Mel Gibson

Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. He was born in Peekskill, New York, moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia, when he was 12 years old, and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.

After appearing as an action hero during the 1980s, Gibson went on to found Icon Entertainment, a Production Company which independent film director Atom Egoyan has called, "an alternative to the studio system."
In 1995, Gibson produced, directed, and starred in the Academy Award-winning Braveheart. In 2004, he directed and produced The Passion of the Christ, a controversial film depicting the last hours in the life of Jesus Christ.

Mel Gibson's first American film was Mark Rydell's 1984 drama The River, in which he and Sissy Spacek played struggling Tennessee farmers. Gibson then starred in the Gothic romance Mrs. Soffel for Australian director Gillian Armstrong. He and Matthew Modine played condemned convict brothers opposite Diane Keaton as the warden's wife who visits them to read the Bible. In 1985, after working on four films in a row, Gibson took almost two years off at his Australian cattle station.[28] He returned to play the role of Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon, a film which helped to cement his status as a Hollywood "leading man".Gibson's next film was Robert Towne's Tequila Sunrise, followed by Lethal Weapon 2, in 1989. Gibson next starred in three films back-to-back: Bird on a Wire, Air America, and Hamlet; all were released in 1990.
As of 2013, his cancelled projects include a film about the writing of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), and a Richard Donner-helmed film with the working title Sam and George.
Asked in 2007 if he planned to return to acting and specifically to action roles, Gibson said: "I think I'm too old for that, but you never know. I just like telling stories. Entertainment is valid and I guess I'll probably do it again before it's over. You know, do something that people won't get mad with me for."
He has also expressed an intention to direct a movie set during the Viking Age, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Like The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto, he wants this speculative film to feature dialogue in period languages.However, DiCaprio ultimately opted out of the project. In a 2012 interview, Gibson announced that the project, which he has titled Berserker, was still moving forward.
In 2011, it was announced that Gibson had commissioned a screenplay from Joe Eszterhas about the Maccabees. The film is to be distributed by Warner Brothers Pictures. The announcement generated significant controversy. In April 2012, Eszterhas wrote a letter to Gibson accusing him of sabotaging their movie about the Maccabees because he "hates Jews", and citing a series of private incidents during which he allegedly heard Gibson express extremely racist views. Although written as a private letter, it was subsequently published on a film industry website. In response, Gibson stated that he still intends to make the movie, but will not base it upon Eszterhas' script, which he called substandard. Eszterhas then released audio tapes recorded secretly by his son of a number of Gibson's alleged "hateful rants".
In a 2012 interview, Gibson explained that the Maccabees film was still in preparation. He explained he was drawn to the Biblical account of the uprising due to its similarity to the American Old West genre. Gibson is also set to appear as the lead villain in two action films: Luther Voz in Machete Kills in 2013 opposite Danny Trejo; and Conrad Stonebanks in The Expendables 3 in 2014 opposite Sylvester Stallone.