Mel Gibson is an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter best known for his iconic roles in films such as Braveheart, The Patriot, and Lethal Weapon. Born in Peekskill, New York in 1956, Gibson's parents were both of Irish descent. His father, Hutton Gibson, was a railway brakeman and his mother, Anne Reilly, was a homemaker. Gibson developed an interest in acting at a young age, and began appearing in school plays and local theater productions.
Gibson attended the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, Australia, and made his feature film debut in the 1977 Australian movie Summer City. His breakthrough role came in the 1979 post-apocalyptic film Mad Max, in which he starred as a police officer in a world where law and order had broken down. The film was a success, and Gibson went on to star in several other films, including Gallipoli, The Year of Living Dangerously, and The Bounty.
In the mid-1980s, Gibson starred in the Lethal Weapon series, playing the role of Martin Riggs, a police officer who teams up with a veteran cop to take on a variety of criminals. The films were hugely successful, both commercially and critically, and established Gibson as an action movie star. He followed up this success with roles in other action films, such as Air America, Maverick, and Payback.
In 1995, Gibson directed and starred in the epic historical drama Braveheart, which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. The film tells the story of Scottish warrior William Wallace, and his fight for freedom against English rule. Gibson went on to direct other films, including The Man Without a Face, The Passion of the Christ, and Apocalypto.
Gibson's career has been marked by controversy, including accusations of anti-semitism and racism. He has also been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, and has been the subject of several domestic violence accusations. Despite these issues, Gibson remains one of the most successful and recognizable actors in Hollywood, with a career spanning more than four decades.
