George Clooney
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
George Timothy Clooney was born on May 6, 1961, in Le xing ton, Kentucky, to Nina Bruce (née Warren), a former beauty pageant queen, andNick Clooney,a former anchorman and television host (who was also the brother of singerRosemary Clooney). He has Irish, English, and German ancestry. Clooney spent most of his youth in Ohio and Kentucky, and graduated from Augusta High School. He was very active in sports such as basketball and baseball, and tried out for the Cincinnati Reds, but was not offered a contract.
After his cousin,Miguel Ferrer,got him a small role in a feature film, Clooney began to pursue acting. His first major role was on the sitcomE/R (1984)as Ace. More roles soon followed, including George Burnett, the handsome handyman onThe Facts of Life (1979);Booker Brooks, a supervisor onRoseanne (1988);and Detective James Falconer onSisters (1991).Clooney had his breakthrough when he was cast as Dr. Doug Ross on the award-winning drama seriesER (1994),oppositeAnthony Edwards,Noah WyleandJulianna Margulies.
While filming "ER" (1994), Clooney starred in a number of high profile film roles, such asRobert Rodriguez'sFrom Dusk Till Dawn (1996),andOne Fine Day (1996),oppositeMichelle Pfeiffer.In 1997, Clooney took on the role of Batman inJoel Schumacher'sBatman & Robin (1997).The film was a moderate success in the box office, but was slammed by critics, notably for the nipple-laden Batsuit. Clooney went on to star inSteven Soderbergh'sOut of Sight (1998),Terrence Malick'sThe Thin Red Line (1998),andDavid O. Russell'sThree Kings (1999).
In 1999, Clooney left "ER" (1994) (though he would return for the season finale) and appeared in a number of films, includingO Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000),The Perfect Storm (2000)andOcean's Eleven (2001).Collaborating once again withSteven Soderbergh,Ocean's Eleven (2001) received critical acclaim, earned more than $450 million at the box office, and spawned two sequels:Ocean's Twelve (2004)andOcean's Thirteen (2007).
In 2002, Clooney made his directorial debut withConfessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002),an adaptation of TV producerChuck Barris' autobiography. This was the first film under the banner of Section Eight Productions, a production company he founded withSteven Soderbergh.The company also produced many acclaimed films, includingFar from Heaven (2002),Syriana (2005),A Scanner Darkly (2006)andGood Night, and Good Luck. (2005).Clooney won his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Syriana (2005), and was nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005).
In 2006, Section Eight Productions was shut down so that Soderbergh could concentrate on directing, and Clooney founded a new production company, Smokehouse Productions, with his friend and longtime business partner,Grant Heslov.
Clooney went on to produce and star inMichael Clayton (2007)(which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor), directed and starred inLeatherheads (2008),and took leading roles inBurn After Reading (2008),The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009),Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009),andJason Reitman'sUp in the Air (2009).Clooney received critical acclaim for his performance in Up in the Air (2009) and was nominated for several awards, including a Golden Globe Award and Academy Award. He didn't win that year, but took home both Best Actor awards (as well as countless nominations) for his role as a father who finds out his wife was unfaithful as she lays in a coma inAlexander Payne'sThe Descendants (2011).Through his career, Clooney has been heralded for his political activism and humanitarian work. He has served as one of the United Nations Messengers of Peace since 2008, has been an advocate for the Darfur conflict, and organized the Hope for Haiti telethon, to raise money for the victims of the 2010 earthquake. In March 2012, Clooney was arrested for civil disobedience while protesting at the Sudanese embassy in Washington, D.C.
Clooney was married to actressTalia Balsam,from 1989 until 1993. After their divorce, he swore he would never marry again.Michelle PfeifferandNicole Kidmanbet him $10,000 that he would have children by the age of 40, and sent him a check shortly after his birthday. Clooney returned the funds and bet double or nothing he wouldn't have children by the age of 50. Although he has remained a consummate bachelor, Clooney has had many highly publicized relationships, including with former WWE wrestlerStacy Keibler.In 2014, he married lawyer and activistAmal Clooney,with whom he has two children, twins.
After his cousin,Miguel Ferrer,got him a small role in a feature film, Clooney began to pursue acting. His first major role was on the sitcomE/R (1984)as Ace. More roles soon followed, including George Burnett, the handsome handyman onThe Facts of Life (1979);Booker Brooks, a supervisor onRoseanne (1988);and Detective James Falconer onSisters (1991).Clooney had his breakthrough when he was cast as Dr. Doug Ross on the award-winning drama seriesER (1994),oppositeAnthony Edwards,Noah WyleandJulianna Margulies.
While filming "ER" (1994), Clooney starred in a number of high profile film roles, such asRobert Rodriguez'sFrom Dusk Till Dawn (1996),andOne Fine Day (1996),oppositeMichelle Pfeiffer.In 1997, Clooney took on the role of Batman inJoel Schumacher'sBatman & Robin (1997).The film was a moderate success in the box office, but was slammed by critics, notably for the nipple-laden Batsuit. Clooney went on to star inSteven Soderbergh'sOut of Sight (1998),Terrence Malick'sThe Thin Red Line (1998),andDavid O. Russell'sThree Kings (1999).
In 1999, Clooney left "ER" (1994) (though he would return for the season finale) and appeared in a number of films, includingO Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000),The Perfect Storm (2000)andOcean's Eleven (2001).Collaborating once again withSteven Soderbergh,Ocean's Eleven (2001) received critical acclaim, earned more than $450 million at the box office, and spawned two sequels:Ocean's Twelve (2004)andOcean's Thirteen (2007).
In 2002, Clooney made his directorial debut withConfessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002),an adaptation of TV producerChuck Barris' autobiography. This was the first film under the banner of Section Eight Productions, a production company he founded withSteven Soderbergh.The company also produced many acclaimed films, includingFar from Heaven (2002),Syriana (2005),A Scanner Darkly (2006)andGood Night, and Good Luck. (2005).Clooney won his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Syriana (2005), and was nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005).
In 2006, Section Eight Productions was shut down so that Soderbergh could concentrate on directing, and Clooney founded a new production company, Smokehouse Productions, with his friend and longtime business partner,Grant Heslov.
Clooney went on to produce and star inMichael Clayton (2007)(which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor), directed and starred inLeatherheads (2008),and took leading roles inBurn After Reading (2008),The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009),Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009),andJason Reitman'sUp in the Air (2009).Clooney received critical acclaim for his performance in Up in the Air (2009) and was nominated for several awards, including a Golden Globe Award and Academy Award. He didn't win that year, but took home both Best Actor awards (as well as countless nominations) for his role as a father who finds out his wife was unfaithful as she lays in a coma inAlexander Payne'sThe Descendants (2011).Through his career, Clooney has been heralded for his political activism and humanitarian work. He has served as one of the United Nations Messengers of Peace since 2008, has been an advocate for the Darfur conflict, and organized the Hope for Haiti telethon, to raise money for the victims of the 2010 earthquake. In March 2012, Clooney was arrested for civil disobedience while protesting at the Sudanese embassy in Washington, D.C.
Clooney was married to actressTalia Balsam,from 1989 until 1993. After their divorce, he swore he would never marry again.Michelle PfeifferandNicole Kidmanbet him $10,000 that he would have children by the age of 40, and sent him a check shortly after his birthday. Clooney returned the funds and bet double or nothing he wouldn't have children by the age of 50. Although he has remained a consummate bachelor, Clooney has had many highly publicized relationships, including with former WWE wrestlerStacy Keibler.In 2014, he married lawyer and activistAmal Clooney,with whom he has two children, twins.
