American-born Australian actor and director, two-time Academy Award winner for Best Director and Best Picture for Braveheart.
Background
Born Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson in Peekskill, New York, he moved with his family to Australia at twelve and studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney.
Career
He broke through as Max Rockatansky in George Miller’s “Mad Max” trilogy, then starred as Sergeant Martin Riggs in Richard Donner’s “Lethal Weapon” series. He directed and starred in “Braveheart,” winning two Academy Awards, and directed “The Passion of the Christ,” “Apocalypto,” and “Hacksaw Ridge.”
Style
Gibson combined action leads with historical-epic directing and is closely identified with both English-language blockbusters and ambitious foreign-language productions.