Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson

"He is one of the most bankable, sought-after actors around. He can turn a room full of sophisticated women into a gaggle of autograph seeking schoolgirls. ("Mel Gibson." U*X*L Biographies. U*X*L, 2003. Student Resource Center. Thomson Gale. 24 April 2005 http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SRC). You might be wondering who this mystery man is; well he is no other than the famous Mel Gibson. Born on January 3, 1956 in Peekskill, New York this American heart throb is a not only a traditional Catholic, a charitable renowned actor that stands up for what he believes in, but he is also an award winning director.

Gibson remains a devout, traditional Catholic; he's had a chapel built on his grounds. "Mel has donated ten million dollars to two Los Angeles hospitals. The Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center are each receiving $5 million, which will reimburse the hospitals for medical care for children from foreign countries who are unable to receive it in their countries because it is either unavailable or unaffordable." ("Mel Gibson." Hollywood Reporter 13 October 2004. 15 April 2005 ) Mel is strong in his beliefs, he stands up for what he believes in, and in doing so I believe he proves as a wonderful example to many. For example "the Christian Coalition has commended Gibson for his firm stance against the proposition 71, which is the $3 Billion Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research initiative on the California Ballot." ("Christian Coalition Commends Mel Gibson for His Strong Stance Against Prop. 71-The $3 Billion Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Initiative on Calif. Ballot." US Newswire . 28 Oct. 2004. COMTEX News Network, Inc. 15 April 2005 .)

Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson is child number six out of the eleven children belonging to Mr. Hutton and Mrs. Anne Gibson. Mr. Hutton Gibson was a brakeman for New York Central Railroad that believed New York City was not the best place to raise eleven children. With this belief in 1961 Mr. Hutton moved the family north to a nearby farmhouse at Mount Vision. In 1964 Mr. H. Gibson suffered a severe work accident, in which he lost his job as a brakeman for the New York Central Railroad. This incident forced the Gibson's to move into cheap rented accommodations, until the legal battle between Mr. H. Gibson and the New York Central Railroad could be settled. It took three years for justice to be found for Mr. H. Gibson. Mr. Gibson was awarded $145,000 in compensation for his inconvenience. With this money Hutton "decided to take the family to Australia, Anne's homeland (her mother had been an opera singer who'd emigrated to the States)." (Wills, Dominic. "Mel Gibson Biography." The Complete List. tiscali.film & tv. 20 April 2005 .) The Gibson's arrived in Australia in November of 1968 and settled in a town north of Sydney. After school, Mel was unsure of what kind of career he was to pursue, he thought of the priesthood, then journalism, but he had no legitimate trade, and ended up employed at an orange juice bottling plant in Sydney. His sister Sheila strongly believed that Mel could make it as an actor, for he had a talent for mimicry and his ability with accents. She was also a fan of her brothers elaborately staged jokes. Being a big fan of Mel's work she filled in an application form for him to join the National Institute of Dramatic Arts, at the University of New South Wales. Mel was accepted into this fine institute, but at first did not take it seriously. Eventually Mel would come to love the theatre developing a passion for it, and many would come to notice his good looks.

An agent known as Bill Shannahan took on Mel. "Bill Shannahan, scored him a part in The Sullivan's. This was good exposure, but Mel hated TV work, believing time constraints meant little genuinely good work was done. To learn his craft, he joined the South Australia Theatre Company and toured with Waiting For Godot." (Wills, Dominic. "Mel Gibson Biography." The Complete List. tiscali.film & tv. 20 April 2005 .) Mel Gibson made a name for himself when starring in the film Mad Max. Mel played Max Rockatansky, an ex-cop fighting evil bikers. While it originally bombed in the United States, Mad Max was a hit around the world, earning more than one hundred million dollars. ("Mel Gibson." 20 April 2005 .) Mel Gibson has starred in many films. Such as "Tim, Gallipoli, The Year of Living Dangerously, The Bounty, The River, Mrs. Soffel, Hamlet, Forever Young, The Man Without a Face, Braveheart, Attack Force Z, Ransom, Conspiracy Theory, The Patriot, and We Were Soldiers" ("Yahoo." Yahoo Movies. 20 April 2005 .)And many, many more.

Mel C. G. Gibson has done so many things in his lifetime. He is also an award-winning director. He even started his own production company, which he named Icon Productions. He has directed such television shows and movies as Complete Savages, The Man Without a Face, Braveheart, and the cherry on top of the sundae The Passion of the Christ. The film The Passion of the Christ is what is referred to as a controversial film, for the truth that it depicts. Gibson demolished box office records with this film, when it opened in February, grossing upward of $370.3 million in the United States alone. (McIntyre, Gina. "Mel