With an exceptional career that spans over three decades,
Mel Gibson has starred in over 48 film and television productions. He is the
co-founder of Icon Productions and, since his directorial debut in 1993, he has
become one of the industry’s most successful and renowned filmmakers.
Believe it or not, Mel is a salt of the earth Irish man. He
has Irish connections on both his mother’s and father’s side. His late mother,
Anne Patricia Reilly, was born in County Longford and his great grandfather on
his father’s side was Patrick Mylott, who moved from Ireland to Australia in
the late 1800’s to escape the Famine.
Gibson’s grandmother, Eva Mylott, was a celebrated opera
singer who performed across the globe, moving from Australia, to Europe and
then to America, where she finally settled and married John H. Gibson, Mel’s
grandfather.
While still in college Mel Gibson landed a string of parts
in several Australian TV series including ‘The Sullivans’. His breakthrough
role was in George Miller’s 1979 road movie ‘Mad Max’, which was so successful
two sequels were later made.
In 1987, Mel was catapulted to international stardom as LAPD
detective Martin Riggs in ‘Lethal Weapon’. The buddy movie was a box office
smash, with the three sequels proved just as popular.
He produced/directed and starred in ‘Braveheart’ on location
here in Ireland in 1994.
Turning the world’s spotlight onto our stunning locations,
Braveheart was the first major international film to use Ireland as a location
under the new tax incentives and ultimately set the standard and trend for many
more international projects to follow over the coming years .The film had a
profoundly positive effect on the fledgling Irish film industry of 1994. In
1996, Braveheart won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best
Director, and picked up accolades at the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs and the MTV
Movie Awards.
In 2003, Gibson continued his directing career with the
controversial ‘Passion Of The Christ’, which went on to become one of the
highest grossing movies of all time and received three Academy Award
nominations.
By 2005 Mel, having now honed his tremendous directing
skill, Mel Gibson began filming ‘Apocalypto’. The film a film depicting the
decline of the Mayan civilization is a powerful piece of cinema with its
awe-inspiring visual feast of human resilience. Directed, produced and
co-written by Mel Gibson, Apocalypto was shot in the jungles of South America
and filmed entirely in the Mayan dialect of Yucatec. It received three nominations
at the 2007 Oscars.
The 5th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards takes
place on Sunday 17th February 2008 at Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre and can be seen
on RTE 1 at 9.30pm