Mel Gibson

[[File:Mel_Gibson_taken_July-28-2006.jpg|thumb|165px|right|Mel, giving you the creepy stare]]{{christianity|1}}
'''Mel Gibson''' {{lived|1956}} is an [[United States|American]] actor and filmmaker who spent his formative years and began his acting career in [[Australia]].<ref>{{wpa|Mel Gibson}}</ref> When he's not starring in beloved film franchises and winning more awards than you can shake a fist at, he is at various times an [[alcohol]]ic [[antisemitism|anti-Semite]] and [[racist]], a [[homophobe]], an [[domestic violence|abusive]] boyfriend, and, along with his father, the founder of his own little bizarre [[Sedevacantism|sedevacantist]] [[Catholic]] sect.<ref>[http://www.celebuzz.com/2013-01-11/mel-gibsons-donates-1-million-to-his-private-church-exclusive/ Mel Gibson Donates $1 Million to His Private Church]</ref><ref>[http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20272857,00.html Inside Mel Gibson's Church]</ref> 

Gibson's highest grossing film to date is ''[[The Passion of the Christ]]'', which he directed and produced.<ref>Patruck Hayes, [https://movieweb.com/mel-gibson-highest-grossing-movies/#the-passion-of-the-christ---622-313-635 Mel Gibson's Highest Grossing Movies, Ranked]. Movieweb, 28 April 2023.</ref> He did not appear as an actor in this film, but nonetheless it provides insight into his life, career, and beliefs.

Prior to going off the rails, he had a sterling film career, having starring roles in the ''Mad Max'' and ''Lethal Weapon'' series, and the Academy Award-winning (but stunningly inaccurate) ''Braveheart'', with the pinnacle of his career being in 2000 when he voiced Rocky the Flying Rooster in Nick Park's animated epic, ''Chicken Run''. (Oh how the mighty have fallen!)

From the 1990s he also carved out a career as director and/or star of a series of historical epics that often took a hilariously [[pseudohistorical]] approach to important topics such as [[Scottish independence]] (''Braveheart'', 1995), the [[American Revolution]] ([[Roland Emmerich]]'s ''The Patriot'', 2000), the [[Vietnam War]] (Randall Wallace's ''We Were Soldiers'', 2002), [[Native American|pre-Colombian civilization]] (''Apocalypto'', 2006), [[pacifism]] in [[World War II]] (''Hacksaw Ridge'', 2016), as well as Jesus.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/05/hacksaw-ridge-okinawa-fake-glamour-of-war-mel-gibson On the real Hacksaw Ridge, a voice is heard: beware the fake glamour of war], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 5 February 2017</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/jul/30/3 Braveheart: dancing peasants, gleaming teeth and a cameo from Fabio], Alex von Tunzelmann, ''[[The Guardian]]'', 30 Julu 2008</ref><ref>[https://www.warhistoryonline.com/medieval/8-things-braveheart-got-wrong-anglo-scottish-wars-1-thing-got-right-mm.html The Many Historical Facts The Movie ‘Braveheart’ Got Wrong… And One It Got Right], War History Online</ref><ref>[http://entertainment.time.com/2011/01/26/top-10-historically-misleading-films/ Top 10 Historically Misleading Films], Time, 26 Jan 2011</ref><ref>[https://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2007/02/apocalypto.html Apocalypto a distorted view of Mayan history], Northwestern University, Feb 2007</ref>

In the early 2010s, Gibson was "[[Cancel culture|cancelled]]" for, among other reasons, calling the [[Judaism|Jewish]] actress Winona Ryder an "[[Holocaust|oven]] dodger".<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/dec/17/winona-ryder-mel-gibson Winona Ryder: Mel Gibson called me an 'oven dodger']</ref>

==Interview ==
During an interview with the [[Spain|Spanish]] newspaper ''El País'' in 1991, Gibson stated he quit the mainstream Catholic Church because it had become "too [[liberal]]."  When asked about [[homosexuals]], he responded, [[sarcasm|in a most eloquent fashion]], by stating that "[homosexual individuals] take it up the ass."  He then laughed, got up, bent over, pointed to his butt, and continued, "This is only for taking a shit."<ref>[http://www.sfbaytimes.com/index.php?sec=article&article_id=5399 Mel Gibson, Circa 1992, “Refuses to Apologize to Gays”], ''San Francisco Bay Times''.  2006 August 17.</ref>

As [[Scotland|Scottish]] comedian Frankie Boyle said of Gibson:

{{quotebox|When they were making ''Braveheart'', everyone said, 'Oh it's ridiculous, Mel Gibson playing a Scottish guy, that's not gonna be very convincing.'  And look at him now: an alcoholic racist.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTPSYbeNaa8 Boyle on the Scots]</ref>}}

==Holy Family Catholic Church==
He is the sole contributor to the church and has threatened to cut funding to it if its 70-odd<ref>[http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/mel-pours-cash-into-secret-sect/story-e6fredpu-1111117851247?nk=4df015f487a97a1722a32b9a7b5bfb5f Mel Gibson has poured another $15.2 million into his controversial private church in California's exclusive beachside suburb of Malibu.]</ref> members don't stop talking about his decision to leave his wife for his [[adultery|mistress]].<ref>[http://celebedge.ca/Dramarama/ContentPostingDramarama3column?newsitemid=014a6ccf-6a65-4b93-a54c-e930aab792f1&feedname=RYAN_PORTER_GOSSIP&show=False&number=0&showbyline=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc&date=False Whisper Only Upon Brangelina, Oh Ye Wayward Flock!], ''CelebEdge''.  2009 February.</ref>

==The famous hissy fit==
On 28 July 2006, Gibson was arrested for a DUI while speeding in his vehicle with an open container. Gibson first told the arresting officer, "My life is over. I'm fucked. Robyn's going to leave me." According to the arrest report, Gibson then added "Fucking Jews... the Jews are [[International Jewish conspiracy|responsible for all the wars in the world]]."

==Domestic violence==
Since then he has proven himself an all-round [[asshole]] in many ways. He left threatening phone calls for his girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva in which he used misogynistic slurs as well as racial slurs against Latinos and African-Americans.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/jul/02/mel-gibson-racist-rant Mel Gibson faces flak again after alleged racist rant], The Guardian, July 2, 2010</ref> In 2011, he was sentenced to 3 years' probation after hitting her.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-melgibson/mel-gibson-breaks-silence-on-domestic-violence-scandal-idUSTRE73L37G20110422 Mel Gibson breaks silence on domestic violence scandal], Reuters, Apr 22, 2011</ref> His stepmother filed a restraining order against him in 2012.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/mel-gibsons-stepmother-files-restraining-order-against-him-7906828.html Mel Gibson's stepmother files restraining order against him], Reuters in The Independent (UK), 4 July 2012</ref>

=="Gibson's Law"==
Completely unrelated to [[Gibson's Law|the Gibson's Law used in the worlds of law and PR]], ''Mel'' Gibson's Law states that a reference to Braveheart or the Battle of Banockburn in the midst of a discussion regarding Scottish independence becomes more and more likely as the discussion stretches on. Formally stated: "As the length of a discussion regarding Scottish independence approaches infinity, the mathematical probability that a reference to Braveheart or Banockburn is made approaches 1."<ref>[http://sco.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson%27s_law Gibson's Law, sco.wikipedia.org. 2016 July.]</ref>

==Philanthropy and environmental concerns==
{{main|Stopped clock}}
On a bright side, however, Gibson is a big [[philanthropist]]. Despite his recalcitrant anti-semitism, Gibson has secretly donated money to [[Holocaust]] survivors.<ref>[https://www.inquirer.com/philly/columnists/jenice_armstrong/Mel-Gibsons-support-of-Holoc.html Mel Gibson's support of Holocaust survivors is a reminder that people can change]</ref><ref>[https://metro.co.uk/2017/03/19/mel-gibson-secretly-donating-money-to-holocaust-survivors-following-anti-semitic-rant-6519352/ Mel Gibson ‘secretly donating money to Holocaust survivors’ following anti-Semitic rant]</ref> In 2004, he also donated 10 million dollars to The Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA and to the Jewish Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles<ref>[https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/mel-gibson-donates-10-million-to-los-angeles-hospitals-for-international-charity-care#:~:text=Mel%20Gibson%20Donates%20%2410%20Million%20to%20Los%20Angeles%20Hospitals%20for%20International%20Charity%20Care,-October%2014%2C%202004&text=The%20Mattel%20Children%27s%20Hospital%20at,needy%20children%20from%20foreign%20countries Mel Gibson Donates $10 Million to Los Angeles Hospitals for International Charity Care]</ref> and in the previous year he helped to pay for the restoration of Renaissance artwork.<ref>[https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/sting-mel-gibson-to-help-restore-italian-art-20030717-gdw257.html Sting, Mel Gibson to help restore Italian art]</ref> Despite, or maybe because, of his alcoholism, Gibson also supports the non-profit charitable organization Angels at Risk,  focuses on the issue of drug and alcohol use and abuse in kids and teens.<ref>[https://angelsatrisk.com/?page_id=894 Angel at Risk Crew]</ref>

Gibson is also known for his environmental advocacy and has raised funds to save the rainforest and ancient Mayan ruins in Central America.<ref>Louise Sanders, [http://www.earthtimes.org/conservation/mel-gibson-battles-save-rainforest/446/ Mel Gibson battles to save the rainforest]. Earth Times, 11 March 2011.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Traditionalist Catholicism]]

==External links==
*[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000154/ Mel Gibson on IMDb]
*[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/MelGibson Mel Gibson] on [[TV Tropes]]
*[http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/06/06/17-craziest-bits-from-joe-eszterhas-ebook-about-mel-gibson-heaven-and-mel.html 17 Craziest Bits From Joe Eszterhas' ''Heaven and Mel''], ''The Daily Beast'' (A shortish treatise about Gibson's appalling behavior as those two bad boys fail to make a movie about the Maccabees.)
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7edc6wdMyc Mark Dice, thinking he knows everything] on [[YouTube]]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Mel}}
[[Category:Actors]]
[[Category:Antisemites]]
[[Category:Booze]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:Catholics]]
[[Category:Film-makers]]
[[Category:Homophobes]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Pseudohistory promoters]]
[[Category:Racists]]
[[Category:Sexists]]

Categories: Actors, Antisemites, Booze, Conspiracy theorists, Catholics, Film-makers, Homophobes, Living people, Pseudohistory promoters, Racists, Sexists