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Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American-born Australian-reared movie actor, director, and producer best known for his role in the Lethal Weapon series and Braveheart.

Gibson was born in Peekskill, New York as one of 11 children, but raised in Australia from the age of 12. He maintained his U.S. citizenship. Following a victory on the Jeopardy! game show, Gibson's father Hutton moved his family to Australia in the 1970s in protest of the Vietnam War and because he believed that changes in American society were immoral. Hutton is associated with far right wing traditionalist Roman Catholic movements and has been accused by critics of Holocaust denial.

Gibson and the Movies

He made his Australian film debut as the leather-clad post-apocalyptic survivor in George Miller's Mad Max, which later became a series of films. His international profile was increased through Peter Weir's anti-war First World War film Gallipoli. In 1984 he made his US movie debut, starring as Fletcher Christian in the Moutiny on the Bounty. Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins played Captain Bligh.

Lethal Weapon and Hamlet

Gibson moved to more mainstream filmmaking with the popular Lethal Weapon series, where he starred as a maverick and voilent cop, Martin Riggs, in a buddy relationship with his older and more conservative partner played by Danny Glover. Towards the end of the series, Gibson surprisingly moved to the classical genre, playing the melancholy Danish prince in Franco Zeffirelli's film of Shakespeare's Hamlet (1990).

Academy Awards

In 1996 Gibson received two Academy Awards (Best Director and Best Picture) for the film Braveheart (1995), based on Sir William Wallace, a thirteenth century Scottish warlord who fought the English. Though popular with audiences the film was slammed by historians as "garbage", with one critic commenting that "Gibson's Wallace has about as much resemblance to the real story of the real Wallace as his 'Martin Riggs' holds to George Washington."

The Passion

Mel Gibson recent completed the controversial movie, The Passion, a 12-hour film in the Aramaic language, which recounts the passion and death of Jesus Christ. The movie has received praise by many conservative Christians, but has been heavily criticised by many Catholic and Jewish scholars, some of whom have claimed it promotes anti-Semitism and contains serious historical errors. A committee of inter-faith scholars who attempted to work on the script had their attempts rebutted by Gibson.

Gibson was asked if his movie would be offensive to Jews today; his response was "It's not meant to. I think it's meant to just tell the truth. I want to be as truthful as possible. But when you look at the reasons Christ came, he was crucified-he died for all mankind and he suffered for all mankind. So that, really, anyone who transgresses has to look at their own part or look at their own culpability."

Gibson originally claimed that this movie was based solely on the New Testament; however it has more recently been revealed that it is inspired by the writings of a 19th-century nun, Anne Catherine Emmerich, whose writing were accused of promoting anti-semitism.

The Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil-rights group publicly criticised Gibson's film.

Gibson's politics and opinions

Gibson's viewpoints have been described variously as 'conservative', 'far right' and 'anti-semitic'. Gay rights groups have accused him of homophobia over his attacks on homosexuality while his support for his father's ultra-conservative right wing views, and his support for conservative Catholic breakaway movements associated with sedevacantist movements have led to charges of anti-semitism, charges increased following his making of the movie The Passion. In addition his role in the controversial movies Braveheart and The Patriot, both of which were criticised by historians as one-sided simplistic propaganda, led to accusations of an anti-British agenda.

Selected Filmography

• Signs (2002)
• We Were Soldiers (2002)
• Chicken Run (2000)
• The Million Dollar Hotel (2000)
• The Patriot (2000)
• What Women Want (2000)
• PayBack (1999)
• Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
• Conspiracy Theory (1997)
• Fairy Tale: A True Story (1997, uncredited)
• Father's Day (1997, uncredited)
• Ransom (1996)
• Braveheart (1995, also directed)
• Pocahontas (1995, voice)
• Maverick (1994)
• The Man Without a Face (1993, also directed)
• Forever Young (1992)
• Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)
• Air America (1990)
• Bird on a Wire (1990)
• Hamlet (1990)
• Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
• Tequila Sunrise (1998)
• Lethal Weapon (1987)
• Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
• The Bounty (1984)
• Mrs. Soffle (1984)
• The River (1984)
• Attack Force Z (1982)
• The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
• Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
• Gallipoli (1981)
• Mad Max (1979)
• Tim (1979)
• Summer City (1977)

External Links

• snopes.com story about Mel Gibson and his father
• Anti-Defamation League FAQ on Mel Gibson's Passion
• Article defending Gibson and his film
• Jewish civil rights leader says actor Mel Gibson espouses anti-Semitic views
• Mel Gibson's Passion movie elicits hatemail
• Passion plays in history and theology