Mel Gibson

**Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson**  (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and film director. He is mostly known for his roles in action. Among his most famous roles are in _Mad Max_ (1979), _Gallipoli_ (1981), _The Bounty_  (1984), _Lethal Weapon_ (1987), _Braveheart_ (1995), _The Prince of Egypt_ (1997), and _Chicken Run_ (2000). He directed _The Passion of the Christ_ in 2004. He loosely based it on the visions of St. Catherine Emmerich.

Gibson was born in Peekskill, New York, United States. His father, Hutton Gibson, was a veteran soldier during World War II, and was also a famous writer. His family moved to Australia in 1968, when he was 12. He studied acting at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney. He also has Irish citizenship.

During the 1980s, Gibson founded Icon Entertainment, a production company, which Atom Egoyan described as "an alternative to the studio system". When director Peter Weir cast him as a major character in World War I drama _Gallipoli_, he earned a Best Actor from the Australian Film Institute Awards, which cemented him as an serious, versatile and recognisable actor.

In 1995, Gibson received the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Academy Award for Best Director for his work on _Braveheart_. He later directed and produced The Passion of the Christ in 2004, a controversial drama regarding Jesus, which was viewed as antisemitic by many people. Allegations of antisemitism and racism by Gibson led to a downfall in his career, and later revived his career, particularly with the 2016’s _Hacksaw Ridge_, which won two Academy Awards and was nominated for an additional four.

## Early life

Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson was born in Peekskill, New York, as the sixth of 11 children. He is of Irish descent, and the second son of Hutton Gibson, a writer, and Irish-born Anne Patricia (nee Reilly, died 1990). Gibson’s paternal grandmother was opera contralto Eva Mylott (1875–1920), who was born in Australia, to Irish parents, while his paternal grandfather, John Hutton Gibson, was a millionaire and tobacco businessman from the South.

One of Gibson's younger brothers, Donal, is also an actor. Gibson's first name is derived from St. Mel’s Cathedral, located in his mother's hometown of Longford, Ireland. His second name, Colmcille, is also shared with an Irish saint. Because of his mother, Gibson possesses dual Irish and American citizenship. Gibson is also an Australian permanent resident.

Gibson's father was awarded US$145,000 in a work-related-injury lawsuit against the New York Central Railroad on Valentine's Day, 1968, and soon afterwards relocated his family to West Pymble, Sydney, Australia. Gibson was twelve at the time. The move to his grandmother's native Australia was for economic reasons, and his father's expectation that the Australian Defence Force would reject his eldest son for the draft during the Vietnam War.

During his years in high school, Gibson was educated by members of the Congregation of Christian Brothers at St Leo’s Catholic College in Wahroonga, New South Wales.

## Controversy

Mel Gibson, was revealed by screenwriter Joe Eszterhas to have referred to Jews as "Hebes", "Jewboys" and "oven-dodgers" and the Holocaust as "mostly a lot of horses**t" during their production of a film about the Book of Maccabees. The film's sources included highly antisemitic writings by two nuns.

Mel Gibson also believed in the antisemitic trope that the Torah "made reference to the sacrifice of Christian babies and infants." He was also accused of harassing Jewish-American actress Winona Ryder by asking her whether she was an "oven-dodger."

## Awards

- Australian Film Institute Awards: Best Actor in a Lead Role, for _Tim_ (1979) and _Gallipoli_ (1981)
- Academy Award: Best Picture, for _Braveheart_ (1995)
- Academy Award: Best Director, for _Braveheart_ (1995)
- People's Choice Awards: Favorite Motion Picture Actor (1991, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2004)
- People's Choice Awards: Favorite Motion Picture Star in a Comedy (2001)
- ShoWest Award: Male Star of the Year (1993)
- ShoWest Award: Director of the Year (1996)
- American Cinematheque Gala Tribute: American Cinematheque Award (1995)
- Hasty Pudding Theatricals: Man of the Year (1997)
- Australian Film Institute Awards: Global Achievement Award (2002)
- Honorary Doctorate Recipient and Undergraduate Commencement Speaker, Loyola Marymount University (2003)
- World's most powerful celebrity by US business magazine _Forbes_ (2004)
- Hollywood Reporter Innovator of the Year (2004)
- Honorary fellowship in Performing Arts by Limkokwing University (2007)
- Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema Award at the Irish Film and Television Awards (2008)

## Other websites

- Gibson, Mel at the Open Directory Project

## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Mel Gibson
- **image**: Mel_Gibson_Cannes_2016_2.jpg
- **birth place**: Peekskill, New York, USA
- **occupation**: Actor, film director
- **years active**: 1979 - present
- **signature**: Firma de Mel Gibson.svg
- **parents**: Hutton Gibson
Anne Patricia
(née Reilly)
- **children**: 8
- **spouse**: Robyn Moore Gibson
(m. 1980–2011)