Born: 1956 January 03

With his rugged, rakish smile and 10,000 watt blue eyes, actor and filmmaker Mel Gibson is one of the few performers who can truly be labeled a superstar. Though generally considered an Australian because he has adopted the country's native accent, Gibson was actually born and raised in Peekskill, New York. At age 12 he moved with his family to Sydney, Australia because his father wanted to protect the family's boys from being drafted to serve in Vietnam. As a young man he attended Sydney's National Institute of Dramatic Art; there he was so nervous in his first play that he was unable to stand and had to play the role sitting down. He debuted onscreen in Summer City (1977), after which he joined the South Australia Theater Company, going on to appear in Shakespearean productions and such plays as Waiting for Godot and Death of a Salesman. Shortly before he auditioned for the film Mad Max (1979), he was in a street fight that left his face badly bruised; fortunately, this gave him the edge over other auditioners and director George Miller selected him for the lead. Although the film was only moderately popular outside Australia (where it was the nation's biggest commercial success ever), its sequel, The Road Warrior (1981), was an international smash hit and made him a star. His star status was further confirmed by his next film, the internationally successful Gallipoli (1981). While going on to take serious roles, including the title role in a film production of Hamlet (1990), he has sustained his career with action films, such as three Lethal Weapon films (1987, 1989, and 1992) and the third Mad Max movie (1985). He made his directorial debut in The Man Without A Face (1993), in which he also starred, and served as director, producer, and star of the acclaimed epic Braveheart (1995). He has won a number of Australian acting awards, including the best actor and "sammy" awards for his work in Tim (1979), and the best actor award for Gallipoli (1981).

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