Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson is a very popular and controversial American actor. Born in Peekskill, New York in 1956, Gibson was one of ten children raised in a very conservative, Catholic household. In 1968, Gibson's father, Hutton, decided to escape with the family to Australia to avoid the horrors of the Vietnam War. Gibson grew up in Australia and soon came to possess a very thick Australian accent.

After getting some exposure on the Australian TV show, The Sullivans, Gibson ended up in the extremely popular cult hit, Mad Max. This franchise later went on to spawn two sequels, and Gibson's courageous portrayal of the leather-clad futurist won him wide international acclaim. He then moved onto more mainstream movies, starring opposite Danny Glover in the extremely popular buddy comedy series, Lethal Weapon.

He then tested his Shakespearean chops, starring as the lead role in Hamlet. Deeper subject matter suited Gibson, as he proved in Braveheart, which told the story of Scotland's hard-earned independence from Britian in the thirteenth century. In 2004, he directed the runaway box-office smash, The Passion of the Christ, which depicted the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in vivid detail.

Gibson is if nothing else a man of deep faith. He has seven children with his wife, and he recently sponsored the building of a Catholic chapel along California's coast. In 2005, Gibson purchased a small island, Mago Island, for $15 million from a Japanese corporation. Gibson's complexities and quirks have made him the subject of both parody and praise. Memorabilia depicting Gibson and his many film roles is widely available online.