From the Mad Max movie days to winning the Oscar for directing Braveheart (1995), which also received the Academy Award for best picture, American actor Mel Gibson had been a favorite son of Australia, but his reputation Down Under has been clouded by allegations of bigoted tirades and reports that he is under investigation for assaulting an ex-girlfriend.
Mel Gibson, actor, director, producer, was born in the United States in Peekskill, New York. His mother Ann was born in Australia. The Gibson family moved to Australia in 1968 and settled in Sydney. Most of Mel Gibson’s young life was spent in Australia.
Mel Gibson first studied drama at the New Zealand School of Drama, Toi Whakaari, in Wellington, New Zealand. He completed the course, then studied at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) since 1975. While at NIDA, he shared a room with Australian actor Geoffrey Rush. Among his early Australian films were Summer City (1977), Mad Max (1979), Tim (1979) and Gallipoli (1981).
He starred in the films Lethal Weapon with Danny Glover; won an Oscar for directing Braveheart (1995), which also received the Oscar for Best Picture; and directed, wrote and produced the box office success The Passion of the Christ (2004).
Due to his youth, training, studies, and first film appearance in Australia, Australians generally regarded Mel Gibson as one of their own. He contributed to the construction of the new building for the National Institute of Dramatic Arts in Sydney, which was completed in 2003. But allegations of intolerant tirades and reports that he is under investigation for assaulting an ex-girlfriend now appear to have sadly and seriously tarnished his reputation. . .
