Editing Mel Gibson (section)

=== Acting ===
[[File:Mel Gibson, 1985 03.jpg|thumb|upright|Gibson in 1985]]
Gibson studied at the [[National Institute of Dramatic Art]] in Sydney.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23746638-16947,00.html | title = Youth with stars in their eyes | author = Graeme Blundell | author-link = Graeme Blundell | work = The Australian | date = May 24, 2008 | access-date = June 1, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080528215810/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23746638-16947,00.html | archive-date = May 28, 2008 | url-status=dead | df = mdy-all }}</ref> As students, Gibson and actress [[Judy Davis]] played the [[leading actor|leads]] in ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'', and Gibson played the role of [[Titania (A Midsummer Night's Dream)|Queen Titania]] in an [[experimental theatre|experimental]] production of ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]].''<ref>"A Night on Mount Edna," December 15, 1990</ref> After graduation in 1977,<ref name="Huong">{{cite web|url=http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/Entertainment/Movies/2006/8/50652/|title=Mel Gibson Convicted on Drink-driving|last=Huong|first=Nhu|date=August 18, 2006|work=[[Sài Gòn Giải Phóng]]|access-date=July 23, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721141547/http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/Entertainment/Movies/2006/8/50652/|archive-date=July 21, 2011}}</ref> Gibson immediately began work on the filming of ''[[Mad Max (film)|Mad Max]]'', but continued to work as a stage actor, and joined the [[State Theatre Company of South Australia]] in [[Adelaide]]. Gibson's theatrical credits include the character [[Estragon]] (opposite [[Geoffrey Rush]]) in ''[[Waiting for Godot]]'', and the role of Biff Loman in a 1982 production of ''[[Death of a Salesman]]'' in Sydney. Gibson's most recent theatrical performance, opposite [[Sissy Spacek]], was the 1993 production of ''[[Love Letters (play)|Love Letters]]'' by [[A. R. Gurney]], in [[Telluride, Colorado|Telluride]], Colorado.<ref>{{cite news | title = Welcome to Telluride&nbsp;– Now Go Away | author=Robert Weller | agency=Associated Press | date = July 17, 1993}}</ref>

While a student at [[National Institute of Dramatic Art|NIDA]], Gibson made his film debut in the 1977 film ''[[Summer City]]'', for which he was paid $400.<ref name="SunTSA">{{cite news|url=http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/article73313.ece |title=Gibson blushes as first screen kiss surfaces |date=July 10, 2005 |work=[[The Sunday Times (South Africa)|The Sunday Times]] |access-date=July 20, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723124357/http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/article73313.ece |archive-date=July 23, 2010 }}</ref> Gibson then played the title character in the film ''[[Mad Max (film)|Mad Max]]'' (1979). He was paid $9000 for this role. Shortly after making the film, he did a season with the [[State Theatre Company of South Australia|South Australian Theatre Company]]. During this period, he shared a $30 a week apartment in [[Adelaide, South Australia|Adelaide]] with his future wife Robyn Moore. After ''Mad Max'', Gibson played a mentally slow youth in the film ''[[Tim (film)|Tim]]'' (also 1979).<ref name="Atterton, Margot 1984. p 86">Atterton, Margot. (Ed.) ''The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Australian Showbiz'', Sunshine Books, 1984. {{ISBN|0-86777-057-0}} p. 86</ref>  Gibson also appeared in Australian television series guest roles. He appeared in serial ''[[The Sullivans]]'' as naval lieutenant Ray Henderson,<ref>Mercado, Andrew. ''Super Aussie Soaps'', Pluto Press Australia, 2004. {{ISBN|1-86403-191-3}} p. 111</ref> in [[police procedural]] ''[[Cop Shop]]'',<ref name="Atterton, Margot 1984. p 86"/> and in the pilot episode of prison serial ''[[Punishment (TV series)|Punishment]]'' which was produced in 1980, screened 1981.<ref>Mercado, Andrew. ''Super Aussie Soaps'', Pluto Press Australia, 2004. {{ISBN|1-86403-191-3}} pp. 154–156</ref><ref>Moran, Albert. Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series, Allen & Unwin, 1993. {{ISBN|0-642-18462-3}} pp. 371–2</ref>

Gibson joined the cast of the [[World War II]] action film ''[[Attack Force Z]]'', which was not released until 1982 when Gibson had become a bigger star. Director [[Peter Weir]] cast Gibson as one of the leads in the [[World War I]] drama ''[[Gallipoli (1981 film)|Gallipoli]]'' (1981), which earned Gibson another Best Actor Award from the [[Australian Film Institute]].<ref name="autogenerated1">The Australian Film Institute,[http://www.afi.org.au/Past_Winners2/AM/ContentManagerNet/ContentDisplay.aspx?ContentID=6460&Section=Past_Winners Past Winners] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723062132/http://www.afi.org.au/Past_Winners2/AM/ContentManagerNet/ContentDisplay.aspx?ContentID=6460&Section=Past_Winners |date=July 23, 2010 }}</ref> ''Gallipoli'' also helped to earn Gibson the reputation of a serious, versatile actor and gained him the Hollywood agent [[Ed Limato]]. The sequel ''[[Mad Max 2]]'' (1982) was his first hit in America, where it was released as ''The Road Warrior''. Gibson again received positive notices for his role in [[Peter Weir]]'s romantic thriller ''[[The Year of Living Dangerously (film)|The Year of Living Dangerously]]'' (1982). Following a one-year hiatus from film acting after the birth of his twin sons, Gibson took on the role of [[Fletcher Christian]] in ''[[The Bounty (1984 film)|The Bounty]]'' (1984). Gibson earned his first million dollar salary for playing [[Max Rockatansky]] for the third time, in ''[[Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome]]'' (1985).<ref>{{cite web |first=Joe |last=Valdez |title=Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) |url=http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2007/12/20/mad-max-beyond-thunderdome-1985/ |work=This Distracted Globe |date=December 20, 2007 |access-date=May 24, 2009 |archive-date=July 27, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090727141051/http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2007/12/20/mad-max-beyond-thunderdome-1985/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/australian-movie-stars/|title=Australian Movie Stars|date=August 18, 2019}}</ref>

Gibson's first American film was [[Mark Rydell]]'s drama ''[[The River (1984 film)|The River]]'' (1984), in which he and [[Sissy Spacek]] played struggling [[Tennessee]] farmers. Gibson then starred in the Gothic romance ''[[Mrs. Soffel]]'' (also 1984) 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]].<ref name="Morris">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/jul/16/comment.features|title=Mel Gibson: Proud or prejudiced?|last=Morris|first=Mark|date=July 16, 2000|work=The Observer |location=UK |access-date=July 19, 2010 }}</ref> He returned to play the role of [[Martin Riggs]] in ''[[Lethal Weapon]]'' (1987), a film which helped to cement his status as a Hollywood "leading man".<ref name="Adler">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1547464/20061206/story.jhtml|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130111070347/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1547464/20061206/story.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 11, 2013|title=From 'Mad Max' To His Infamous Rant: Mel Gibson's Highs And Lows|last=Adler|first=Shawn|date=December 7, 2006|publisher=MTV|access-date=July 19, 2010}}</ref> Gibson's next film was [[Robert Towne]]'s ''[[Tequila Sunrise (film)|Tequila Sunrise]]'' (1988), followed by ''[[Lethal Weapon 2]]'' (1989). Gibson next starred in three films back-to-back, all released in 1990: ''[[Bird on a Wire (film)|Bird on a Wire]]'', ''[[Air America (film)|Air America]]'', and ''[[Hamlet (1990 film)|Hamlet]]''.

[[File:Mel Gibson 1990.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Gibson in 1990 at an ''[[Air America (film)|Air America]]'' premiere]]
During the 1990s, Gibson alternated between commercial and personal projects. His films in the first half of the decade were ''[[Forever Young (1992 film)|Forever Young]]'', ''[[Lethal Weapon 3]]'', ''[[Maverick (film)|Maverick]]'', and ''[[Braveheart]]''. He then starred in ''[[Ransom (1996 film)|Ransom]]'', ''[[Conspiracy Theory (film)|Conspiracy Theory]]'', ''[[Lethal Weapon 4]]'', and ''[[Payback (1999 film)|Payback]]''. Gibson also served as the speaking and singing voice of [[John Smith (explorer)|John Smith]] in [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]]'s ''[[Pocahontas (1995 film)|Pocahontas]]''.

Gibson was paid a record salary of $25 million to appear in ''[[The Patriot (2000 film)|The Patriot]]'' (2000).<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=Spring 2000|issue=540|page=117|title=Livin' Large}}</ref> It grossed over $100&nbsp;million, as did two other films he featured in that year, ''[[Chicken Run]]'' and ''[[What Women Want]]''.<ref name="Cagle"/> In 2002, Gibson appeared in the [[Vietnam War]] drama ''[[We Were Soldiers]]'' and [[M. Night Shyamalan]]'s ''[[Signs (2002 film)|Signs]]'', which became the highest-grossing film of Gibson's acting career.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?id=melgibson.htm |title=Mel Gibson |website=Box Office Mojo | access-date=May 24, 2009}}</ref>

Gibson's popularity declined after he had made some controversial statements.<ref>{{cite web|last=Grady|first=Constance|url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/7/24/17460392/mel-gibson-comeback-metoo-times-up|title=Mel Gibson has set the blueprint for a #MeToo comeback. Expect other men to follow it.|date=July 24, 2018|work=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]|access-date=July 24, 2018}}</ref>

While promoting ''Signs'', Gibson said that he no longer wanted to be a movie star and would only act in film again if the script were truly extraordinary. In 2010, Gibson appeared in ''[[Edge of Darkness (2010 film)|Edge of Darkness]]'', which marked his first starring role since 2002<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://variety.com/2008/film/news/mel-gibson-returns-for-darkness-1117984773/ |first=Michael |last=Fleming |title=Mel Gibson returns for 'Darkness' |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=April 28, 2008 |access-date=March 29, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090330065747/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117984773.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 |archive-date=March 30, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> and was an adaptation of the BBC miniseries, ''[[Edge of Darkness]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.variety.com/VR1117984773.html |title=Mel Gibson returns for 'Darkness' |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|author=Michael Fleming |date=April 28, 2008 |access-date=October 22, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080713001927/http://www.variety.com/VR1117984773.html |archive-date=July 13, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In June of the same year, Gibson was in [[Brownsville, Texas]], filming scenes for the film ''[[Get the Gringo]]'', about a career criminal put in a tough prison in Mexico.<ref>[http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/font-113032-gibson-mel.html Hollywood Hits Home: Mel Gibson, film crew shoot scenes in Brownsville] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610215827/http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/font-113032-gibson-mel.html |date=June 10, 2010 }} ''The Brownsville Herald''</ref>

In 2010, following an outburst at his ex-girlfriend that was made public, Gibson was dropped from the talent agency of [[William Morris Endeavor]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/07/10/2010-07-10_mel_gibsons_agency_drops_actor_after_racist_and_sexist_rant_alleged_attack_again.html | title=Mel Gibson's agency drops actor after racist and sexist rant, alleged attack against ex-girlfriend | work=Daily News | access-date=July 11, 2010 | location=New York | first=Aliyah | last=Shahid | date=July 10, 2010 | archive-date=July 12, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712191214/http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/07/10/2010-07-10_mel_gibsons_agency_drops_actor_after_racist_and_sexist_rant_alleged_attack_again.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> Gibson was lined up for a small role in ''[[The Hangover Part II]]'' but he was removed from the film after the cast and crew objected to his involvement.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/21/no-hangover-for-mel-gibson/|title=No 'Hangover' for Mel Gibson|date=October 21, 2010|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=October 21, 2010|first=Michael|last=Cieply}}</ref>

Gibson also played two villains: Luther Voz in ''[[Machete Kills]]'' in 2013, opposite [[Danny Trejo]], and Conrad Stonebanks in ''[[The Expendables 3]]'' opposite [[Sylvester Stallone]] in 2014.
[[File:Mel & Sly Cannes 2013.jpg|thumb|upright|Gibson with ''Expendables'' co-star [[Sylvester Stallone]] (background) in 2014]]
Gibson appeared in the lead role of director [[S. Craig Zahler]]'s police brutality-themed film ''[[Dragged Across Concrete]]'', released in 2018.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=McNary|first1=Dave|title=Mel Gibson, Vince Vaughn to Star in Movie About Police Brutality|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/mel-gibson-vince-vaughn-police-brutality-movie-dragged-across-concrete-1201975594/|access-date=February 3, 2017|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=February 1, 2017}}</ref> He then starred in ''[[The Professor and the Madman (film)|The Professor and the Madman]]'' – he and the director both disowned the film.