Although he's known as one of Australia's biggest imports, Mel Gibson is actually American. He was born in Peekskill, N.Y., on Jan. 3, 1956, and his parents moved the entire family to the Land Down Under at the outbreak of the Vietnam War.Gibson's start in acting was accidental: His sister sent an application for him to Sydney's National Institute of Dramatic Art. He must've been fated for stardom, since he was accepted; soon, he was onstage in a production of "Romeo and Juliet." In 1977, he starred in his first movie, Summer City, and two years later struck gold in Mad Max, a movie that launched a successful franchise and brought him fame.
Gibson proved his comedic chops in the Lethal Weapon movies and won numerous Academy Awards for Braveheart (1995), but he'll forever be known as the man who risked everything by bankrolling the megahit The Passion of the Christ (2004).
The BeaverSuffering from a severe case of depression, toy company CEO Walter Black begins using a beaver hand puppet to help him open up to his family. Jodie Foster directs and co-stars as Walter's wife in this dark comedy. Read More
Edge of DarknessAs a seasoned homicide detective, Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) has seen the bleakest side of humanity. But nothing prepares him for the toughest investigation of his life: the search for his only daughter Emma's (Bojana Novakovic) killer. Now, he is on a personal mission to uncover the disturbing... Read More
BraveheartEnraged at the slaughter of Murron (Catherine McCormack) -- his new bride and childhood love -- legendary Scottish warrior William Wallace (Mel Gibson, who also directed the film) slays a platoon of the local English lord's soldiers. This leads the village to revolt and, eventually, the entire... Read More
We Were SoldiersIn the first major battle of the Vietnam War, 450 gung-ho Army dogfaces square off for one month against 2,000 North Vietnamese regulars in the Ia Drang Valley, resulting in irretractable conflict. Mel Gibson is a lieutenant colonel who exhorts his men to be all they can be, and Barry Pepper (the... Read More
The PatriotWidower Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) wants nothing more than to live in peace and farm his land, but when a cruel British officer (Jason Isaacs) brings the American Revolution to Martin's door and threatens what he cherishes most, the former war hero is forced to take action. With the help of his... Read More
