Mac Taylor in CSI New York); and in Conspiracy Theory (1997) with Julia Roberts. He also starred in Payback (1999) and reprised his role in Lethal Weapon 3 and 4.

He began the new millennium playing a war veteran in The Patriot (2000), alongside Heath Ledger, and a macho advertising executive in What Women Want (2000). Two years later, he starred in Signs (2002), a suspense and science fiction film, alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Abigail Breslin, who played his daughter.

2004-2006, “The Passion of the Christ” and “Apocalypto”.

Later, he could be seen in the series Complete Savages (2004-05), playing an officer. During that same period, he released the controversial film The Passion of the Christ (2004), which was heavily criticized for the way it approached the events leading up to the death of Jesus on the cross. Two years later, he was criticized for Apocalypto (2006), a film about the encounter between the Spanish and the Mayans, delving into certain practices such as the Flower Wars (sacrifices, rituals, etc.).

2010 – 2019, films

Years later, he returned to acting as Detective Thomas Craven in Edge of Darkness (2010) and then played the creative Walter Black in Jodie Foster’s The Beaver (2011). He also appeared in Vacation in Hell (2012), The Expendables 3 (2014) and Blood Father (2016), in which he shared credits with Diego Luna, Miguel Sandoval and Erin Moriarty.

In the same year, he directed the biographical film about Desmond Doss titled Hacksaw Ridge (2016). This tells the story of a soldier who refuses to fight in World War II, which would be played by Andrew Garfield.

He portrayed Mark Wahlberg’s father in Daddy’s Home (2017) and was a retired officer in Dragged Across Concrete (2018) with Vince Vaughn. Recently, he starred in The Professor and the Madman (2019), in which he portrays the renowned lexicographer James Murray.

The private life of Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson was known for his alcoholism and was arrested in 2006 for drunk driving, which led him to detox. He is currently part of a program and has been sober for several years. Throughout his career, he has been the focus of several controversies (anti-Semitism, homophobia, abuse, and alcoholism).

He was married to actress Robyn Moore and had seven children with her: Edward, Hannah, Willie, Mil, Louis, Thomas, and Christian, and they separated in 2009. Soon after, he married Okasana Grigorieva, a model with whom he had a daughter named Lucia. Since 2014, he has been in a relationship with Rosalind Ross, and in 2017, his ninth child, Las Gerard, was born.