Gibson, Mel (1956-…), is a motion-picture actor and director known for his work in action films. Gibson won the 1995 Academy Award for best director for his historical epic Braveheart. Gibson also starred in the film.
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson was born on Jan. 3, 1956, in Peekskill, New York. He immigrated to Australia with his family in 1968. Gibson made his motion-picture debut in the Australian film Summer City (1977).
Gibson gained his first international recognition as the mysterious hero in the Australian science-fiction film Mad Max (1979). He also starred in two sequels, The Road Warrior (1981) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). He increased his popularity playing a police detective in the Hollywood action film Lethal Weapon (1987) and its sequels in 1989, 1992, and 1998. Gibson’s other films include The Year of Living Dangerously (1983), Tequila Sunrise (1988), Hamlet (1990), The Man Without a Face (which he also directed, 1993), Maverick (1994), Ransom (1996), Payback (1999), What Women Want (2000), Signs (2002), The Singing Detective (2003), Edge of Darkness (2010), The Beaver (2011), Machete Kills (2013), The Expendables 3 (2014), and Blood Father (2016).
Gibson co-wrote and directed The Passion of the Christ (2004), a controversial film about Jesus Christ, and Apocalypto (2006), about the decline of the Maya civilization in Mexico in the 1400’s. Gibson also directed Hacksaw Ridge (2016), a biographical picture about an American medical corps soldier of World War II (1939-1945) who became the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor. A conscientious objector is a person who states that his beliefs prevent him from bearing arms in his country’s armed forces.
