Mel Gibson, born January 3, 1956, is an American-born Australian actor best known for his roles in action-adventure films such as ‘Mad Max’ since the 1980s. Gibson has directed many films, including the Oscar-winning Braveheart and Passion of the Christ. For his contributions to the Australian cinema industry, he was named an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia (A.O.).
The Australian actor is 67 years old, and it’s tough to estimate how far he’s tumbled. Gibson was born in New York and relocated to Sydney with his family when he was 12 years old. Gibson was destined for stardom as a child.
At 23 years old, Gibson became a household name in Australia because of his appearance in the renowned soap opera ‘The Sullivans.’ His genuine breakthrough, though, came with Mad Max. This is a gloomy post-apocalyptic chase film about a cop chasing a looting horde in Australia’s most isolated areas.
The film became an enormous success, pushing Gibson into the public spotlight in both Australia and the United States. After working twice with Peter Weir in 1981’s Gallipoli and 1982’s The Year of the Dangerous Life, he played Max Rockatanski in two more sequels within a year. But it was his 1987 lethal weapon that brought him real recognition.
Career, Chaos, The Highs, and The Lows
Gibson was featured in commercially successful films such as Ransom, Conspiracy Theories, and, of course, Braveheart in the 1990s. Braveheart was wonderfully directed, earning Gibson five Oscars, including Best Director. Gibson was demanding excessive fees for his paintings until 2000, but he had a lifetime issue with alcohol, beginning when he was 13.
Afterward, he admitted to Lethal Weapon director Richard Donner that he consumed at least five or six pints of beer for breakfast. Gibson sparked his first scandal in 1991 when he made homophobic statements during an interview. “During that interview, I had a little vodka tickle,” Gibson acknowledged years afterward. Gibson confessed to being manic-depressive in a 2002 interview.
Gibson was arrested in 2006 for intoxicated driving and possessing an open alcohol bottle in his vehicle. Gibson stated upon his arrest, “My life has come to an end. I’m finished.” He commented “in a moment of craziness” and regarded his statements as “despicable”.
His wife divorced him three years later his statements were out in the public after they had been married for 26 years. The overall divorce payment was more than $400 million, making it one of the largest in Hollywood history.
From 2004 through 2010, Gibson did not appear in any films. His alleged return, Edge of Darkness, received mixed reviews and barely recovered its costs. Gibson was rumored to make a brief cameo appearance in The Hangover Part Two in 2011.
Mel received a ten-minute standing ovation for his Gibson at the Venice International Film Festival in 2016, when “Hacksaw Ridge,” which premiered, had a euphoric reaction in Italy and was nominated for six Oscars. Gibson was nominated for Best Director and directed the World War II drama for the first time in over a decade.
What Happened to Mel Gibson?
Because of Malibu’s infamous DUI incident in 2006, he was arrested. This was followed in 2010 by a recording in which Gibson made racist statements to his then-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, the mom of one of his nine children, using the N-word. Leaked. She later said that Gibson had been physically abused. Gibson was regularly harassed by homophobic slurs even before his downfall.
Allegations of anti-Semitism, homophobia, racism and domestic abuse have followed Gibson’s career over the years. Several of Gibson’s scandals have resurfaced as a result of Ryder’s testimony, and they are now being evaluated through a socially aware perspective.
Nonetheless, Gibson has claimed in multiple interviews that acting is no longer the main reason behind his profession. Andrew Garfield plays a young World War II medical officer who is the first member of the military to earn the Congressional Medal of Honor in the film, which is presently in production.
Gibson’s fortunes are about to change with Braveheart author Randall Wallace co-writing the script and a superb team that includes Vince Vaughn and Hugo Weaving. Mel Gibson now wants to make it happen again, with a highly anticipated sequel set to begin production in the coming months. This second sequel, titled The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection, takes up immediately after the events of the first film.
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