Mel Gibson American Actor And Filmmaker

 

Early life and education

The birthday of Mel Columcille Gerard Gibsonfalls on January 3, 1956, in Peekskill, New York, into a family of Irish American descent, being the sixth of 11 children and the second son of writer Hutton Gibson and Irish-born Anne Patricia (née Reilly; died 1990). Gibson's paternal grandmother, opera contralto Eva Mylott (1875-1920), was born in Australia to Irish parents[5]; his paternal grandfather, John Hutton Gibson, was a millionaire tobacco businessman from the Southern United States. Donal, one of Gibson's younger brothers, is also an actor. Gibson's first name is derived from St. Mel's Cathedral, located in his mother's hometown of Longford. His second name, Colmcille, is also that of an Irish saint.

On February 14, 1968, Gibson's father was awarded US$145,000 in a lawsuit against the New York Central Railroad for a work-related injury (which would be worth US$1,311,105 in 2024); shortly afterwards, he moved his family to West Pymble, Sydney, Australia. At that time, Gibson was 12 years old. Economically, it made sense to return to the Australian grandmother's home after Gibson's father felt compelled to force her and the children" to avoid the draft of his eldest brother during the Vietnam War.

Gibson was educated during high school by members of the Congregation of Christian Brothers at St Leo's Catholic College, Wahroonga, New South Wales.

Career

Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (January 3, 1956-born) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is a multi-award-winning actor, director, and producer primarily acknowledged for directing historical films in addition to action hero roles, especially for his breakout role of Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocalyptic series Mad Max (1979-1985) and Martin Riggs in the buddy-cop series Lethal Weapon (1987-1998).

He was born in Peekskill, New York, but Gibson moved to Sydney, Australia, with his parents when he was 12 years of age. Gibson studied acting at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, where he starred opposite Judy Davis in a production of Romeo and Juliet. During the 1980s, he co-founded Icon Entertainment, a production company. Peter Weir cast him in one of the leading roles in the World War I drama Gallipoli (1981); Gibson won a Best Actor Award from the Australian Film Institute for the performance.

In 1995, Gibson produced, directed, and starred in the war film 'Braveheart', winning the Golden Globe for Best Director, the Academy Award for Best Director, and the Academy Award for Best Picture. He subsequently directed and produced 'The Passion of the Christ' (2004), a biblically themed drama that provoked substantial controversy but nevertheless was an outstanding financial success. He gained further acclaim for directing 'Apocalypto' (2006), an adventure film set in Mesoamerica during the early 16th Century. His major acting vehicles in this period included his parts in 'Ransom' (1996), 'Payback' (1999), 'What Women Want' (2000), 'The Patriot' (2000), and 'Signs' (2002).

Director and Producer

Gibson began to move into producing and directing in 1989 when he formed Icon Productions and made his first film, Hamlet. He made his directorial debut with 1993's The Man Without a Face. Two years later, he made Braveheart, which earned him the Oscar for Best Director. In 2004, Gibson wrote, directed, and funded the controversial film The Passion of the Christ. It became the highest-grossing film with an R rating of all time, earning over $370 million at the U.S. box office. In 2016, he directed Hacksaw Ridge, which received 14 award nominations including an Academy Award for Best Achievement in Directing and Golden Globe for Best Director Motion Picture, ultimately earning six awards, including a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Director and a Hollywood Film Award for Director of the Year. Throughout his career, Gibson has also directed and produced various television projects as well.

Mel Gibson Salary Highlights

Signs $25,000,000

We Were Soldiers $25,000,000

The Patriot $25,000,000

Chicken Run $1,550,000

Lethal Weapon 4 $25,000,000

Conspiracy Theory $20,000,000

Ransom $20,000,000

Maverick $15,000,000

Lethal Weapon 3 $10,000,000

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome $1,200,000

The River $500,000

Attack Force Z $918/week

Gallipoli $32,147

Mad Max $15,000

Summer City $400

Total: $168,298,465

Earnings of "The Passion of the Christ"

For years, Mel Gibson was trying to get the funding for this passion project, "The Passion of The Christ." Finally, frustrated Mel decided to invest $30 million of his own money to fund the project. He later invested an additional $15 million for marketing, totaling $45 million. Gibson himself owned 50 percent of the film profits. The other 50 percent went to distributor Newmarket Films. After all revenues of the movie were tallied up, Mel Gibson's personal cut was $300 million.

But that's not all. "Passion" was also a merchandising beast. The merchandise netted Gibson another $50-$100 million. Then came the DVD sales, which were hitting close to their general peak in 2004. From DVD sales, Mel pocketed a cool $75 million.

Putting it all together, Mel Gibson made somewhere between $400-$475 million from "The Passion Of the Christ." In January 2023, it was reported that filming for the sequel, "The Passion Of the Christ: Resurrection", would begin later in the year.

Divorce Settlement

Mel reportedly agreed to pay $400 million in the divorce from Robin Gibson. That made it the largest celebrity divorce settlement at that time.

Controversies and Legal Issues

In 2010, Oksana Grigorieva applied for a restraining order to keep Gibson away from their child. Gibson, in turn, filed a restraining order against her. She made accusations of domestic violence against him, for which he was investigated by the LAPD. In July 2010, audio of Gibson launching into a racist and vitriolic tirade against Grigorieva leaked to the internet. He ended up pleading no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge and settled with Grigorieva for $750,000 and their shared house in Sherman Oaks, California.

Gibson has been equally infamous for his anti-Semitic rants and anti-LGBTQ sentiments. His past controversial utterances blacklisted him for nearly a decade by producers, directors, agencies, and co-actors in the Hollywood film industry. It wasn't until he released "Hacksaw Ridge" that the Hollywood community began to warm to him again.

Gibson has talked about his alcohol addiction and recovery in numerous interviews. He was involved in a drunk rear-end car accident in 1984 in Toronto and was subsequently banned from driving in Canada for three months. On July 28, 2006, he was arrested under DUI for speeding with an open container of alcohol in his car. He pled no contest and was sentenced to three years of probation.

Real Estate

Mel Gibson has owned quite a number of fine homes and estates over the years. Throughout the decades, Gibson owned properties existing in Malibu, Los Angeles, Costa Rica, Fiji, and around Australia.

Greenwich, Connecticut:

In 1994, Mel Gibson paid $9 million for Old Mill Farm, a 75+ acre estate in Greenwich, Connecticut. He sold this property in July 2007 for $40 million. 

Malibu:

In 2008, Mel paid $11.5 million for a 5.5-acre house in Malibu. The sellers were former married couple, David Duchovny and Tea Leoni. At one point, Mel listed this house for $17.5 million. It went back on the market in March 2019 for $14.5 million. The listing was removed in July 2019, and he still owns the property. Sadly, Mel's Malibu compound was razed by the 2025 Palisades Fire. The 5,403-square-foot former Malibu compound of Gibson had six bedrooms and six bathrooms. Additional features include an oversized chess board lawn design, organic gardens, a fruit orchard, shade trees, shaded terraces, a tennis court, and a swimming pool. 

In April 2007, Gibson bought a 400-acre ranch in Costa Rica for the monstrous sum of $26 million. At various points, he has tried to sell the mansion for as much as $35 million. 

In December 2004, Mel sold Queensland property for $6 million, his first in Australia. Towards the end of that month, he purchased another private island in Fiji, Mago Island, for $15 million.

Accolades

Mel Gibson has a total of seven Academy Awards, five for "Braveheart" and two for "Hacksaw Ridge". He also won a Golden Globe for best director for "Braveheart". He has also been nominated for a BAFTA award and many others.

Mel Gibson – Profile (As of September 22, 2025)

Screen Name	Mel Gibson
Real Name	Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson
Date of Birth	January 3, 1956
Age	69 years
Birth Place	Peekskill, New York, USA
Mother	Eve Patricia (née Gibson)
Father	Hutton Gibson
Sibling	10 siblings (including Donal Gibson, an actor)
Children	9 children: • Hannah Gibson • Edward Gibson • William Gibson • Christian Gibson • John Gibson • Thomas Gibson • Milo Gibson • Lucia Gibson (with Oksana Grigorieva) • Lars Gibson
Weight	Approx. 86 kg (190 lbs)
Eyes Colour	Blue
Spouse	Robyn Moore (1980 – 2011)
Life Partner (Not Married)	Rosalind Ross (2014–present)
Girlfriends	Nadia Lanfranconi (2012), Violet Kowal (2009), Oksana Pochepa (2009), Oksana Grigorieva (2008–2010), Laura Bellizzi, Azita Ghanizada
Net Worth	$425 Million
Country	USA
Profession	Actor
Nationality	USA, Australia, Ireland
Social Media	Instagram: Official – 2.1M followers Facebook Page: Official – 3.8M followers Twitter (X): Official – 1.5M followers TikTok: Official – 420K followers YouTube: Official – 310K subscribers Threads: Official – 180K followers