|
On January 3, 1956, in Peekskill, New York, a legend was born. His birth name of Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson may have been too long for the screen credit, but Mel Gibson works just fine.
When Mel Gibson was twelve years old, in 1968, his father, Hutton Gibson, moved the family from the United States to Australia, where Mel would spend the remainder of his youth (Interesting to note the cause of the move was his father’s win on the game show, Jeopardy). Returning to Los Angeles as a young man Mel acted in is first movie in 1977, a small, forgettable film entitled Summer City (aka Coast of Terror). In 1979 Mel landed a leading role in the film Tim, which, though now a cult favorite, did very poorly at the box office.
Twenty three years old and going nowhere? Not for long. In 1979 the movie that would make Mel Gibson a star hit theatres. It was titled Mad Max. This movie launched Mel Gibson into the spotlight, where he has remained for over 20 years. The sequels, though not as successful, were still wildly popular and continued to build the legend of Mel Gibson (The sequels were, of course, The Road Warrior and Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome). Movies were released in between the sequels, some more memorable than others, such as The River, Mrs. Soffel, and The Year of Living Dangerously. None carried the kind of impact or star recognition power that the Mad Max trilogy inspired. Following the cue to work with action, guns, and intense scenes Mel’s next movie was Lethal Weapon, with Danny Glover.
If there was any question of Mel Gibson’s star power before this movie, there was certainly none after. Several more movies established Gibson’s power as a dramatic actor, including Forever Young, The Man Without a Face, Hamlet, and, who could forget Braveheart? More than an actor on Braveheart, Gibson also produced and directed this unforgettable drama. Mel Gibson soon left the star power title behind, for that of living, breathing, legend.
Venturing into animation have led Gibson to such roles as John Smith in the 1995 Disney version of Pocahontas, as well as Rocky in the much publicized Chicken Run in 2000. Other movies to remember include Ransom, Payback, Conspiracy Theory, and The Patriot.
Mel Gibson has been married to his wife, Robyn Moore, since June 7, 1980 and they currently have 7 children together (With all of those movie credits, one has to wonder where they found the time). Mel Gibson was educated at the University of New South Wales, in Australia and is a devout and traditional Catholic.
|
| |
