Editing Mel Gibson

{{Short description|American actor and filmmaker (born 1956)}}
{{About|the actor|the basketball player and coach|Mel Gibson (basketball)}}
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{{Infobox officeholder
| name             = Mel Gibson
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|AO}}
| image            = Mel Gibson Cannes 2016 2.jpg 
| office           = [[Ambassadors of the United States#Special envoys, representatives, and coordinators|Special Ambassador to Hollywood]]
| alongside        = [[Sylvester Stallone]] and [[Jon Voight]]
| president        = [[Donald Trump]]
| term_start       = January 20, 2025
| term_end         =
| predecessor      = ''Position established''
| caption          = Gibson in 2016
| birth_name       = Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1956|1|3}}
| birth_place      = [[Peekskill, New York]], U.S.
| citizenship      = {{hlist|United States|Ireland}}
| occupation       = {{hlist|Actor|film director|producer|screenwriter}}
| data2            = 1976–present
|education = [[National Institute of Dramatic Art]] ([[Bachelor of Fine Arts|BFA]])
| father           = [[Hutton Gibson]]
| relatives        = [[Donal Gibson]] (brother)<br/>[[Eva Mylott]] (grandmother)
| children         = 9, including [[Milo Gibson|Milo]]
| blank2           = Years active
| blank1           = Works
| spouse           = {{marriage|Robyn Moore|1980|2011|end=div}}
| partner          = [[Oksana Grigorieva]] (2007–2010) <br />
Rosalind Ross (2014–present)
| awards           = [[List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson|Full list]]
| data1            = [[Mel Gibson filmography|Full list]]
}}

'''Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson''' (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of [[List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson|multiple accolades]], he is known for directing historical films as well for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as [[Max Rockatansky]] in the first three films of the [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|post-apocalyptic]] series ''[[Mad Max]]'' (1979–1985) and as [[Martin Riggs]] in the [[buddy cop film|buddy cop]] series ''[[Lethal Weapon (franchise)|Lethal Weapon]]'' (1987–1998).

Born in [[Peekskill, New York]], Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia, when he was 12 years old. He studied acting at the [[National Institute of Dramatic Art]], where he starred opposite [[Judy Davis]] in a production of ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]''. During the 1980s, he founded [[Icon Entertainment]], a production company. Director [[Peter Weir]] cast him as one of the leads in the World War I drama ''[[Gallipoli (1981 film)|Gallipoli]]'' (1981), which earned Gibson a Best Actor Award from the [[Australian Film Institute]].

In 1995, Gibson produced, directed, and starred in the war film ''[[Braveheart]]'' for which he won the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director]], the [[Academy Award for Best Director]], and the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]]. He later directed and produced ''[[The Passion of the Christ]]'' (2004), a biblical drama that was both financially successful and highly controversial. He received further critical notice for directing the action-adventure film ''[[Apocalypto]]'' (2006), set in [[Mesoamerica]] during the early 16th century. His notable acting roles during this period were in ''[[Ransom (1996 film)|Ransom]]'' (1996), ''[[Payback (1999 film)|Payback]]'' (1999), ''[[What Women Want]]'' (2000), ''[[The Patriot (2000 film)|The Patriot]]'' (2000), and ''[[Signs (2002 film)|Signs]]'' (2002). 

After several legal issues and controversial statements leaked to the public, Gibson's popularity in Hollywood declined, affecting his career. He subsequently starred in ''[[Edge of Darkness (2010 film)|Edge of Darkness]]'' (2010) and [[Jodie Foster]]'s ''[[The Beaver (film)|The Beaver]]'' (2011). His directorial comeback after an absence of 10 years, ''[[Hacksaw Ridge]]'' (2016), won two [[89th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]].

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== Early life and education==
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson<ref>{{Cite book|last=McDannell|first=Colleen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=329d609gs1wC&q=%22Mel+Columcille+Gerard+Gibson%22&pg=PA327|title=Catholics in the Movies|date=2008|publisher=Oxford University Press, USA|isbn=978-0-19-530656-9}}</ref> was born in [[Peekskill, New York]],<ref name=rte2008/> on January 3, 1956<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.upi.com/Top_News/2019/01/03/UPI-Almanac-for-Thursday-Jan-3-2019/1811546209344/|title= UPI Almanac for Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019|work=[[United Press International]]|date=January 3, 2019|access-date=September 3, 2019|archive-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190103223323/https://www.upi.com/Top_News/2019/01/03/UPI-Almanac-for-Thursday-Jan-3-2019/1811546209344/|url-status=live|quote=actor/director Mel Gibson in 1956 (age 63)}}</ref> into a family of [[Irish Americans|Irish American]] descent, as the sixth of 11 children, and the second son of [[Hutton Gibson]], a writer, and Irish-born Anne Patricia (née Reilly, died 1990).<ref name=rte2008>{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/arts/2008/0208/gibsonm.html |title=Mel Gibson to be honoured at IFTA ceremony&nbsp;– RTÉ Ten |publisher=Raidió Teilifís Éireann |access-date=July 12, 2010 |date=February 8, 2008 |archive-date=July 27, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090727121854/http://www.rte.ie/arts/2008/0208/gibsonm.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Lawrence Donegan |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/feb/29/religion.world |title=Observer profile |work=The Guardian |location=UK |date= February 29, 2004|access-date=July 12, 2010 }}</ref> Gibson's paternal grandmother was opera contralto [[Eva Mylott]] (1875–1920), who was born in Australia to Irish parents,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_A73Xj1u0X4C&q=%22The+Gibson+family+connection.%22 |title=Mel Gibson – John Hanrahan – Google Books |access-date=March 19, 2014|isbn=9780949773340 |year=1986 |last1=Hanrahan |first1=John |publisher=Little Hills Press }}</ref> while his paternal grandfather, John Hutton Gibson, was a millionaire tobacco businessman from the [[Southern United States]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=erBp3iuFmCwC&q=%22Eva%20Mylott%20moved%20to%20America%20shortly%20before%20World%20War%20I%20and%20not%20long%20after%22|title=The Films of Mel Gibson|first=John|last=McCarty|date=January 1, 1997|publisher=Carol Publishing Group|isbn=9780806519180|access-date=November 27, 2016|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7PFll5i1yNEC&q=%22Little%20wonder%20that%20Mel%20Gibson%20found%20his%20calling%20in%20Hollywood's%20movie%20industry%22|title=Mel Gibson: Man on a Mission|first=Wensley|last=Clarkson|author-link=Wensley Clarkson|date=September 1, 2005|publisher=John Blake|isbn=9781857825770|access-date=November 27, 2016|via=Google Books}}</ref> One of Gibson's younger brothers, [[Donal Gibson|Donal]], is also an actor. Gibson's first name is derived from [[St Mel's Cathedral]], situated in his mother's hometown of [[Longford]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rte.ie/archives/2018/0320/948804-tea-with-mel-gibson/|title= Tea With Mel Gibson|website=RTÉ Archives|date=March 23, 1993|access-date=March 28, 2020}}</ref> His second name, [[Columba|Colmcille]],<ref name="filed"/> is also shared with an Irish saint.<ref>Michael Dwyer, ''[[The Irish Times]]'' film critic, interviewed on [[RTÉ Radio 1]]'s ''This week'' programme, August 6, 2006.</ref> 

Gibson's father was awarded US$145,000 in a work-related-injury lawsuit against the [[New York Central Railroad]] on February 14, 1968 ({{Inflation|US|145000|1968|fmt=eq}}), and soon afterwards relocated his family to [[West Pymble]], Sydney, Australia.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Mel Gibson: Living Dangerously|first=Wensley|last=Clarkson|author-link=Wensley Clarkson|publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press|location=New York|year=1993|page=30}}</ref> Gibson was 12 years old at the time. The move to his grandmother's native Australia was both financial  and a way to avoid the [[Conscription in Australia#Vietnam War|draft]] of his eldest son during the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name="Grossman">{{cite news |last1=Grossman |first1=Wendy |author1-link=Wendy M. Grossman |title=Is the Pope Catholic? |url=http://www.dallasobserver.com/2003-07-31/news/is-the-pope-catholic/ |access-date=April 7, 2023 |newspaper=[[Dallas Observer]] |date=July 31, 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131108142450/http://www.dallasobserver.com/2003-07-31/news/is-the-pope-catholic/full/ |archive-date=2013-11-08}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

During his high school years, Gibson was educated by members of the [[Congregation of Christian Brothers]] at [[St Leo's Catholic College]] in [[Wahroonga]], [[New South Wales]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/2006/08/08/mel-gibson-biographyfilmography/ |title=Mel Gibson's Biography/Filmography&nbsp;– Celebrity Gossip, Entertainment News, Arts And Entertainment |publisher=Fox News Channel |date=August 8, 2006 |access-date=July 13, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320085700/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2006/08/08/mel-gibson-biographyfilmography/ |archive-date=March 20, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/01/1078117354823.html |title=A son's dangerous passion, in the name of the father&nbsp;– OpinionGerardHenderson |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=March 2, 2004 |access-date=July 13, 2010}}</ref>

== Career ==
=== Overview ===
Gibson gained favorable notices from film critics when he first entered the cinematic scene, as well as comparisons to several classic movie stars. In 1982, [[Vincent Canby]] wrote that "Mr. Gibson recalls the young [[Steve McQueen]]... I can't define 'star quality,' but whatever it is, Mr. Gibson has it."<ref>{{cite news|title=New Faces Brighten a Mixed Batch of Movies|author=Canby, Vincent|author-link=Vincent Canby|work=The New York Times|date=August 29, 1982|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/08/29/movies/film-view-new-faces-brighten-a-mixed-batch-of-movies.html}}</ref> Gibson has also been likened to "a combination [[Clark Gable]] and [[Humphrey Bogart]]."<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite news | title = Mel Gibson: Australia's new hunk | author=Vernon Scott | agency=[[United Press International]] | date = February 24, 1983}}</ref> Gibson's roles in the ''Mad Max'' series of films, [[Peter Weir]]'s ''[[Gallipoli (1981 film)|Gallipoli]]'' (1981), and the ''Lethal Weapon'' series of films earned him the label of "action hero".<ref name="Cagle">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,998731-1,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724012602/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,998731-1,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 24, 2010|title=Cinema: A Softer Side of Mel|last=Cagle|first=Jess|date=December 11, 2000|magazine=Time|access-date=July 20, 2010}}</ref>

Later, Gibson expanded into  human dramas such as the [[Franco Zeffirelli]] film version of ''[[Hamlet (1990 film)|Hamlet]]'' (1990), and comedic roles such as those in ''[[Maverick (film)|Maverick]]'' (1994) and ''[[What Women Want]]'' (2000). He moved to directing and producing with ''[[The Man Without a Face]]'' (1993), ''[[Braveheart]]'' (1995), ''[[The Passion of the Christ]]'' (2004), and ''[[Apocalypto]]'' (2006). Jess Cagle of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' compared Gibson with [[Cary Grant]], [[Sean Connery]], and [[Robert Redford]].<ref name="Cagle"/> Connery once suggested Gibson should play the next [[James Bond]] to Connery's [[M (James Bond)|"M"]]. Gibson turned down the role, reportedly because he feared being [[Typecasting (acting)|typecast]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Mel Gibson: Living Dangerously|first=Wensley|last=Clarkson|author-link=Wensley Clarkson|publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press|location=New York|year=1993|pages=170–171}}</ref>

=== 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.

=== Producing ===
{{Main|Icon Productions}}
After his success in Hollywood with the ''[[Lethal Weapon]]'' series, Gibson began to move into producing and directing. With partner [[Bruce Davey]], Gibson formed [[Icon Productions]] in 1989 in order to make ''[[Hamlet (1990 film)|Hamlet]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine | title = Mad Mel's passion for vengeance | author = Brian D. Johnson | magazine = [[Maclean's]] | date = December 25, 2006}}</ref>

In late 1996, New Zealand producer [[Tim White (New Zealand producer)|Timothy White]] became founding head of a co-production venture between Fox and Gibson,<ref name=nzscreen>{{cite web | title=Tim White |first=Costa |last=Botes| website=NZ On Screen  | url=https://www.nzonscreen.com/profile/tim-white/biography | access-date=9 January 2025}}</ref> called Fox-Icon, based at [[Fox Studios Australia]] in [[Sydney]]. The company failed to produce a single film, shutting down in December 1999.<ref name=woods1999>{{cite web | last=Woods | first=Mark | title=No pix made, Fox-Icon shut | website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date=9 December 1999 | url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/no-pix-made-fox-icon-shut-1117758774/ | access-date=10 January 2025}}</ref> 

Gibson has produced a number of projects for television, including a biopic on [[the Three Stooges]] and the 2008 [[PBS]] documentary ''[[Carrier (TV series)|Carrier]]''. Icon has grown from being just a production company to also be an international distribution company and film exhibitor in Australia and New Zealand.<ref name="PBSPR">{{cite press release |url=https://www.pbs.org/aboutpbs/news/20071025_iconproductions.html|title=PBS, Icon Productions and Carrier Project Granted Unprecedented Access to U.S. Aircraft Carrier to Film Revealing 10-Part Series, Carrier |last=Press release|date=October 25, 2007|publisher=[[PBS]]|access-date=July 19, 2010}}</ref> 

Gibson is credited as an [[executive producer]] of the 2023 movie ''[[Sound of Freedom (film)|Sound of Freedom]]'', a film based on a true story which revolves around the topic of [[trafficking of children]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/sound-of-freedom/umc.cmc.4ioz0amz45g3y29peq2p2giux|title='Sound of Freedom' From award winning executive producer Mel Gibson|date=February 7, 2023|website=[[Apple TV]]|access-date=February 7, 2023}}</ref>

=== Directing ===
According to [[Robert Downey Jr.]], studio executives encouraged Gibson in 1989 to try directing, an idea he rebuffed at the time.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23622562-5003420,00.html |title=Robert Downey Jr. has irons in the fire |last=McWhirter |first=Erin |date=May 1, 2008 |work=The Courier-Mail |access-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-date=July 27, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090727191143/http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23622562-5003420,00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Gibson made his directorial debut in 1993 with ''[[The Man Without a Face]]'', followed two years later by ''[[Braveheart]]'', which earned Gibson the [[Academy Award for Best Director]]. Gibson had long planned to direct a remake of ''[[Fahrenheit 451 (1966 film)|Fahrenheit 451]]'', but in 1999 the project was indefinitely postponed because of scheduling conflicts.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/gibson-in-talks-for-patriot-1117490809/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130217005656/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117490809.html |url-status=live |archive-date=February 17, 2013 |title=Gibson in talks for 'Patriot' |last1=Fleming |first1=Michael |date=February 1, 1999 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |last2=Cox |first2=Dan }}</ref> Gibson was scheduled to direct Robert Downey Jr. in a Los Angeles stage production of ''[[Hamlet]]'' in January 2001, but Downey's drug relapse ended the project.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/935383.stm| title = Gibson Downey Jr becomes Hamlet |work=BBC News | date = September 21, 2000}}</ref> In 2002, while promoting ''[[We Were Soldiers]]'' and ''[[Signs (2002 film)|Signs]]'' to the press, Gibson mentioned that he was planning to pare back on acting and return to directing.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-and-tv/features/mel-gibson-i-think-im-mellowing-in-my-old-age-642396.html |title=Mel Gibson: 'I think I'm mellowing in my old age' |last=Rose |first=Tiffany |date=September 8, 2002 |work=The Independent |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723100827/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-and-tv/features/mel-gibson-i-think-im-mellowing-in-my-old-age-642396.html |archive-date=July 23, 2010 |url-status=dead |location=UK}}</ref> In September 2002, Gibson announced that he would direct a film called ''[[The Passion of the Christ|The Passion]]'' in [[Aramaic]] and [[Latin]] with no subtitles because he hoped to "transcend language barriers with filmic storytelling".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aintitcool.com/?q=node/13351 |title=Jesus Christ!! What&nbsp;– Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news |publisher=Aintitcool.com |access-date=October 22, 2008}}</ref>

In 2004, he released the controversial film ''[[The Passion of the Christ]]'', with subtitles, which he co-wrote, co-produced, and directed. The film went on to become the highest-grossing rated R film at the time with $370,782,930 in U.S. box office sales.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/ | title = All Time Box Office | website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=December 22, 2010}}</ref> Gibson directed a few episodes of ''[[Complete Savages]]'' for the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] network. In 2006, he directed the action-adventure film ''[[Apocalypto]]'', his second film to feature sparse dialogue in a non-English language. The next two films he directed were ''[[Hacksaw Ridge]]'' (2016) and ''[[Flight Risk (film)|Flight Risk]]'' (2025).

Gibson has 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.france24.com/en/node/4948325 |title=Mel Gibson to direct DiCaprio in Viking movie: report |date=December 14, 2009 |publisher=[[France 24]] |access-date=January 18, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202154919/http://www.france24.com/en/node/4948325 |archive-date=February 2, 2010 }}</ref> However, DiCaprio ultimately opted out of the project.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2010/07/source-dicaprio-pulling-out-mel-gibson-movie |title=EXCLUSIVE: Leo DiCaprio Pulling Out Of Mel Gibson Movie |publisher=Radaronline.com |date=July 29, 2010|access-date=July 24, 2011}}</ref> In a 2012 interview, Gibson announced that the project, which he has titled ''Berserker'', was still moving forward.<ref name="herocomplex.latimes.com">{{cite news|url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2012/02/06/mel-gibson-on-his-mad-max-past-and-new-epic-aspirations/ |title=Mel Gibson on his 'Mad Max' past and new epic aspirations |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 6, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319113755/http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2012/02/06/mel-gibson-on-his-mad-max-past-and-new-epic-aspirations/ |archive-date=March 19, 2012}}</ref>

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.<ref>[https://movies.yahoo.com/news/jewish-leaders-slam-mel-gibson--warner-bros--for-judah-maccabee-movie--exclusive-.html Jewish Leaders Slam Mel Gibson and Warner Brothers for Judah Maccabee Movie].</ref> In April 2012, Eszterhas wrote a letter to Gibson accusing him of sabotaging their film about the Maccabees because he "hates Jews", and cited 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Joe Eszterhas open letter to Mel Gibson, April 9, 2011|last=Eszterhas|first=Joe|date=April 11, 2012|url=https://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/joe-eszterhas-letter-mel-gibson-36949|access-date=February 19, 2020|archive-date=March 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200304055300/https://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/joe-eszterhas-letter-mel-gibson-36949/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In response, Gibson stated that he still intends to make the film, but will not base it upon Eszterhas's script, which he called substandard.<ref>[https://www.tmz.com/2012/04/11/mel-gibson-macabees-joe-eszterhas-response-script-sucked/ Mel Gibson: Joe Eszterhas is a Liar ... and His Script SUCKED], [[TMZ (website)|TMZ]], April 11, 2012.</ref> Eszterhas then claimed his son had secretly recorded a number of Gibson's alleged "hateful rants".<ref>[https://www.tmz.com/2012/04/12/joe-eszterhas-mel-gibson-rant-son-recorded-iphone/ Joe Eszterhas: My Son Taped A Lot Of Mel's Hateful Rants], [[TMZ (website)|TMZ]], April 12, 2012.</ref> In a 2012 interview, Gibson explained that the Maccabees film was still in preparation. He explained that he was drawn to the Biblical account of the uprising due to its similarity to the [[Western (genre)|American Old West genre]].<ref name="herocomplex.latimes.com"/>
[[File:Mel Gibson in Singapore.jpg|thumb|upright|Gibson in 2007]]
In June 2016, Gibson announced that he will reunite with ''Braveheart'' screenwriter [[Randall Wallace]] to make a sequel for ''The Passion of the Christ'', focusing on the [[resurrection of Jesus]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mel-gibson-planning-passion-christ-901299 |title=Mel Gibson Planning 'Passion of the Christ' Sequel (Exclusive) |last=Bond |first=Paul |date=June 9, 2016 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |access-date=July 18, 2016}}</ref> In early November 2016, Gibson revealed on ''[[The Late Show with Stephen Colbert]]'' that the sequel's title will be ''[[The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection]]''. He also stated that the project could "probably be three years off" because "it's a big subject".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lee|first1=Ashley|title=Mel Gibson's ''Passion of the Christ'' Sequel Titled ''Resurrection''|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mel-gibsons-passion-christ-sequel-titled-resurrection-943363|access-date=February 23, 2017|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=November 2, 2016}}</ref> In January 2023, it was reported that the sequel will begin filming later that year.<ref>{{cite news|last=Wise|first=Talia|title=Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ Sequel 'Resurrection' to Begin Production This Spring|url=https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/entertainment/2023/january/mel-gibsons-passion-of-the-christ-sequel-resurrection-to-begin-production-this-spring|work=CBN News|date=6 January 2023}}</ref>

In November 2016, film critic [[Matt Zoller Seitz]] named Gibson as "the pre-eminent religious filmmaker in the United States".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Duralde|first1=Alonso|title=Matt Zoller Seitz; Doctor Strange, Trolls, Hacksaw Ridge, I'm Not Ashamed|url=http://www.linoleum-knife.com/2016/11/matt-zoller-seitz-doctor-strange-trolls-hacksaw-ridge-im-not-ashamed-2/|website=Linoleum Knife|access-date=November 6, 2016|date=November 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161106123625/http://www.linoleum-knife.com/2016/11/matt-zoller-seitz-doctor-strange-trolls-hacksaw-ridge-im-not-ashamed-2/|archive-date=November 6, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In May 2018, it was announced that Gibson would be directing a WWII film titled ''Destroyer''.<ref>{{cite web|author=Borys, Kit|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/mel-gibson-eyes-kamikaze-war-thriller-destroyer-as-next-directing-gig-1107033|title=Mel Gibson Eyes Kamikaze War Thriller 'Destroyer' as Next Directing Gig (Exclusive)|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|publisher=[[Eldridge Industries]]|location=Los Angeles, California|date=April 30, 2018|access-date=June 20, 2018}}</ref> ''Destroyer'', similar to ''Hacksaw Ridge'', will also deal with the Battle of Okinawa in the Pacific Theater, although from a different front. It will be based on the heroic story of the crew belonging to [[USS Laffey (DD-724)|USS ''Laffey'' (DD-724)]], who defended their ship from 22 [[kamikaze]] attacks.

In September 2018, it was announced that Gibson would direct and co-write a remake of the 1969 film, ''[[The Wild Bunch]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/09/mel-gibson-the-wild-bunch-remake-directing-writing-warner-bros-sam-peckinpah-1202470272/|title=Mel Gibson To Co-Write & Direct 'Wild Bunch' Remake At Warner Bros.|first1=Mike Jr.|last1=Fleming|date=September 24, 2018|work=Deadline Hollywood}}</ref> In May 2019, ''[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]]'' reported that Gibson was courting [[Michael Fassbender]], [[Jamie Foxx]], and [[Peter Dinklage]] to star in the project; that [[Jerry Bruckheimer]] will produce the film, and [[Warner Bros.]] will finance and release the project.<ref>{{cite news|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|title=Mel Gibson Courting Michael Fassbender, Jamie Foxx & 'GOT's Peter Dinklage For 'The Wild Bunch' Remake At Warner Bros|url=https://deadline.com/2019/05/mel-gibson-the-wild-bunch-remake-michael-fassbender-jamie-foxx-peter-dinklage-warner-bros-remake-1202617278/|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=17 May 2019}}</ref>

In 2021, after the death of ''[[Lethal Weapon]]'' director [[Richard Donner]], Gibson has stated that he will direct, and also star, in a ''Lethal Weapon 5''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/lethal-weapon-5-mel-gibson-director-1235112662 |title=Mel Gibson to Direct 'Lethal Weapon 5' |date=November 21, 2021 |access-date=January 26, 2022}}</ref>

====Directing style====
Gibson has credited his directors, particularly [[George Miller (filmmaker)|George Miller]], [[Peter Weir]], and [[Richard Donner]], with teaching him the craft of filmmaking and influencing him as a director. As a director, Gibson sometimes breaks the tension on set by having his actors perform serious scenes wearing a red clown nose.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20041026072423/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101030127-409570,00.html The Passion of Mel Gibson] January 19, 2003, ''Time''. Retrieved September 9, 2007</ref> [[Helena Bonham Carter]] said of him, "He has a very basic sense of humor. It's a bit lavatorial and not very sophisticated."<ref>{{Cite book|title=Mel Gibson: Living Dangerously|first=Wensley|last=Clarkson|author-link=Wensley Clarkson|publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press|location=New York|year=1993|page=287}}</ref> Gibson inserted a single frame of himself smoking a cigarette into the 2005 teaser trailer of ''[[Apocalypto]]''.<ref>{{cite web|author=Apple Inc. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWlit8b6E6M&feature=youtu.be&t=32 | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/CWlit8b6E6M| archive-date=October 28, 2021|title=Teaser Trailer. Frame 2546. Timecode 01:01:47:03. Time 00:01:46 |publisher=Apple |date=December 8, 2006 |access-date=July 12, 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

== Film work ==
{{Main|Mel Gibson filmography}}
Gibson's screen acting career began in 1976, with a role on the Australian television series ''[[The Sullivans]]''. In his career, Gibson has appeared in 63 films, including the ''Mad Max'' and ''Lethal Weapon'' film series. In addition to acting, Gibson has also directed six films, including ''Braveheart'' and ''The Passion of the Christ''; produced 11 films; and written three films. Films either starring or directed by Mel Gibson have earned over US$2.5&nbsp;billion, in the United States alone.<ref name="BOMA">{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Actor&id=melgibson.htm|title=Mel Gibson |website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=July 21, 2010}}</ref><ref name="BOMD">{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Director&id=melgibson.htm|title=Mel Gibson |website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=July 21, 2010}}</ref> Gibson's filmography includes television series, feature films, television films, and [[animated film]]s.

=== ''Mad Max'' series ===
{{Main|Mad Max (franchise)}}
Gibson got his breakthrough role as the leather-clad post-apocalyptic survivor in [[George Miller (filmmaker)|George Miller]]'s ''[[Mad Max (film)|Mad Max]]''. The independently financed blockbuster helped to make him an international star. In the United States, the actors' Australian accents were dubbed with American accents.<ref name="Gilbey">{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=201887|title=Been to hear any good films lately?|last=Gilbey|first=Ryan|date=July 25, 2001|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|access-date=July 20, 2010}}</ref> The original film spawned two sequels: ''[[Mad Max 2]]'' (known in North America as ''The Road Warrior'') and ''Mad Max 3'' (known in North America as ''[[Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome]]''). A fourth movie, ''[[Mad Max: Fury Road]]'' (2015), was made with [[Tom Hardy]] in the title role.<ref>{{cite web|title=Exclusive Exclusive: Writer-Director George Miller Announces 'Mad Max' As First Game From Creative Alliance With God of War II Director Cory Barlog |author=N'Gai Croal |date=March 12, 2008 |url=http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/levelup/archive/2008/03/12/filmmaker-george-miller-announces-mad-max-game-collaboration-with-cory-barlog.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080603193929/http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/levelup/archive/2008/03/12/filmmaker-george-miller-announces-mad-max-game-collaboration-with-cory-barlog.aspx |archive-date=June 3, 2008 }}</ref>

=== ''Gallipoli'' ===
{{Main|Gallipoli (1981 film)}}

The 1981 [[Peter Weir]] film ''Gallipoli'' is about a group of young men from rural Western Australia who enlist in the [[First Australian Imperial Force|Australian Imperial Force]] during [[World War I]]. They are sent to invade the [[Ottoman Empire]], where they take part in the 1915 [[Gallipoli campaign]]. During the course of the movie, the young men slowly lose their innocence about the war. The climax of the movie centers on the catastrophic Australian offensive known as the [[Battle of the Nek]].

[[Peter Weir]] cast Gibson in the role of Frank Dunne, an [[Irish Australians|Irish-Australian]] drifter with an intense [[Cynicism (contemporary)|cynicism]] about fighting for the [[British Empire]]. Newcomer [[Mark Lee (Australian actor)|Mark Lee]] was recruited to play the idealistic Archy Hamilton after participating in a photo session for the director. Gibson later recalled:

<blockquote>I'd auditioned for an earlier film and he told me right up front, "I'm not going to cast you for this part. You're not old enough. But thanks for coming in, I just wanted to meet you." He told me he wanted me for ''Gallipoli'' a couple of years later because I wasn't the archetypal Australian. He had Mark Lee, the angelic-looking, ideal Australian kid, and he wanted something of a modern sensibility. He thought the audience needed someone to relate to<!-- OK here: don't correct it--> of their own time.<ref>{{cite news | title = Mel's Movies | author = Michael Fleming | publisher = Movieline |date=July 2000}}</ref></blockquote>

Gibson later said that ''Gallipoli'' is, "Not really a war movie. That's just the backdrop. It's really the story of two young men."

The critically acclaimed film helped to further launch Gibson's career.<ref>{{cite news |first=Bob |last=Thomas |title='Gallipoli' an Australian project |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19810921&id=6owxAAAAIBAJ&pg=4621,4985783 |newspaper=The Blade |agency=Associated Press |via=Google News Archive |date=September 21, 1981 |access-date=October 21, 2014}}</ref><ref>Davies, Greg. [http://cineleet.com/2009/03/02/5-films-about-australia-better-than-australia/ Five Films about Australia better than 'Australia'] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527121652/http://cineleet.com/2009/03/02/5-films-about-australia-better-than-australia/ |date=May 27, 2010 }}, Cinelet, March 2, 2009. Retrieved July 16, 2010.</ref> He won the award for [[AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|Best Actor in a Leading Role]] from the [[Australian Film Institute]].<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

=== ''The Year of Living Dangerously'' ===
{{Main|The Year of Living Dangerously (film)}}
Gibson played a naïve but ambitious journalist opposite [[Sigourney Weaver]] and [[Linda Hunt]] in [[Peter Weir]]'s atmospheric 1982 film ''[[The Year of Living Dangerously (film)|The Year of Living Dangerously]]'', based on the novel of the same name by [[Christopher Koch]]. The movie was both a critical and commercial success, and the upcoming Australian actor was heavily marketed by [[MGM]] studio. In his review of the film, Vincent Canby of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote, "If this film doesn't make an international star of Mr. Gibson, then nothing will. He possesses both the necessary talent and the screen presence."<ref>{{cite news | title = Year of Living Dangerously | author=Vincent Canby |work=The New York Times| date = January 21, 1983 | url = https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9951A0C0173BF932A35750C8BF67 }}</ref> According to John Hiscock of ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', the film did, indeed, establish Gibson as an international talent.<ref name="Hiscock">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/7044121/Mel-Gibson-interview.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/7044121/Mel-Gibson-interview.html |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Mel Gibson interview|last=Hiscock|first=John|date=January 21, 2010|work=The Daily Telegraph |location=UK |access-date=July 20, 2010 }}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Gibson was initially reluctant to accept the role of Guy Hamilton. "I didn't necessarily see my role as a great challenge. My character was, like the film suggests, a puppet. And I went with that. It wasn't some star thing, even though they advertised it that way."<ref name="autogenerated3">{{cite news | title = Mel's Movies | author=Michael Fleming | publisher=Movieline |date=July 2000}}</ref> Gibson saw some similarities between himself and the character of Guy. "He's not a silver-tongued devil. He's kind of immature and he has some rough edges and I guess you could say the same for me."<ref name="autogenerated2"/>

=== ''The Bounty'' ===
{{Main|The Bounty (1984 film)}}
Gibson followed the footsteps of [[Errol Flynn]], [[Clark Gable]], and [[Marlon Brando]] by starring as [[Fletcher Christian]] in a cinematic retelling of the [[Mutiny on the Bounty|Mutiny on the ''Bounty'']]. The resulting 1984 film ''[[The Bounty (1984 film)|The Bounty]]'' is considered to be the most historically accurate version. However, Gibson has expressed a belief that the film's revisionism did not go far enough. He has stated that his character should have been portrayed as the film's [[antagonist]]. He has further praised [[Anthony Hopkins]]'s performance as Lieutenant [[William Bligh]] as the best aspect of the film.<ref name="autogenerated3"/>

=== ''Lethal Weapon'' series ===
{{Main|Lethal Weapon (film series)}}
Gibson moved into more mainstream commercial filmmaking with the popular [[action comedy film]] series ''Lethal Weapon'', which began with the 1987 original. In the films he played [[LAPD]] Detective [[Martin Riggs]], a recently widowed [[Vietnam War|Vietnam veteran]] with a death wish and a penchant for violence and gunplay. In the films, he is partnered with a reserved family man named [[Roger Murtaugh]] ([[Danny Glover]]) and starting with the second film, they're joined by a hyperactive informant named Leo Getz ([[Joe Pesci]]). Following the success of ''[[Lethal Weapon]]'', director [[Richard Donner]] and principal cast revisited the characters in three sequels, ''[[Lethal Weapon 2]]'' (1989), ''[[Lethal Weapon 3]]'' (1993), and ''[[Lethal Weapon 4]]'' (1998). With its fourth installment, the ''Lethal Weapon'' series embodied "the quintessence of the [[Buddy cop film|buddy cop pic]]".<ref name="Klady">{{cite news|url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117477677.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130217002028/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117477677.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 17, 2013|title=Lethal Weapon 4 Review|last=Klady|first=Leonard|date=July 8, 1998|work=Variety|access-date=July 20, 2010}}</ref>

The film series has since been rebooted with a [[Lethal Weapon (TV series)|television adaptation]], which aired for three seasons on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|FOX]].

On November 15, 2021, Gibson confirmed that he will direct the fifth ''Lethal Weapon'' film following the death of director [[Richard Donner]]. "The man who directed all the 'Lethal films', Richard Donner, he was a big guy. He was developing the screenplay and he got pretty far along with it. And he said to me one day, 'Listen kid, if I kick the bucket you will do it.' And I said: 'Shut up.' But he did indeed pass away. But he did ask me to do it and at the time I didn't say anything. He said it to his wife and to the studio and the producer. So I will be directing the fifth one" Gibson said.<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 15, 2021|title=Back with a bang! Mel Gibson, 65, to direct and star in 'Lethal Weapon|url=https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/back-with-a-bang-mel-gibson-65-to-direct-and-star-in-lethal-weapon-5/ar-AAQIwum?pfr=1|access-date=November 15, 2021|website=MSN|language=en-US}}</ref> In June 2024, Gibson confirmed in an interview with the ''Inspire Me'' podcast that he would direct the fifth installment of the Lethal Weapon franchise and that the film would stay true to Donner's vision and influence.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://collider.com/lethal-weapon-5-mel-gibson-directing/|title='Lethal Weapon 5' Will Have a Very Familiar Director|first=Chris|last=McPherson|publisher=Collider|date=June 18, 2024|accessdate=June 18, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://screenrant.com/lethal-weapon-5-movie-update-mel-gibson/|title=Lethal Weapon 5 Gets Positive Update From Director & Star Mel Gibson 1 Year After Getting New Writer|first=Nick|last=Bythrow|publisher=Screen Rant|date=June 18, 2024|accessdate=June 18, 2024}}</ref> Gibson also stated that he and Glover would return to play their respective roles of Riggs and Murtaugh.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://comicbook.com/movies/news/lethal-weapon-5-update-mel-gibson-direct-danny-glover-lethal-finale/|title=Lethal Weapon 5: Mel Gibson Says "Funny, Serious" Sequel With Danny Glover Still in the Works|first=Cameron|last=Bonomolo|work=ComicBook.com|date=June 18, 2024|accessdate=June 18, 2024}}</ref>

=== ''Hamlet'' ===
{{Main|Hamlet (1990 film)}}
Gibson made the unusual transition from action to classical drama, playing [[William Shakespeare]]'s Danish prince in [[Franco Zeffirelli]]'s [[Hamlet (1990 film)|''Hamlet'']]. Gibson was cast alongside experienced [[Shakespearean]] actors [[Ian Holm]], [[Alan Bates]], and [[Paul Scofield]]. He compared working with Scofield to being "thrown into the ring with [[Mike Tyson]]".<ref>{{cite web|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1582308/Paul-Scofields-career-highlights.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1582308/Paul-Scofields-career-highlights.html |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Paul Scofield's career highlights|date=March 20, 2008|access-date=July 16, 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Scofield said of Gibson "Not the sort of actor you'd think would make an ideal Hamlet, but he had enormous integrity and intelligence."<ref>{{cite book|author=O'Connor, Garry|date=2002|title=Paul Scofield: An Actor for All Seasons|publisher=Applause Books|page=302}}</ref>

=== ''Braveheart'' ===
{{Main|Braveheart}}
[[File:Scott Neeson on the set of Braveheart, 1995.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Gibson (right) on the set of ''Braveheart'']]

In 1995, Gibson directed, produced, and starred in ''[[Braveheart]]'', a biographical film of Sir [[William Wallace]], a Scottish patriot and resistance fighter who was executed in 1305 for "[[high treason]]" against King [[Edward I of England]]. Gibson received two [[68th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]], [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] and [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], for his second directorial effort. In winning the Academy Award for Best Director, Gibson became only the sixth actor-turned-filmmaker to do so.<ref name=AW95>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmsite.org/aa95.html |title=1995 Academy Awards |publisher=Filmsite.org |access-date=July 12, 2010}}</ref> ''Braveheart'' influenced the Scottish nationalist movement and helped to revive the film genre of the historical epic; the [[Battle of Stirling Bridge]] sequence is considered by critics to be one of the all-time best-directed battle scenes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/29/movie.battles/|publisher=[[CNN]]|title=The best&nbsp;– and worst&nbsp;– movie battle scenes|date=April 2, 2007}}</ref>

The film's depiction of the [[Edward II of England|Prince of Wales]] as an effeminate homosexual caused the film to be attacked by [[Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation]] (GLAAD), which was especially enraged by a scene in which King Edward I murders his son's male lover by throwing him out of a castle window.<ref name=GLAAD />

Gibson, who had previously been reported making several homophobic statements,<ref name="sfbay"/> now replied, "The fact that King Edward throws this character out a window has nothing to do with him being gay ... He's terrible to his son, to everybody."<ref name=GLAAD>{{Cite news|work=Daily News|location=New York|title=Gay Alliance Has Gibson's 'Braveheart' in Its Sights|date=May 11, 1995|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/1995/05/11/1995-05-11_gay_alliance_has_gibson_s__b.html|access-date=February 13, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604232204/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/1995/05/11/1995-05-11_gay_alliance_has_gibson_s__b.html|archive-date=June 4, 2011}}</ref>

Gibson asserted that the reason that King Edward I kills his son's lover is because the king is a "psychopath".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dallasobserver.com/Issues/1995-05-25/film/film_3.html |title=Mel Gibson talks about Braveheart, movie stardom, and media treachery |last=Zoller Seitz |first=Matt |author-link=Matt Zoller Seitz |newspaper=[[Dallas Observer]] |access-date=January 27, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126182654/http://www.dallasobserver.com/Issues/1995-05-25/film/film_3.html |archive-date=January 26, 2009 }}</ref> Gibson also expressed bewilderment that some filmgoers laughed at this murder:

{{blockquote|We cut a scene out, unfortunately ... where you really got to know that character (Edward II) and to understand his plight and his pain... But it just stopped the film in the first act so much that you thought, "When's this story going to start?"<ref>''[[USA Today]]'', May 24, 1995, "Gibson has faith in family and freedom" by Marco R. della Cava</ref>}}

=== ''The Passion of the Christ'' ===
{{Main|The Passion of the Christ}}
Gibson directed, produced, co-wrote, and funded the film ''[[The Passion of the Christ]]'' (2004), which chronicled the [[Passion (Christianity)|passion]] and death of Jesus ([[Jim Caviezel]]). The film was shot exclusively in [[Aramaic]], [[Latin]], and [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]. Gibson originally intended to release the film without subtitles, but eventually relented for theatrical exhibition. The film sparked divergent reviews, ranging from high praise to criticism of the violence. The [[Anti-Defamation League]] accused Gibson of [[antisemitism]] over the film's unflattering depiction of [[Caiaphas]] and the [[Sanhedrin]].

In ''[[The Nation]]'', reviewer [[Katha Pollitt]] wrote: "Gibson has violated just about every precept of the [[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops|conference]]'s own 1988 'Criteria' for the portrayal of Jews in dramatizations of the Passion (no bloodthirsty Jews, no rabble, no use of Scripture that reinforces negative stereotypes of Jews, etc.) ... The priests have big noses and gnarly faces, lumpish bodies, yellow teeth; [[Herod Antipas]] and his court are a bizarre collection of oily-haired, [[epicene]] perverts. The 'good Jews' look like Italian movie stars (Magdalene actually is an Italian movie star, the lovely [[Monica Bellucci]]); Mary, who would have been around 50 and appeared 70, could pass for a ripe 35."<ref name="pollitt">{{cite news |last=Pollitt |first=Katha |date=March 11, 2004 |title=The Protocols of Mel Gibson |work=[[The Nation]] |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/protocols-mel-gibson/ |access-date=August 20, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101018024641/https://www.thenation.com/article/protocols-mel-gibson/ |archive-date=October 18, 2010}}</ref>

Among those to defend Gibson were [[Orthodox Jewish]] rabbi [[Daniel Lapin]] and radio personality [[Michael Medved]].<ref name="Lapin">{{cite web| url=https://forward.com/news/6434/passion-critics-endanger-jews-angry-rabbis/| website=fordward.com| title='Passion' Critics Endanger Jews, Angry Rabbis Claim, Attacking Groups, Foxman|last=Cattan|first=Nacha | date=March 5, 2004| access-date=March 5, 2004}}</ref> Referring to ADL National Director [[Abraham Foxman]], Rabbi Lapin said that by calling ''The Passion of the Christ'' antisemitic, "what he is saying is that the only way (for Christians) to escape the wrath of Foxman is to repudiate (their own) faith."<ref name="Lapin"/>

In an interview with ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', Gibson stated: "If anyone has distorted Gospel passages to rationalize cruelty towards Jews or anyone, it's in defiance of repeated [[Papal]] condemnation. The Papacy has condemned racism in any form... Jesus died for the sins of all times, and I'll be the first on the line for culpability".<ref>{{cite news | title=Mel Gibson Interview | work=The Globe and Mail|date=February 14, 2004}}</ref>

Eventually, the continued media attacks began to anger Gibson. After Hutton Gibson's Holocaust denial was used to attack his son's film in print by ''The New York Times'' writer [[Frank Rich]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/03/movies/mel-gibson-s-martyrdom-complex.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105191912/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/03/movies/mel-gibson-s-martyrdom-complex.html |archive-date=November 5, 2010 |url-status=live |title=Mel Gibson's Martyrdom Complex |author=Frank Rich |date=August 3, 2003 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> an enraged Mel Gibson retorted, "I want to kill him. I want his intestines on a stick.... I want to kill his dog."<ref name=gibsonquotes/><ref name=waywithwords>{{cite news |title= Gibson's way with words |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-07-31-gibson-remarks_x.htm |work=USA Today |date=August 1, 2006}}</ref>

Gibson's [[Traditionalist Catholic]] upbringing was also the target of criticism. In a 2006 interview with [[Diane Sawyer]], Gibson stated that he feels that his "human rights were violated" by the often vitriolic attacks on his person, his family, and his religious beliefs which were sparked by ''The Passion''.<ref name=2004prime/>

The film grossed US$611,899,420 worldwide and $370,782,930 in the U.S. alone,<ref name="PassionBOM">{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=passionofthechrist.htm|title=The Passion of the Christ (2004) |website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=July 19, 2010}}</ref> surpassing any motion picture starring Gibson.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Actor&id=melgibson.htm|title=Mel Gibson Movie Box Office Results|work=boxofficemojo.com|access-date=November 27, 2016}}</ref> In U.S. box offices, it became the seventh-highest-grossing (at the time) film in history<ref name="ADBOM">{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/domestic.htm|title=All Time Domestic Box Office Results|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=July 19, 2010}}</ref> and the highest-grossing [[Motion Picture Association film rating system|R-rated]] film of all time.<ref name="RRBOM">{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/domestic/mpaa.htm?page=R&p=.htm|title=Top Grossing R Rated Movies at the Box Office|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=July 19, 2010}}</ref> The film was nominated for three [[77th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]<ref name="PassionOscars">{{cite web|url=http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/BasicSearch?action=searchLink&displayType=3&BSFilmID=38760 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415140615/http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/BasicSearch?action=searchLink&displayType=3&BSFilmID=38760 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 15, 2013 |title=The Passion of the Christ |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |access-date=July 19, 2010 }}</ref> and won the [[People's Choice Award]] for Favorite Dramatic Motion Picture.<ref name="PC05">{{cite web|url=http://www.peopleschoice.com/pca/awards/nominees/index.jsp?year=2005|title=People's Choice Awards Nominees & Winners: 2005|publisher=People's Choice |access-date=July 19, 2010}}</ref>

=== ''Apocalypto'' ===
{{Main|Apocalypto}}
Gibson received further critical acclaim for his directing of the 2006 action-adventure film ''[[Apocalypto]]''.<ref name="Tallerico">{{cite web|url=http://www.ugo.com/ugo/html/article/?id=16241 |title=Apocalypto Review |last=Tallerico |first=Brian |publisher=[[UGO.com]] |access-date=July 20, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724041122/http://www.ugo.com/ugo/html/article/?id=16241 |archive-date=July 24, 2010 }}</ref> Gibson's fourth directorial effort is set in [[Mesoamerica]] during the early 16th century against the turbulent [[Eschatology|end times]] of a [[Maya civilization]]. The sparse dialogue is spoken in the [[Yucatec Maya language]] by a cast of [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] descent.<ref name="BOP">{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficeprophets.com/tickermaster/listing.cfm?tmID=2835|title=Prophets-Apoc|publisher=Box Office Prophets|access-date=July 20, 2010}}</ref><ref name="WAM">{{cite web|url=http://www.wildaboutmovies.com/movies/ApocalyptoMovieTrailerPosterMelGibson.php|title=Apocalypto First Look|publisher=Wild About Movies|access-date=July 20, 2010|archive-date=October 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006094234/http://www.wildaboutmovies.com/movies/ApocalyptoMovieTrailerPosterMelGibson.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Gibson himself has stated that the film is an attempt at making a deliberate point about great civilizations and what causes them to decline and disintegrate. Gibson said, "People think that modern man is so enlightened, but we're susceptible to the same forces—and we are also capable of the same heroism and transcendence."<ref name="wildaboutmovies">{{cite web |url=http://www.wildaboutmovies.com/movies/ApocalyptoMovieTrailerPosterMelGibson.php |title=''Apocalypto'' First Look |publisher=WildAboutMovies |access-date=July 20, 2010 |archive-date=October 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006094234/http://www.wildaboutmovies.com/movies/ApocalyptoMovieTrailerPosterMelGibson.php |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.today.com/id/15001985 |title=Mel Gibson criticizes Iraq war at film fest – Troubled filmmaker draws parallels to collapsing Mayan civilization |agency=Associated Press |date=September 25, 2006 |access-date=November 10, 2019 |archive-date=September 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200914215904/http://www.today.com/id/15001985 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This theme is further explored by a quote from [[Will Durant]], which is superimposed at the very beginning of the film: "A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within."

=== ''The Beaver'' ===
[[File:Mel Gibson Jodie Foster Cannes 2011 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Gibson with [[Jodie Foster]] at the premiere of ''The Beaver'' at the [[2011 Cannes Film Festival]]]]
Gibson starred in ''[[The Beaver (film)|The Beaver]]'', a domestic drama about a depressed alcoholic directed by former ''Maverick'' costar [[Jodie Foster]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/2011/05/06/movies/the-beaver-with-mel-gibson-and-jodie-foster-review.html |title=Leave It to the Beaver to Do All the Talking |newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 5, 2011 |access-date=May 10, 2011 | first=Manohla | last=Dargis}}</ref> ''The Beaver'' premiered at the [[South by Southwest]] Festival in Austin, Texas on March 16, 2011. The opening weekend in 22 theaters was considered a flop; it made $104,000 which comes to a per-theater average of $4,745.<ref>{{cite news |date=May 8, 2011 |title=Audiences reject Mel Gibson as 'The Beaver' flops |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/05/audiences-reject-mel-gibson-as-the-beaver-flops.html | work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> The film's distributor, [[Summit Entertainment]], had originally planned for a wide release of ''The Beaver'' for the weekend of May 20, but after the initial box-office returns for the film, the company changed course and decided instead to give the film a "limited art-house run".<ref name="KaufmanLAT">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-may-09-la-et-box-office-side-20110509-story.html|title='The Beaver' sluggish in limited release|last=Kaufman|first=Amy|date=May 9, 2011|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=July 10, 2011}}</ref> [[Michael Cieply]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' observed on June 5, 2011, that the film had cleared just about $1&nbsp;million, making it a certified "flop".<ref name="CieplyProfile">Cieply, Michael. [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/06/business/media/06participant.html "Uneven Growth for Film Studio With a Message"]. ''The New York Times''. June 5, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2011.</ref> Director Jodie Foster opined that the film did not do well with American audiences because it was a [[dramedy]], and "very often Americans are not comfortable with [that]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsok.com/director-says-movie-struck-out-in-the-u.s.-because-its-a-dramedy/article/3569471 |title=Director says movie struck out in the U.S. because it's a dramedy |publisher=Newsok.com |date=May 20, 2011|access-date=July 24, 2011}}</ref>

Before its release, much of the coverage focused on the unavoidable association between the protagonist's issues and Mel Gibson's own well-publicized personal and legal problems (see {{section link||Alcohol abuse and legal issues}}), including a conviction of battery of his ex-girlfriend.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/movies/jodie-foster-talks-about-the-beaver-and-mel-gibson.html | work=The New York Times | first=Michael | last=Cieply | title=Jodie Foster Talks About 'The Beaver' and Mel Gibson | date=March 17, 2011}}</ref> Wrote ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine, "''The Beaver'' is a somber, sad domestic drama featuring an alcoholic in acute crisis ... It's hard to separate Gibson's true-life story from what's happening onscreen."<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://entertainment.time.com/2011/05/04/the-beaver-are-we-ready-to-forgive-mel-gibson/ | magazine=Time | title=The Beaver: Are We Ready to Forgive Mel Gibson? | date=May 4, 2011}}</ref>

=== ''Hacksaw Ridge'' ===
In 2014, Gibson signed on to direct ''[[Hacksaw Ridge]]'', a World War II drama based on the true story of conscientious objector [[Desmond Doss|Desmond T. Doss]], played by [[Andrew Garfield]].<ref name=November2014Deadline>{{cite news|last1=Jaafar|first1=Ali|title=Mel Gibson In Talks To Direct 'Hacksaw Ridge' With Andrew Garfield Starring In War Hero Pic|url=https://deadline.com/2014/11/mel-gibson-and-andrew-garfield-circling-hacksaw-ridge-1201290454/|access-date=November 23, 2014|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=November 20, 2014}}</ref>

The film premiered at the [[73rd Venice International Film Festival|73rd Venice Film Festival]] in September 2016<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/09/mel-gibson-hacksaw-ridge-standing-ovation-photos-world-premiere-venice-film-festival-2016-1201813416/|title=Mel Gibson's 'Hacksaw Ridge' Rivets With 10-Minute Ovation At World Premiere – Venice|author=Tartaglione, Nancy|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=September 5, 2016|access-date=September 11, 2016}}</ref> and received what ''[[The New Zealand Herald]]'' called "rave reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11703962|title= Mel Gibson finds 'redemption' with Hacksaw Ridge getting rave reviews|date= September 6, 2016|access-date=December 25, 2016|publisher= New Zealand Herald, September 6, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hacksaw_ridge |title=Hacksaw Ridge (2016) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |date=November 4, 2016 |access-date=November 4, 2016}}</ref> It [[List of accolades received by Hacksaw Ridge|won or been nominated for many awards]], including [[Golden Globe]] nominations for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Picture]], [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director]] for Gibson, and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama|Best Actor]] for Garfield. ''Hacksaw Ridge'' was also nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Picture]], [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]], [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]], [[Academy Award for Best Sound Editing|Best Sound Editing]], [[Academy Award for Best Sound|Best Sound Mixing]], and [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]].<ref name="Oscars2017">{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/oscar-nominations-2017-complete-list-nominees-960044|title=Oscars: 'La La Land' Ties Record With 14 Nominations|author=Nordyke, Kimberly|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=January 24, 2017|access-date=January 24, 2017}}</ref><ref name="OscarsVar">{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/2017-oscar-nominations-academy-awards-nominees-1201968107/ |title=Oscar Nominations: Complete List |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=January 24, 2017 |access-date=January 24, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wsmv.com/story/34617695/hacksaw-ridge-wins-2-oscar-awards-honoring-local-desmond-doss|title='Hacksaw Ridge' wins 2 Oscar awards, honoring local Desmond Doss|date=February 28, 2017|access-date=February 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301092716/http://www.wsmv.com/story/34617695/hacksaw-ridge-wins-2-oscar-awards-honoring-local-desmond-doss|archive-date=March 1, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://oscar.go.com/news/winners/oscar-winners-2017-see-the-complete-list|title=OSCAR WINNERS 2017: SEE THE COMPLETE LIST!|date=February 27, 2017|access-date=July 9, 2017}}</ref>

The film grossed $164 million worldwide, four times its production costs.<ref name="numbers">{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=hacksawridge.htm |title=Hacksaw Ridge (2016) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=February 11, 2017}}</ref>

=== ''Flight Risk'' ===
In May 2023, it was announced that Gibson would direct a film titled ''[[Flight Risk (film)|Flight Risk]]'', starring [[Mark Wahlberg]]. Set to be released by [[Lionsgate]], the film will star Wahlberg as "a pilot transporting a dangerous criminal for trial."<ref>{{cite news|last=Earl|first=William|title=Mel Gibson to Direct Suspense Film 'Flight Risk,' Starring Mark Wahlberg |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/mel-gibson-directing-flight-risk-mark-wahlberg-1235611535/|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=12 May 2023}}</ref> It was later reported that the film had begun shooting in [[Las Vegas]] on June 16. Filming was reportedly unaffected by the [[2023 SAG-AFTRA strike|SAG-AFTRA strike]], having been exempted as an independent project.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ruimy|first=Jordan|title=Mel Gibson Currently Shooting 'Flight Risk' in Vegas|url=https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2023/7/f3wypvml9ri55mgeygq1lzcxie9zmk|work=WorldofReel|date=20 July 2023}}</ref> ''Flight Risk'' was released in the United States on January 24, 2025.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Grobar |first1=Matt |title=Lionsgate Pushes Mel Gibson's 'Flight Risk' To 2025 |url=https://deadline.com/2024/09/flight-risk-release-date-pushed-to-2025-lionsgate-1236080579/ |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |access-date=September 6, 2024 |date=September 6, 2024 |archive-date=November 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241113052624/https://deadline.com/2024/09/flight-risk-release-date-pushed-to-2025-lionsgate-1236080579/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Because of his mother, Gibson retains [[Dual citizenship in the United States of America|dual Irish and American citizenship]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20178694,00.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080319035044/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20178694,00.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=March 19, 2008| title=Jonathan Rhys Meyers Crowned Best Actor in Ireland| author=[[Stephen M. Silverman]] | work=People| access-date=March 2, 2008}}</ref> He is also an [[Australian permanent resident]].<ref>{{cite news |last=McMahon |first=Neil |date=January 9, 2016 |title=Mel Gibson doesn't deserve to be hailed as a prodigal son after his misogyny, racism |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/mel-gibson-head-here-20160108-gm1mrz.html |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |access-date=June 4, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Fischer |first=Paul |title=Mel returns to war |url=https://www.femail.com.au/melgibson.htm |website=Femail.com.au |publisher=Trellian |access-date=June 4, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ireland-calling.com/citizenship/mel-gibson-irish-citizen/|title=American star Mel Gibson is an Irish citizen and says Ireland 'feels like home'|website=ireland-calling.com|date=August 16, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishpost.com/entertainment/11-celebrities-never-realised-irish-passport-164941|title=11 celebrities you never realised had an Irish passport|first=Aidan|last=Lonergan|website=The Irish Post}}</ref>

=== Relationships ===
==== Robyn Denise Moore ====
[[File:Mel Gibson with wife Robyn (cropped).jpg|thumb|Gibson and Moore at the [[60th Academy Awards]] in 1988]]
Gibson met Robyn Denise Moore in 1977,<ref>Jameson, Julietta (August 6, 2006). "[https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/yes-mel-still-has-friends-20060806-gdo487.html Yes, Mel still has friends]". ''The Sydney Morning Herald''.</ref> soon after filming ''[[Mad Max (film)|Mad Max]]'', in [[Adelaide]], South Australia. At the time, Robyn was a dental nurse and Mel was an unknown actor working for the [[State Theatre Company of South Australia|South Australian Theatre Company]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Rebekah |last=Devlin |title=Star's family farewell father |date=October 16, 2007 |work=The Advertiser |url=http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/stars-family-farewell-father/story-e6frea83-1111114649483 |access-date=June 6, 2009 |archive-date=November 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109103914/http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/stars-family-farewell-father/story-e6frea83-1111114649483 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On June 7, 1980, Mel and Robyn were married in a Catholic church in [[Forestville, New South Wales]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Mel Gibson: Living Dangerously|first=Wensley|last=Clarkson|author-link=Wensley Clarkson|publisher=[[Thunder's Mouth Press]]|location=New York|year=1993|page=125}}</ref> They have one daughter, Hannah (b. 1980, married [[Kenny Wayne Shepherd]] in 2006), and six sons: twins Edward and Christian (b. 1982), William (b. 1985), Louis (b. 1988), [[Milo Gibson|Milo]] (b. 1990), and Thomas (b. 1999); and seven grandchildren {{As of|2024|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite web|last=Jones |first=Oliver |url=https://people.com/celebrity/inside-story-meet-mel-gibsons-children/ |title=Inside Story: Meet Mel Gibson's Children |work=People |date=April 21, 2009 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20161129035634/https://people.com/celebrity/inside-story-meet-mel-gibsons-children/ |archive-date=November 29, 2016 |url-status=live |access-date=December 27, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Mel Gibson's 9 Children: All About His Sons and Daughters |url=https://people.com/all-about-mel-gibson-kids-7504790 |access-date=2024-08-12 |website=Peoplemag |language=en}}</ref>

After 26 years of marriage, Gibson and Robyn [[Marital separation|separated]] on July 29, 2006.<ref name="People1">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20272589,00.html |title=Source: Tension Between Mel Gibson and Wife Was Obvious |date=April 15, 2009 |magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]] |access-date=December 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130111082318/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20272589,00.html |archive-date=January 11, 2013}}</ref><ref name=Divorce>{{cite news|url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-12-24/news/30555595_1_oksana-grigorieva-robyn-gibson-mad-mell |title=Mel Gibson officially divorces wife of 31 years |work=[[New York Daily News]] |location=New York |access-date=April 8, 2012 |first=Ethan |last=Sacks |date=December 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210725225643/https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/mel-gibson-rosalind-ross-expecting-child-article-1.2795504 |archive-date=July 25, 2021}}</ref> In a 2011 interview, Gibson stated that the separation began the day following his arrest for drunk driving in Malibu.<ref name="deadline.com">{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2011/04/exclusive-mel-gibson-finally-talks-124901/ |title=Exclusive: Mel Gibson Finally Talks – |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=April 21, 2011 |access-date=July 24, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722002855/http://www.deadline.com/2011/04/exclusive-mel-gibson-finally-talks/ |archive-date=July 22, 2011}}</ref> Robyn Gibson filed for divorce on April 13, 2009, citing [[irreconcilable differences]]. In a joint statement, the Gibsons declared, "Throughout our marriage and separation we have always striven to maintain the privacy and integrity of our family and will continue to do so."<ref name="filed">{{cite web |title=Mel Gibson's Wife Files for Divorce |url=https://www.tmz.com/2009/04/13/mel-gibson-divorce/ |publisher=TMZ.com |date=April 13, 2009 |access-date=April 13, 2009}}</ref> The divorce filing followed the March 2009 release of photographs appearing to show him on a beach embracing his live-in girlfriend of one year, Russian songwriter and pianist [[Oksana Grigorieva]].<ref name="Telegraph09">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/5151901/Mel-Gibsons-marriage-ends-after-28-years-and-beach-embrace-pictures.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417032730/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/5151901/Mel-Gibsons-marriage-ends-after-28-years-and-beach-embrace-pictures.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 17, 2009|title=Mel Gibson's marriage ends after 28 years and beach embrace pictures|date=April 14, 2009|work=The Daily Telegraph |location=UK |access-date=July 20, 2010 }}</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20120708175353/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2009-04-19/gossip/17920851_1_oksana-grigorieva-costa-rica-pals "Oksana #4 Appears behind Mel Gibson's Door"] (press initially misidentified Grigorieva as Oksana Kolesnikova)</ref>

The Gibsons' divorce was finalized on December 23, 2011, and the settlement with his ex-wife was said to be the highest in Hollywood history at over $400&nbsp;million.<ref name="People Magazine">{{cite news|url=https://people.com/crime/mel-gibsons-ex-wife-takes-half-his-estimated-850-million-in-divorce-settlement|title=Mel Gibson's Ex Wife Takes Half His Estimated $850 Million in Divorce Settlement |date=December 23, 2011|access-date=July 19, 2020|last=Lee|first=Ken|work=People}}</ref>  The couple reportedly did not have a [[prenuptial agreement]]; because California is a [[community property]] state,<ref name="Dillon">{{cite news |last1=Dillon |first1=Nancy |title='Braveheart' star Mel Gibson's wife Robyn Moore files for divorce |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/braveheart-star-mel-gibson-wife-robyn-moore-files-divorce-article-1.360670 |work=New York Daily News |date=April 13, 2009}}</ref> Robyn Gibson received half of everything her husband had earned during their marriage.<ref name="People Magazine" />

==== Oksana Grigorieva ====

In a 2010 interview, Grigorieva stated that, when she first began being wooed by Gibson, she was surprised and only accepted his advances after learning that the actor-director and his wife had been separated for more than 18 months. Grigorieva added, "He wrote me a lot of [[poetry]]. It was very beautiful, impressionistic, like an edgy, modern [[iambic pentameter]]. Mel has a really good grasp of language, he's fantastic with words."<ref>[https://www.today.com/today/amp/wbna37073885 Dad predicts Lohan will bomb in porn star role, Gibson's ex claims they dated for years], By Ree Hines, Today.com, May 10, 2010.</ref>

On April 28, 2009, Gibson made a red carpet-appearance with Grigorieva. She had previously had a son with actor [[Timothy Dalton]]<ref name="AUNews09">{{cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/mel-gibson-steps-out-with-new-love/story-e6frfmvr-1225704931550|title=Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva together at Wolverine premiere|date=April 29, 2009|work=news.com.au|access-date=September 12, 2010|archive-date=March 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311223113/http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/mel-gibson-steps-out-with-new-love/story-e6frfmvr-1225704931550|url-status=dead}}</ref> and gave birth to Gibson's daughter Lucia on October 30, 2009.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-11-03/mel-gibson-names-new-daughter-lucia/1127068 "Mel Gibson names new daughter Lucia"], ABC News Online, November 3, 2009. Retrieved October 9, 2012.</ref><ref>{{cite news | author=Gina DiNunno| title=Mel Gibson's Girlfriend Gives Birth to Baby Girl| url=https://www.tvguide.com/News/Mel-Gibsons-Girlfriend-1011468.aspx| work=TV Guide}}</ref><ref name="baby">{{cite web |last=Leonard |first=Elizabeth |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20280980,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090526231527/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20280980,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 26, 2009 |title=Rep: Mel Gibson and Girlfriend Are Expecting! |work=[[People (American magazine)|People]] |date=May 25, 2009 |access-date=May 25, 2009}}</ref> By April 2010, Gibson and Grigorieva had split.<ref>{{cite news | author=Elizabeth Leonard| title=Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva Split| url=https://people.com/celebrity/mel-gibson-and-oksana-grigorieva-split/| work=People }}</ref> On June 21, 2010, Grigorieva filed a [[restraining order]] against Gibson to keep him away from her and their child. The restraining order was modified the next day regarding Gibson's contact with their child.<ref name="nydailynews20100625">{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/06/25/2010-06-25_oksana_grigorieva_files_domestic_violence_restraining_order_against_ex_mel_gibso.html |title=Oksana Grigorieva files domestic violence restraining order against ex Mel Gibson |work=[[New York Daily News]] |date=June 25, 2010 |access-date=July 18, 2010 |location=New York |first=Kristie |last=Cavanagh |archive-date=July 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100717141117/http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/06/25/2010-06-25_oksana_grigorieva_files_domestic_violence_restraining_order_against_ex_mel_gibso.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Gibson obtained a restraining order against Grigorieva on June 25, 2010.<ref name="nydailynews20100625"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Mel Gibson Files Restraining Order Against Baby Mama Oksana Grigorieva |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/mel-gibson-files-restraining-order-against-baby-mama-oksana-grigorieva |publisher=Fox News Channel |date=June 25, 2010 |access-date=June 25, 2010}}</ref>

[[file:Mel Gibson booking photo of March 17 2011..jpg|thumb|upright|Gibson's 2011 mugshot from booking with [[El Segundo, California|El Segundo]] Police Department<ref>{{cite web |url=https://people.com/crime/mel-gibson-mugshot-picture/ |title=Mel Gibson's New Mugshot Revealed |work=People |last=Lee |first=Ken |date=March 17, 2011 |access-date=June 22, 2021 }}</ref>]]
Grigorieva accused Gibson of domestic violence, leading to an investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in July 2010.<ref name="abuseinvestigation">{{cite news |last=Barnett |first=Sophie |url=http://www.mtv.com.au/news/435bd315-mel-abuse-claims-mtv-classic/ |title=Mel Faces Abuse Claims |date=July 7, 2010 |publisher=MTV |access-date=July 9, 2010 |archive-date=January 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117162815/http://www.mtv.com.au/news/435bd315-mel-abuse-claims-mtv-classic/ |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="abuseinvestigation2">{{cite news|url=https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Gibson+investigated+domestic+violence/3252404/story.html |title=Mel Gibson investigated for domestic violence |date=July 8, 2010 |work=The Vancouver Sun |access-date=July 9, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100710200701/http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Gibson%2Binvestigated%2Bdomestic%2Bviolence/3252404/story.html |archive-date=July 10, 2010}}</ref> On July 9, 2010, some audio recordings of a rant, allegedly directed by Gibson toward Grigorieva, were posted on the internet.<ref name="recordingspostedandtalentagency">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/ktla-mel-gibson-domestic-violence,0,4501825.story |title=Website Posts Recording of Gibson's Racist Rant, Actor Dropped by Talent Agency |date=July 9, 2010 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=July 9, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712052440/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/ktla-mel-gibson-domestic-violence%2C0%2C4501825.story |archive-date=July 12, 2010}}</ref> The same day Gibson was dropped by his agency, William Morris Endeavor.<ref name="recordingspostedandtalentagency"/> Gibson's estranged wife Robyn filed a court statement declaring that she never experienced any abuse from Gibson;<ref>{{cite web|last=McCartney |first=Anthony |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gXTC6v6kUo4qsqFuoEUdOMWoVBOwD9GVRB8O0 |title=Source: Gibson's wife says no signs of abuse |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100719091323/https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gXTC6v6kUo4qsqFuoEUdOMWoVBOwD9GVRB8O0 |date=July 19, 2010 |archive-date=July 19, 2010 |url-status=dead |agency=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=December 27, 2021}}</ref> while [[forensic science|forensic]] experts have questioned the validity of some of the tapes, Gibson himself did not deny they were accurate at the time.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/people/mel-gibsons-ex-backs-him-as-experts-point-to-tampering-on-tapes-20100716-10d9h.html |title=Mel Gibson Tape Fabricated: Claims, Robyn Gibson Supports Mel |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=July 16, 2010 |access-date=July 21, 2010 | first=Georgina | last=Robinson}}</ref> In March 2011, Mel Gibson agreed to plead [[Nolo contendere|no contest]] to a misdemeanor battery charge.<ref name=nocontest>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 11, 2011 |title=Mel Gibson in Plea Deal in Battering Case |author=Michael Cieply |author-link=Michael Cieply |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/12/business/media/12gibson.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907114358/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/12/business/media/12gibson.html?_r=1 |archive-date=September 7, 2012 |access-date=December 27, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In April 2011, Gibson finally broke his silence about the incident in question. In an interview with ''[[Deadline Hollywood]]'', Gibson expressed gratitude to longtime friends [[Whoopi Goldberg]] and [[Jodie Foster]], both of whom had spoken publicly in his defense. About the recordings, Gibson said,

{{blockquote|I've never treated anyone badly or in a discriminatory way based on their gender, race, religion or sexuality—period. I don't blame some people for thinking that though, from the garbage they heard on those leaked tapes, which have been edited. You have to put it all in the proper context of being in an irrationally, heated discussion at the height of a breakdown, trying to get out of a really unhealthy relationship. It's one terribly awful moment in time, said to one person, in the span of one day and doesn't represent what I truly believe or how I've treated people my entire life.<ref name="deadline.com"/>|author=|title=|source=}}

In the same interview, Gibson stated

{{blockquote|I was allowed to end the case and still maintain my innocence. It's called a [[Nolo contendere#California|West Plea]]<ref>[https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=12065444884562574341 ''People v. West''], 3 Cal. 3d 595, 91 Cal. Rptr. 385, 477 P.2d 409 (1970).</ref> and it's not something that prosecutors normally allow. But in my case, the prosecutors and the judge agreed that it was the right thing to do. I could have continued to fight this for years and it probably would have come out fine. But I ended it for my children and my family. This was going to be such a circus. You don't drag other people in your life through this sewer needlessly, so I'll take the hit and move on.<ref name="deadline.com"/>|author=|title=|source=}}

In August 2011, Gibson settled with Grigorieva, who was awarded $750,000, joint legal custody, and a house in [[Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles|Sherman Oaks, California]] until their daughter Lucia turns 18. In 2013, Grigorieva sued her attorneys, accusing them of advising her to sign a bad agreement, including a term that taking legal action against Gibson would compromise her financial settlement.<ref>[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/18/oksana-grigorieva-mel-gibson_n_2505374.html "Oksana Grigorieva, Mel Gibson's Ex-Girlfriend, Suing Her Former Attorneys"], ''[[The Huffington Post]]'', January 18, 2013.</ref>

==== Rosalind Ross ====
As of 2014, Gibson is in a relationship with former champion equestrian vaulter and writer Rosalind Ross.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://celebritybabies.people.com/2016/09/16/mel-gibson-girlfriend-rosalind-ross-pregnant-expecting-ninth-child/ |title=Ninth Child on the Way for Mel Gibson |last=Leonard |first=Elizabeth |website=[[People (magazine)|People]] |date=September 16, 2016 |access-date=September 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923223544/http://celebritybabies.people.com/2016/09/16/mel-gibson-girlfriend-rosalind-ross-pregnant-expecting-ninth-child/ |archive-date=September 23, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/mel-gibson-rosalind-ross-expecting-child-article-1.2795504 |title=Mel Gibson's girlfriend Rosalind Ross pregnant with actor's ninth child |author=Bitette, Nicole |work=[[New York Daily News]] |date=September 16, 2016 |access-date=September 23, 2016}}</ref> Ross gave birth to their son, and Gibson's ninth child, Lars Gerard, on January 20, 2017, in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Leonard|first1=Elizabeth|title=Mel Gibson Welcomes Son Lars Gerard|url=http://people.com/babies/mel-gibson-welcomes-son-lars-gerard/|access-date=January 24, 2017|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=January 23, 2017}}</ref>

=== Investments ===
Gibson is a property investor, with multiple properties in [[Malibu, California|Malibu]], California, several locations in Costa Rica, a private island in Fiji, and properties in Australia.<ref>[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20050117/ai_n9497657 Mel Gibson denied bid to reclassify estate as farm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071105235712/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20050117/ai_n9497657 |date=November 5, 2007 }} January 17, 2005</ref><ref>[http://extratv.warnerbros.com/v2/news/0806/04/1/text.html Mel Gibson: Hollywood Takes Sides] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061109234824/http://extratv.warnerbros.com/v2/news/0806/04/1/text.html |date=November 9, 2006 }} August 4, 2006</ref> In December 2004, Gibson sold his {{Cvt|300|acre|km2}} Australian farm in the [[Kiewa River|Kiewa Valley]] for $6&nbsp;million.{{Clarify|reason=US or AU dollars?|date=January 2025}}<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/goulburnmurray/stories/s1200331.htm Mel Gibson selling up] September 16, 2004 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211082809/http://www.abc.net.au/goulburnmurray/stories/s1200331.htm |date=December 11, 2007 }}</ref> Also in December 2004, Gibson purchased [[Mago Island]] in Fiji from [[Tokyu Corporation]] of Japan for $15&nbsp;million. Descendants of the original native inhabitants of Mago, who were displaced in the 1860s, have protested the purchase. Gibson stated it was his intention to retain the pristine environment of the undeveloped island.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Displaced-Fijians-sue-islandbuying-Mel-Gibson/2005/03/02/1109700545809.html | title = Displaced Fijians may sue island-buying Mel Gibson | work=The Sydney Morning Herald | date = May 3, 2005 | access-date =September 14, 2007}}</ref>

In early 2005, he sold his {{Cvt|45000|acre|km2}} [[Montana]] ranch to a neighbor.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20050228/ai_n11834606 |title=Gibson's neighbor buys his Beartooth Ranch |work=[[Deseret News]] |date=February 28, 2005 |access-date=September 14, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071105235717/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20050228/ai_n11834606 |archive-date=November 5, 2007}}</ref> In April 2007, he purchased a {{Cvt|400|acre|km2}} ranch in Costa Rica for $26&nbsp;million, and, in July 2007, he sold his {{Cvt|76|acre}} Tudor estate in [[Connecticut]] (which he purchased in 1994 for $9&nbsp;million) for $40&nbsp;million to an unnamed buyer.<ref>[http://www.bergproperties.com/blog/mel-gibson-reportedly-listing-his-greenwich-ct-estate-for-395m-status-of-his-malibu-properties-is-uncertain/1260/celebrities Mel Gibson reportedly listing his Greenwich, CT estate for $39.5M; status of his Malibu properties is uncertain] July 12, 2007 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617141756/http://www.bergproperties.com/blog/mel-gibson-reportedly-listing-his-greenwich-ct-estate-for-395m-status-of-his-malibu-properties-is-uncertain/1260/celebrities |date=June 17, 2008 }}</ref> Also that month, he sold a Malibu property for $30&nbsp;million that he had purchased for $24&nbsp;million two years before.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/mel-gibson-sells-malibu-home-30-million-wbna20042556|title=Mel Gibson sells Malibu home for $30&nbsp;million: Star bought the property two years ago for $24 million |publisher=Today.com|date=July 30, 2007|access-date=July 24, 2011}}</ref>

In 2008, he purchased the Malibu home of actors [[David Duchovny]] and [[Téa Leoni]].<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/latinamerica/la-hm-hotprop20-2008sep20,0,4116201.story| title = Mel Gibson buys Malibu home of David Duchovny and Téa Leoni|work=Los Angeles Times | date = September 20, 2008 | access-date =September 27, 2008 | first=Ann | last=Brenoff}}</ref>

In 2009 he bought a house in [[Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles]], built in 2006 to designs inspired by architect [[Frank Lloyd Wright]]. He paid $2.4 million for the property, which he bought under a trust, with Vicki Lynn Christianson, [[Chief operating officer|COO]] of his production company Icon Productions, as [[trustee]]. He sold the property at a loss in February, for $2.1 million.<ref>{{cite web | last=Strum | first=Beckie | title=Mel Gibson Sells California House for $2.1 Million | website=Mansion Global | date=6 September 2017 | url=https://www.mansionglobal.com/articles/mel-gibson-sells-california-house-for-2-1-million-54341 | access-date=15 January 2025}}</ref>

==== Jersey Leaks ====
Records of Gibson using offshore accounts and business were revealed in the Jersey Leaks, records of more than 20,000 individuals held with the wealth management firm Kleinwort Benson.<ref name="jerseyleaks">{{cite web | title=Celebrities and Sportsmen in Leaked Jersey Files | website=ICIJ | date=8 July 2014 | url=https://www.icij.org/investigations/offshore/celebrities-and-sportsmen-leaked-jersey-files/ | access-date=15 January 2025}}</ref>

=== Philanthropy ===
[[File:Mel Gibson with Domenica.jpg|thumb|upright|Gibson at the Christmas party for charity [[Mending Kids International]] in 2007. His former wife Robyn was president of the charity.]]
Gibson and his former wife have contributed a substantial amount of money to various charities, one of which is Healing the Children. According to Cris Embleton, one of the founders, the Gibsons gave millions to provide lifesaving medical treatment to needy children worldwide.<ref>[http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/page.asp?RelNum=5562&menu=fullsearchresults "Actor and Director Mel Gibson Donates $10&nbsp;million."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060906195951/http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/page.asp?RelNum=5562&menu=fullsearchresults |date=September 6, 2006 }} ''UCLA.edu Newsroom''.</ref><ref>[https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/13/1097607264626.html "Mel's $14m donation."] ''The Sydney Morning Herald''. October 13, 2004.</ref> They also supported the restoration of [[Renaissance art]]work<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/07/16/wdavid16.xml |title=Mel Gibson and Sting to fund David restoration |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=UK |date=July 16, 2003 |access-date=September 23, 2007 |first=Peter |last=Oborne |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011223442/http://telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2003%2F07%2F16%2Fwdavid16.xml |archive-date=October 11, 2007}}</ref> and gave millions of dollars to [[National Institute of Dramatic Art|NIDA]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rawthorne |first1=Sally |title=Mad Mel back to where it all began |url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/mel-gibson-goes-back-to-nida-where-it-all-began-for-him/news-story/5fd2f0648a7fcc0308a93d094c5678fc |access-date=March 26, 2020 |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=December 6, 2015 |language=en}}</ref>

Gibson donated $500,000 to the [[Mirador Basin|El Mirador Basin]] Project to protect the last tract of virgin rain forest in Central America and to fund archeological excavations in the "cradle of Mayan civilization".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2007/9/10/movies/18807086&sec=movies |title=Enter the eco warrior |newspaper=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]] |date=September 10, 2007 |access-date=September 13, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011092050/http://star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=%2F2007%2F9%2F10%2Fmovies%2F18807086&sec=movies |archive-date=October 11, 2007 }}</ref> In July 2007, Gibson again visited Central America to make arrangements for donations to the indigenous population. Gibson met with Costa Rican President [[Óscar Arias]] to discuss how to "channel the funds".<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=3361230&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312 "Mel Gibson Meets With Costa Rican Leader."] ABC News. July 10, 2007.</ref> During the same month, Gibson pledged to give financial assistance to a Malaysian company named Green Rubber Global for a tire recycling factory located in [[Gallup, New Mexico|Gallup]], New Mexico.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928113651/http://www.ecorazzi.com/?p=3296 "Mel Gibson Backs Green Rubber."]}} EcoRazzi.com. July 12, 2007.</ref> While on a business trip to Singapore in September 2007, Gibson donated to a local charity for children with chronic and terminal illnesses.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mel Gibson makes S$25,000 donation to charity organisation |url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/299690/1/.html |publisher=[[Channel NewsAsia]] |date=September 14, 2007 |access-date=September 14, 2007 |archive-date=September 19, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070919194258/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/299690/1/.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Gibson is also a supporter of [[Angels at Risk]], a nonprofit organization focusing on education about drug and alcohol abuse among teens.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://angelsatrisk.com/?page_id=894 |title=Angels at Risk |access-date=March 26, 2012}}</ref>

In a 2011 interview, Gibson said of his philanthropic works, "It gives you perspective. It's one of my faults, you tend to focus on yourself a lot. Which is not always the healthiest thing for your psyche or anything else. If you take a little time out to think about other people, it's good. It's uplifting."<ref>[http://www.inquisitr.com/133181/mel-gibson-robyn-reunite-conjoined-twins-charity-birthday/ Mel and Robyn Gibson Reunite for Conjoined Twins Birthday].</ref>

=== Religion and politics ===
==== Faith ====
Gibson was raised a [[Sedevacantism|sedevacantist traditionalist Catholic]] (who reject the validity of all Popes since the [[Second Vatican Council]] and hold that the [[Holy See]] is currently vacant).<ref name="Grossman"/> His father [[Hutton Gibson]] was an ardent sedevacantist and a [[Holocaust denial|Holocaust denier]] who held strong [[Antisemitism|antisemitic]] views and supported various [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kurutz |first=Steven |date=2020-06-04 |title=Hutton Gibson, Extremist and Father of Mel Gibson, Dies at 101 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/us/hutton-gibson-extremist-and-father-of-mel-gibson-dies-at-101.html |access-date= |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

During the filming of ''The Passion of The Christ'', he had daily visits from both local priests and priests from the traditionalist [[Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest|Institute of Christ the King]] (a non-sedevacantist group in [[full communion]] with the Pope) in France.<ref>{{cite book|title=Sede Vacante: The Life and Legacy of Archbishop Thuc|first=Edward|last=Jarvis|author-link=Edward Jarvis (author)|year=2018|publisher=The Apocryphile Press|location=Berkeley CA|isbn=9781949643022}} pp 13-14</ref>

When asked about the Catholic doctrine of ''[[Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus]]'', Gibson replied, "There is no salvation for those outside the Church ... I believe it. Put it this way. My wife is a saint. She's a much better person than I am. Honestly. She's ... [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopalian]], [[Church of England]]. She prays, she believes in God, she knows Jesus, she believes in that stuff. And it's just not fair if she doesn't make it, she's better than I am. But that is a pronouncement from the chair. I go with it."<ref name="gibsonquotes">{{cite news |title= Mel Gibson: 'I Am Deeply Ashamed' |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20059176,00.html |first=Allison |last=Adato |work=People |date=August 14, 2006}}</ref><ref name="pboyer">Boyer, Peter J. ''The New Yorker''. September 15, 2003</ref> When he was asked whether [[John 14#Verse 6|John 14:6]] is an intolerant position, he said that "through the [[Merit (Christianity)|merits]] of Jesus' sacrifice ... even people who don't know Jesus are able to be saved, but ''through'' him."<ref>[http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/feature/2004/01/27/passion/index1.html?pn=3 "Inside Mel Gibson's "Passion"."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071106005728/http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/feature/2004/01/27/passion/index1.html?pn=3 |date=November 6, 2007 }} ''Salon''. January 27, 2004.</ref> Gibson has told [[Diane Sawyer]] that he believes non-Catholics and non-Christians can go to [[Heaven in Christianity|Heaven]].<ref name="2004prime">{{cite news|url= http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/sixtyminutes/stories/2004_02_22/story_1034.asp |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20050716090130/http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/sixtyminutes/stories/2004_02_22/story_1034.asp |archive-date= July 16, 2005 |title=Transcript of February 2004 Primetime |access-date=July 31, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/afa/202004b.asp |title=Gibson's Words Fuel Controversy Already Sparked By 'Passion' |author=Martin, Allie and Jenni Parker |publisher=Agape Press |date=February 20, 2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090511192902/http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/afa/202004b.asp |archive-date=May 11, 2009}}</ref>

Gibson's acquaintance Fr. [[William Fulco]] said in 2009 that Gibson denies neither the pope nor [[Vatican II]]; even so, as of 2021, Gibson attended the [[Church of the Holy Family (Agoura Hills, California)|Church of the Holy Family]], a traditionalist church he founded and funds in Southern California.<ref name="Fulco">{{YouTube|id=Whq--qLzP9w&t=1m05s|title="Whose Passion? Media, Faith & Controversy"}} panel discussion video, time 1:05</ref> 

In a 1990 interview with [[Barbara Walters]], Gibson said: "God is the only one who knows how many children we should have, and we should be ready to accept them. One can't decide for oneself who comes into this world and who doesn't. That decision doesn't belong to us."<ref>{{cite news|title=Mel the Sect Symbol |last=Hellard|first=Peta|date=September 8, 2007 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |page=81}}</ref>

Gibson, in a letter published by Italian Traditionalist Catholic author Aldo Maria Valli, on his website, on 6 July 2024, stated his full support for the recently [[excommunication|excommunicated]] Italian archbishop [[Carlo Maria Viganò]], who he praised as a "a modern day Athanasius!", stating that he agreed with him in considering that the [[Sedevacantism|"post conciliar church of Vatican II is a counterfeit church"]], and that "being called a schismatic & being excommunicated by [[Pope Francis|Jorge Bergoglio]] is like a badge of honor when you consider he is a total apostate & expels you from a false institution." He also stated that "I am with you & I hope Bergoglio excommunicates me from his false church also."<ref>[https://www.aldomariavalli.it/2024/07/06/i-vostri-messaggi-sulla-vicenda-vigano-un-distintivo-donore-essere-scomunicati-dalla-falsa-chiesa/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0beWTKpyP-waN21RC2zrWS7i2wZ5ah-iIp_LPqlgeVWjogy9D-kWxVck8_aem_9eC8wGm6I7Ifc0GtXPaQAg Aldo Maria Valli website]</ref>

==== Politics ====
In a July 1995 interview with ''[[Playboy]]'', Gibson said President [[Bill Clinton]] was a "low-level opportunist" and someone was "telling him what to do". He said that the [[Rhodes Scholarship]] was established for young men and women who want to strive for a "[[New World Order (conspiracy theory)|new world order]]" and this was a campaign for ''[[Marxist (insult)|Marxism]]''.<ref name=pb>Grobel, Lawrence. "Interview: Mel Gibson". ''[[Playboy]]''. July 1995. Vol. 42, No. 7, Pg. 51. Retrieved May 17, 2006.</ref> Gibson later backed away from such conspiracy theories saying, "It was like: 'Hey, tell us a conspiracy'...&nbsp;so I laid out this thing, and suddenly, it was like I was talking the gospel truth, espousing all this political shit like I believed in it."<ref name="NutTeKoha">Nui Te Koka. "Did I say that?" ''The Daily Telegraph''. January 30, 1999, pg 33.</ref> In the same 1995 ''Playboy'' interview, Gibson argued against ordaining women to the priesthood.<ref name=huffpost>{{cite news|last1=Van Luling|first1=Todd|title=Mel Gibson's Sexist Interview Answers From 1995 Are Relevant Again|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mel-gibson-playboy-interview_us_581a2ea7e4b0c43e6c1d92c0|access-date=March 28, 2017|work=[[The Huffington Post]]|date=November 4, 2016}}</ref>

In 2004, he publicly spoke out against [[Publicly funded health care|taxpayer-funded]] embryonic [[stem-cell]] research that involves the cloning and destruction of human embryos.<ref>[http://www.nationalreview.com/interrogatory/gibson200411010950.asp "Braveheart Stands Athwart a Brave New World."] ''National Review''. November 1, 2004. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090528234432/http://www.nationalreview.com/interrogatory/gibson200411010950.asp |date=May 28, 2009 }}</ref> In March 2005, he condemned the outcome of the [[Terri Schiavo case]], referring to Schiavo's death as "state-sanctioned murder".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/10/opinion/10rich.html |title=A Culture of Death, Not Life|last=Rich|first=Frank|author-link=Frank Rich|date=April 10, 2005|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=July 10, 2010}}</ref>

Gibson questioned the [[Iraq War]] in March 2004.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/18/1079199319258.html|title=Mel Gibson joins stars to question Iraq war|newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=March 18, 2004}}</ref> In 2006, Gibson said that the "fearmongering" depicted in his film ''[[Apocalypto]]'' "reminds me a little of [[Presidency of George W. Bush|President Bush and his guys]]."<ref name="time.com-Apocalytpo">Padgett/Veracruz, Tim. [https://web.archive.org/web/20061214154811/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C1174684-2%2C00.html "Apocalypto Now."] ''Time''. March 19, 2006.</ref> He later said in 2016 that he is [[Anti-war movement|anti-war]] but has an appreciation for the sacrifices made by "warriors".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/mel-gibson-hacksaw-ridge-is-an-anti-war-movie.html|title=Mel Gibson: 'Hacksaw Ridge' Is an 'Anti-War Movie'|website=[[The Christian Post]]|date=October 2016}}</ref>

Gibson complimented filmmaker [[Michael Moore]] and his documentary ''[[Fahrenheit 9/11]]'' when he and Moore were recognized at the 2005 [[People's Choice Awards]].<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/story/moore-gibson-i-love-his-work "Moore, Gibson: I Love His Work."]  Fox News Channel. January 10, 2005.</ref> Gibson's [[Icon Productions]] originally agreed to finance Moore's film but later sold the rights to [[Miramax Films]]. Moore said that his agent [[Ari Emanuel]] claimed that "top Republicans" called Gibson to tell him, "don't expect to get more invitations to the White House".<ref>{{cite news|first=Peter|last=Keough|url=http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/movies/documents/03931494.asp|title=Not so hot: Fahrenheit 9/11 is more smoke than fire|newspaper=[[The Boston Phoenix]]|date=June 25, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041213065355/https://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/movies/documents/03931494.asp |archive-date=December 13, 2004}}</ref> Icon's spokesman dismissed this story, saying "We never run from a controversy. You'd have to be out of your mind to think that of the company that just put out ''[[The Passion of the Christ]]''."<ref>{{cite news|first=Ruthe|last=Stein|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/05/06/MNGIH6GI6C1.DTL|title='Fahrenheit 9/11' too hot for Disney|newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=May 6, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128190341/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fchronicle%2Farchive%2F2004%2F05%2F06%2FMNGIH6GI6C1.DTL |archive-date=January 28, 2012 }}</ref>

In a 2011 interview, Gibson stated:

<blockquote>The whole notion of politics is they always present you with this or this or this. I'll get a newspaper to read between the lines. Why do you have to adhere to prescribed formulas that they have and people argue over them and they're all in a box. And you watch [[Fox News|Fox]] claw [[CNN]], and CNN claw Fox. Sometimes I catch a piece of the news and it seems insanity to me. I quietly support candidates. I'm not out there banging a drum for candidates. But I have supported a candidate and it's a whole other world. Once you've been exposed to it, once or twice or however many times, if you know the facts and see how they're presented, it's mind-boggling. It's a very scary arena to be in, but I do vote. I go in there and pull the lever. It's kind of like pulling the lever and watching the trap door fall out from beneath you. Why should we trust any of these people? None of them ever deliver on anything. It's always disappointing.<ref name="deadline.com" /></blockquote>

Gibson revealed in a 2016 interview with [[Jorge Ramos (news anchor)|Jorge Ramos]] that he voted for neither [[Donald Trump]] nor [[Hillary Clinton]] in the [[2016 United States presidential election]].<ref>{{cite AV media |people=[[Jorge Ramos (news anchor)|Ramos, Jorge]] |title=Mel Gibson Wants Us to Remember Who the Soldiers Are Who Fight and Die for This Country |url=http://fusion.net/video/365983/mel-gibson-not-voting/ |publisher=[[Fusion TV]] |time=0:10–1:00 |access-date=September 5, 2017 |archive-date=September 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905143656/http://fusion.net/video/365983/mel-gibson-not-voting/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In July 2021, Gibson was recorded saluting Trump while attending [[UFC 264]], which went [[viral video|viral]] over the Internet.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mel-gibson-salute-trump-ufc/|title=Did Mel Gibson Salute Trump at a UFC Event?|first=Dan|last=Evon|publisher=[[Snopes]]|date=July 12, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/mel-gibson-salutes-trump-video-b1883242.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/mel-gibson-salutes-trump-video-b1883242.html |archive-date=May 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Mel Gibson widely criticised after being videoed saluting Donald Trump at UFC match|first=Jacob|last=Stolworthy|work=[[The Independent]]|date=July 13, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/19448078.issue-day-storm-braveheart-salutes-trump/|title=Issue of the day: Storm as 'Braveheart' salutes Trump|newspaper=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]]|date=July 17, 2021}}</ref>

In October 2020, Gibson released a statement regarding the [[Second Nagorno-Karabakh War]] and expressing solidarity with the [[Armenian people]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Mel Gibson expresses solidarity with Armenians amid Azerbaijan's aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) |url=https://gagrule.net/mel-gibson-expresses-solidarity-with-armenians-amid-azerbaijans-aggression-against-nagorno-karabakh-artsakh/ |website=gagrule.net |date=October 27, 2020 |access-date=October 29, 2020 |format=October 27, 2020}}</ref>

Gibson endorsed Trump in the [[2024 United States presidential election]], adding that [[Kamala Harris]] had "the IQ of a fence post".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Murphy|first=J. Kim |title=Mel Gibson Says Kamala Harris Has 'Got the IQ of a Fence Post,' Voices Support for Donald Trump |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/mel-gibson-kamala-harris-fence-post-trump-1236190421 |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=2024-10-25}}</ref>

On January 16, 2025, it was announced by [[President-elect of the United States|president-elect]] [[Donald Trump]] that Gibson would serve in a new role as one of three "special ambassadors" to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], sharing the role with fellow actors [[Jon Voight]] and [[Sylvester Stallone]]. Trump stated that he wants these actors to make Hollywood "stronger than ever before" by bringing back business lost to "foreign countries".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Moreau |first=Jordan |date=2025-01-16 |title=Trump Names Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson and Jon Voight as 'Special Ambassadors' to 'Troubled' Hollywood: They'll Bring 'Lost Business' Back |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/trump-sylvester-stallone-mel-gibson-jon-voight-ambassadors-hollywood-1236276088 |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |language=en-US |access-date=2025-01-16}}</ref> Trump said that the three would be his "eyes and ears" and he would act on their suggestions, but their duties were not specified.<ref>{{cite news |last=Horton|first=Adrian |title=Trump names Mel Gibson, Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone as Hollywood 'special ambassadors' |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=2025-01-16 |url=https://theguardian.com/film/2025/jan/16/trump-mel-gibson-jon-voight-sylvester-stallone |access-date=2025-01-16}}</ref>

=== Alcohol abuse and legal issues ===
Gibson has said that he started drinking at the age of 13.<ref>[http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21062683-5005961,00.html "Rant aftermath a gift, says Gibson."] ''Herald Sun''. January 15, 2007. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090728024748/http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0%2C21985%2C21062683-5005961%2C00.html |date=July 28, 2009}}</ref> In a 2002 interview for the documentary ''[[actingclassof1977.com]]'', made by his former [[National Institute of Dramatic Art]] colleague [[Sally McKenzie]], Gibson said, "I had really good highs but some very low lows."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.smh.com.au/news/stay-in-touch/mel-gibson-talks-about-bipolar-struggle/2008/05/14/1210444527205.html|title=Mel opens up, but ever so fleetingly |first1=Elicia|last1=Murray|first2=Garry|last2=Maddox|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=May 15, 2008|access-date=May 15, 2008}}</ref>

Gibson was banned from driving in [[Ontario]], Canada, for three months in 1984, after rear-ending a car in [[Toronto]] while under the influence of alcohol.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mel Gibson talks about Braveheart, movie stardom, and media treachery |url=http://www.dallasobserver.com/Issues/1995-05-25/film/film_3.html |first=Matt Zoller |last=Seitz |author-link=Matt Zoller Seitz |newspaper=[[The Dallas Observer]] |date=May 25, 1995 |access-date=July 29, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060624171445/http://www.dallasobserver.com/Issues/1995-05-25/film/film_3.html |archive-date=June 24, 2006}}</ref> He retreated to his Australian farm for over a year to recover, but he continued to struggle with drinking. Despite this problem, Gibson gained a reputation in Hollywood for professionalism and punctuality such that frequent collaborator [[Richard Donner]] was shocked when Gibson confided that he was drinking five pints of beer for breakfast.<ref name=2004prime /> Reflecting in 2003 and 2004, Gibson said that despair in his mid-30s led him to contemplate suicide, and he meditated on [[Christ's Passion]] to heal his wounds.<ref name=2004prime /><ref name=pboyer /><ref>{{cite news |url=http://archives.starbulletin.com/2004/02/22/news/index2.html |title=Mel Gibson's Passion |first=Tim|last=Ryan |work=[[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]] |date=February 22, 2004}}</ref> He took more time off acting in 1991 and sought professional help.<ref name="Wright">{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/news/people/youre-not-a-jew-are-you/2006/08/04/1154198332750.html|title=You're not a Jew, are you?|last=Wright|first=Gerard|date=August 5, 2006|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |access-date=July 20, 2010}}</ref> That year, Gibson's attorneys were unsuccessful at blocking the ''[[Sunday Mirror]]'' from publishing what Gibson shared at [[Alcoholics Anonymous|AA]] meetings.<ref>''The Advertiser''. September 22, 1991</ref> In 1992, Gibson provided financial support to Hollywood's Recovery Center, saying, "Alcoholism is something that runs in my family. It's something that's close to me. People do come back from it, and it's a miracle."<ref>Higgins, Bill. ''Los Angeles Times''. December 14, 1992.</ref>

On August 17, 2006, Gibson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor drunken-driving charge and was sentenced to three years' probation.<ref name="first role" /> He was ordered to attend self-help meetings five times a week for four-and-a-half months and three times a week for the remainder of the first year of his probation. He was also ordered to attend a First Offenders Program and fined $1,300, and his license was restricted for 90 days.<ref name="first role" />

In February 2008, it was reported that screenwriter [[Benedict Fitzgerald]] was suing Gibson, along with Vicki Christianson, Icon Productions, Icon Distribution, Marquis Films, and Airborne Productions, for defrauding him of millions of dollars, as well as incorrectly taking co-writing credit for the screenplay of ''Passion of the Christ''.<ref name=court2008>{{cite web | title=Mel Gibson Cheated Him To Make 'The Christ,' Screenwriter Says | website=Courthouse News Service | date=12 Feb 2008| url=https://www.courthousenews.com/mel-gibson-cheated-him-to-makethe-christ-screenwriter-says/ | access-date=14 January 2025}}</ref> In May 2009, Gibson agreed to an undisclosed settlement with Fitzgerald. Details of the settlement, agreed at [[Los Angeles County Superior Court]], were not released. Gibson's representatives did not comment on the settlement.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mel Gibson settles Passion of Christ Script lawsuit|date=19 May 2009|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news/mel-gibson-settles-passion-of-the-christ-script-lawsuit_1103829|website=[[Contactmusic.com]]|accessdate=21 January 2024}}</ref>

=== Palisades Fire ===
In January 2025, during the [[January 2025 Southern California wildfires|Southern California wildfires]], Gibson's home in Malibu burned down in the [[Palisades Fire]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mel Gibson, Paris Hilton, Jeff Bridges and other LA celebrities lose homes to wildfires |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crmnm2g1z74o |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref> He criticized California governor [[Gavin Newsom]]'s response to the Los Angeles wildfires.<ref>{{cite web | title=Mel Gibson Reveals List of 'Irreplaceable Stuff' He Lost in LA Blaze | website=Reality Tea | date=13 January 2025 | url=https://www.realitytea.com/2025/01/13/mel-gibson-lost-malibu-home-la-fire-reactiion/ | access-date=15 January 2025}}</ref>

==Controversies==
{{See also|Braveheart#Portrayal of Longshanks and Prince Edward|The Passion of the Christ#Allegations of antisemitism}}[[GLAAD]] accused Gibson of [[homophobia]] after a December 1991 interview in the Spanish newspaper ''[[El País]]'' in which he made derogatory comments about gay people.<ref name="sfbay">Wockner, Rex. [http://www.sfbaytimes.com/index.php?sec=article&article_id=5399 "Mel Gibson, Circa 1992, "Refuses to Apologize to Gays"."] ''San Francisco Bay Times''. August 17, 2006. Quote: Asked what he thought of gay people, he said, "They take it up the ass." Gibson then proceeded to point at his posterior and said: "This is only for taking a shit." When reminded that he had worked closely with gay people at drama school, Gibson said, "They were good people, kind, I like them. But their thing is not my thing." When the interviewer asked if Gibson was afraid that people would think he is gay because he's an actor, Gibson replied, "Do I sound like a homosexual? Do I talk like them? Do I move like them? What happens is when you're an actor, they stick that label on you."</ref><ref name="deangelis">DeAngelis, Michael. [https://books.google.com/books?id=aZkshPsocwgC&pg=PA165 ''Gay Fandom and Crossover Stardom''.] [[Duke University Press]], 2001. {{ISBN|0-8223-2738-4}}, p. 166.</ref> Gibson later defended his comments,<ref name="sfbay"/> and rejected calls to apologize even as he faced fresh accusations of homophobia in the wake of his film ''Braveheart''.<ref name=pb/> Gibson joined GLAAD in hosting 10 lesbian and gay filmmakers for an on-location seminar on the set of the movie ''[[Conspiracy Theory (film)|Conspiracy Theory]]'' in January 1997.<ref>[http://www.glaad.org/media/archive_detail.php?id=181 "Mel Gibson to Meet Up-and-Coming Lesbian and Gay Filmmakers."] glaad.org. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008182440/http://www.glaad.org/media/archive_detail.php?id=181 |date=October 8, 2008 }}</ref> In 1999, when asked about the comments to ''El País'', Gibson said, "I shouldn't have said it, but I was tickling a bit of vodka during that interview, and the quote came back to bite me on the ass."<ref name="NutTeKoha"/>

On July 28, 2006, Gibson was arrested by Sheriff's Deputy James Mee of the [[Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department]] for [[driving under the influence]] (DUI) while speeding in his vehicle with an open container of alcohol. According to a 2011 article in ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'', Gibson first told the arresting officer, "My life is over. I'm fucked. Robyn's going to leave me."<ref name="Vanity Fair, March 2011">{{cite magazine|author=Peter BiskindIllustration by André Carrilho |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/features/2011/03/mel-gibson-201103#gotopage3 |title=Vanity Fair, March 2011 |magazine=Vanity Fair |date=February 23, 2011 |access-date=March 19, 2014}}</ref> According to the arrest report, Gibson exploded into an angry tirade when the arresting officer would not allow him to drive home. In what ''Vanity Fair'' was later told was an attempt at [[suicide by cop]],<ref name="Vanity Fair, March 2011"/> Gibson said to the arresting officer, "Fucking Jews... the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world. Are you a Jew?"<ref>{{cite news|last=Weiner|first=Allison Hope|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/us/30gibson.html | work=[[The New York Times]] | title=Mel Gibson Apologizes for Tirade After Arrest | date=July 30, 2006|access-date=June 6, 2020}}</ref><ref name=tmz>{{cite news|url=https://www.tmz.com/2006/07/28/gibsons-anti-semitic-tirade-alleged-cover-up/|title=Gibson's Anti-Semitic Tirade Alleged Cover Up|work=[[TMZ.com]]|date=July 28, 2006|access-date=June 6, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Sara|last=Dover|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/james-mee-jewish-cop-who-arrested-mel-gibson-gets-trial-discrimination-suit-394898|title=James Mee: Jewish Cop Who Arrested Mel Gibson Gets Trial in Discrimination Suit|date=January 12, 2012|work=[[International Business Times]]|access-date=November 27, 2016}}</ref>

After the arrest report was leaked on [[TMZ]].com, Gibson issued two apologies through his publicist,<ref name="apology2">{{cite web |url=http://www.today.com/id/14135592 |title=Gibson's statement about anti-Semitic remarks |website=[[Today.com]] |date=August 1, 2006 |access-date=July 12, 2010 |archive-date=June 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625022946/http://www.today.com/id/14135592 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and—in a televised interview with [[Diane Sawyer]]—he affirmed the accuracy of the quotations.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1545484,00.html| title = Mel Gibson Admits He Drank After Arrest| first=Stephen M.|last=Silverman|authorlink = Stephen M. Silverman| date = October 12, 2006| access-date = June 4, 2009| archive-date = January 12, 2012| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120112132035/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1545484,00.html| url-status = dead}}</ref> He further apologized for his "despicable" behavior, saying that the comments were "blurted out in a moment of insanity",<ref name="first role">{{cite news |title=Gibson takes first starring role in six years |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/apr/29/news.melgibson |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=April 29, 2008 | access-date=May 12, 2010}}</ref> and asked to meet with Jewish leaders to help him "discern the appropriate path for healing."<ref>{{cite web|title=Gibson Asks Jews For Help To Find 'Appropriate Path To Healing'|url=http://www.accesshollywood.com/mel-gibson/gibson-asks-jews-for-help-to-find-appropriate-path-to-healing_article_1069|date=August 1, 2006|work=[[Access Hollywood]]|access-date=May 24, 2009|archive-date=July 23, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723062011/http://www.accesshollywood.com/mel-gibson/gibson-asks-jews-for-help-to-find-appropriate-path-to-healing_article_1069|url-status=dead}}</ref> After Gibson's arrest, his publicist said he had entered a [[drug rehabilitation|recovery program]] to battle alcoholism.

[[Winona Ryder]] has repeatedly told a story to various press outlets about speaking to Mel Gibson with her friend at a party. Gibson allegedly responded to her friend, who was gay, by asking if he was going to get [[HIV/AIDS|AIDS]] from speaking with him, and later asked Ryder if she was an "[[wikt:oven dodger|oven dodger]]."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Earl |first=William |date=2020-06-23 |title=Winona Ryder Accuses Mel Gibson of Making Anti-Semitic and Homophobic Remarks |url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/winona-ryder-mel-gibson-oven-dodger-1234646288/ |access-date=2024-08-08 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> A representative of Gibson later denied the accusations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mel Gibson denies Winona Ryder's anti-Semitism accusation - National {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7096628/mel-gibson-anti-semitic-comments-winona-ryder/ |access-date=2024-08-08 |website=Global News |language=en-US}}</ref>

In July 2010, Gibson had been recorded during a phone call with Grigorieva where he suggested that if she got "raped by a pack of niggers", she would be to blame, and  threatening to burn down Grigorieva's house while she was inside it.<ref name="guardianjuly2">{{cite news | first = Ed | last = Pilkington | url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/jul/02/mel-gibson-racist-rant | title = Mel Gibson faces flak again after alleged racist rant | date = July 2, 2010 |work=[[The Guardian]] | access-date =July 2, 2010 }}</ref><ref name="telegraphjuly15">{{cite news | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/7891640/Mel-Gibson-threatens-to-burn-house-down-in-new-tape.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100717181200/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/7891640/Mel-Gibson-threatens-to-burn-house-down-in-new-tape.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = July 17, 2010 | title = Mel Gibson 'threatens to burn house down in new tape' | date = July 15, 2010 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | access-date =July 15, 2010 }}</ref><ref name="hitting">{{cite news | first = Anthony | last = McCartney | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/12/AR2010071202673.html | title = Gibson tape mentions alleged hitting of girlfriend | date = July 12, 2010 | agency=[[Associated Press]] | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date =July 12, 2010}}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2010/07/world-exclusive-audio-mel-gibsons-explosive-racist-rant-listen-it-here |title=Original Internet posting of Gibson's alleged words |website=[[Radar Online]]|date=July 12, 2010|access-date=July 24, 2011}}</ref> Grigorieva said the voices on the multiple recordings leaked were of herself and Gibson, according to [[CNN]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/celebrity.news.gossip/07/14/mel.gibson.rant/index.html|title=RadarOnline releases another purported Gibson rant|work=[[CNN]]|date=July 16, 2010|access-date=February 3, 2022|archive-date=February 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203064534/http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/celebrity.news.gossip/07/14/mel.gibson.rant/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was barred from coming near Grigorieva or their daughter due to a [[domestic violence]]-related [[restraining order]].<ref name="guardianjuly2"/> The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department launched a domestic violence investigation against Gibson,<ref name="abuseinvestigation2"/> later dropped when Gibson pleaded [[no contest]] to a misdemeanor battery charge.<ref name=nocontest/>

Gibson's controversial statements resulted in him being [[Blacklisting|blacklisted]] in Hollywood for almost a decade.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/shane-black-mel-gibson-is-being-blacklisted-2016-5|title=The 'Lethal Weapon' writer says Mel Gibson is 'blacklisted' in Hollywood|first=Jason|last=Guerrasio|date=May 21, 2016|website=[[Business Insider|Business Insider Australia]]|access-date=December 26, 2020|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126125310/https://www.businessinsider.com.au/shane-black-mel-gibson-is-being-blacklisted-2016-5|url-status=live}}</ref> Both [[Robert Downey Jr.]] and journalist Allison Hope Weiner advocated for forgiveness for Gibson in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/robert-downey-jr-forgive-mel-gibson/|title=Robert Downey Jr.: Forgive Mel Gibson|work=[[Times of Israel]]|date=7 October 2014|access-date=November 27, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2014/03/mel-gibson-career-hollywood-deserves-chance-697084/|title=A Journalist's Plea On 10th Anniversary Of 'The Passion Of The Christ': Hollywood, Take Mel Gibson Off Your Blacklist|first=Allison Hope Weiner Special To|last=Deadline|date=March 11, 2014|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=November 27, 2016}}</ref>  In 2016, Gibson's film ''[[Hacksaw Ridge]]'', which received six Academy Award nominations, resulted in what was perceived as a "thaw" in his reputation.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Siegel|first1=Tatiana|title=Mel Gibson Is No Longer Persona Non Grata in Hollywood|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mel-gibson-is-no-longer-937208|access-date=November 6, 2016|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=October 12, 2016}}</ref>

== Awards and honors ==
{{Main|List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson}}
===Major film awards===
Gibson has won [[List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson|numerous major awards for his film achievements]], including multiple awards for the following:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Year
! rowspan="2" | Title
! colspan="2" width=160 style="text-align:center;"| Academy Awards
! colspan="2" width=160 style="text-align:center;"| BAFTA Awards
! colspan="2" width=160 style="text-align:center;"| Golden Globe Awards
|-
! Nominations
! Wins
! Nominations
! Wins
! Nominations
! Wins
|-
| 1995
| ''Braveheart''
|align=center|10
|align=center|5
|align=center|7
|align=center|3
|align=center|4
|align=center|1
|-
| 2004
| ''The Passion of the Christ''
|align=center|3
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| 2006
| ''Apocalypto''
|align=center|3
|
|align=center|1
|
|align=center|1
|
|-
| 2016
| ''Hacksaw Ridge''
|align=center|6
|align=center|2
|align=center|5
|align=center|1
|align=center|3
|
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!align=center|22
!align=center|7
!align=center|13
!align=center|4
!align=center|8
!align=center|1
|}

===Other awards, honors, and appointments===
In 1985, Gibson was named the "[[Sexiest Man Alive]]" by ''[[People (American magazine)|People]]'', the first person to be named so.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.people.com/people/quiz/answer/0,,1113192_1113194_,00.html |title=Think You Know Sexy? |work=People |date=November 3, 2005 |access-date=July 12, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090728015007/http://www.people.com/people/quiz/answer/0,,1113192_1113194_,00.html |archive-date=July 28, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/this-is-every-sexiest-man-alive-winner-since-1985/collection_2e7aff6c-c2b9-550d-b5b4-7ae52e7f86d3.html#:~:text=1990%3A%20Tom%20Cruise,21%2C%201990 | title=This is every 'Sexiest Man Alive' winner since 1985 | date=November 7, 2022 }}</ref>

Gibson quietly declined the [[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres|Chevalier des Arts et Lettres]] from the French government in 1995 as a protest against France's resumption of nuclear testing in the Southwest Pacific.<ref>Galloway, Stephen. ''The Hollywood Reporter''. October 30, 1995. "It was a definite decision to make a protest against the nuclear tests", said Gibson, who is mad at French President Jacques Chirac for deciding to detonate some bombs in the Pacific.</ref> 

On July 25, 1997, Gibson was named an honorary [[Officer of the Order of Australia]] (AO), in recognition of his "service to the Australian film industry". The award was honorary because substantive awards are made only to Australian citizens.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/869892 |title=It's an Honour&nbsp;– Honours&nbsp;– Search Australian Honours |publisher=Itsanhonour.gov.au |date=July 25, 1997 |access-date=July 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222042237/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/869892 |archive-date=February 22, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Daniel Vidoni |url=http://www.theorderofaustralia.asn.au/ |title=Order of Australia Association |publisher=Theorderofaustralia.asn.au |access-date=July 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091106224655/http://www.theorderofaustralia.asn.au/ |archive-date=November 6, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2003, he was awarded an [[honorary doctorate]] by the [[Loyola Marymount University]].<ref name="LMU">{{cite web|url=http://www.lmu.edu/sites/News___Media/Media/News_Releases/News_Releases_2003/MAY_1003_GIBSON_SPEAKS_AT_LMU_S_UNDERGRADUATE_COMMENCEMENT_PR.htm |title=May 1003 Gibson Speaks at Lmu's Undergraduate Commencement PR |publisher=[[Loyola Marymount University]] |access-date=July 18, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722202259/http://www.lmu.edu/sites/News___Media/Media/News_Releases/News_Releases_2003/MAY_1003_GIBSON_SPEAKS_AT_LMU_S_UNDERGRADUATE_COMMENCEMENT_PR.htm |archive-date=July 22, 2010 }}</ref>

In 2004, he was named "world's most powerful celebrity" by ''[[Forbes]]''.<ref name="CNNMoney">{{cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/2004/06/17/news/newsmakers/forbes_stars/?cnn=yes|title=Jesus helps Mel hit No. 1|date=June 18, 2004|publisher=CNN|access-date=July 18, 2010}}</ref> In the same year, ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' named him Innovator of the Year.<ref name="Galloway">{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000719418 |title=Innovator of the Year: Mel Gibson |last=Galloway |first=Stephen |date=November 15, 2004 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |access-date=July 18, 2010 }}{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

In 2007, Gibson was awarded an honorary fellowship in performing arts by [[Limkokwing University of Creative Technology]].<ref name="MalStar">{{cite news|url=http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2007/9/23/education/18937265&sec=education|title=Awestruck by 'Lethal Weapon'|date=September 23, 2007|work=[[Malaysia Star]]|access-date=July 18, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622044918/http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=%2F2007%2F9%2F23%2Feducation%2F18937265&sec=education|archive-date=June 22, 2011}}</ref>

In 2008, he won the Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema Award at the [[Irish Film and Television Awards]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/arts/2008/0208/gibsonm.html |title=Mel Gibson to be honored at IFTA ceremony |publisher=Raidió Teilifís Éireann |access-date=October 22, 2008 |date=February 8, 2008 |archive-date=July 27, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090727121854/http://www.rte.ie/arts/2008/0208/gibsonm.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

He was the recipient of the [[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor]] for ''[[Daddy's Home 2]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/mar/4/tom-cruise-wins-worst-actor-razzies-mel-gibson-tak/|title=Tom Cruise 'wins' worst actor at Razzies; Mel Gibson takes worst supporting actor|work=The Washington Times|agency=Associated Press |date=March 4, 2018 |access-date=June 22, 2021 }}</ref> and was nominated for the same award for ''[[The Expendables 3]]'' (2014) and ''[[Dangerous (2021 film)|Dangerous]]'' (2021).

== Citations  ==
{{Reflist}}

== General bibliography ==
* {{cite book | title=The Films of Mel Gibson | last=McCarty | first=John |location=New York | publisher=Citadel |date=September 2001 | isbn=0-8065-2226-7}}
* {{cite book | title=Mel Gibson: Man on a Mission | last=Clarkson | first=Wensley | location=London | publisher=John Blake |date=September 2004 | isbn=1-85782-537-3}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book | author=DeAngelis, Michael | title=Gay Fandom and Crossover Stardom: James Dean, Mel Gibson, and Keanu Reeves | location=Durham | publisher=Duke University Press | year=2001 | isbn=0-8223-2728-7}}

== External links ==
{{sister project links|d=Q42229|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|wikt=no|s=no|species=no}}
* {{IMDb name|154}}
* {{tcmdb name|id=70912%7C0|name=Mel Gibson}}
* [http://www.biography.com/people/mel-gibson-9310680 Mel Gibson] on [[Biography (journal)|Biography]]
* [https://www.allmovie.com/artist/mel-gibson-p91479 Mel Gibson] at [[AllMovie]]
* {{Charlie Rose view|2560}}
* {{NYTtopic|people/g/mel_gibson}}
* [https://texasarchive.org/2015_01652 Mel Gibson interviewed by Roy Faires at KVUE in Austin discussing his new movie Lethal Weapon] (1987) from [[Texas Archive of the Moving Image]]

{{Mel Gibson|state=collapsed}}
{{Navboxes
| title = [[List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson|Awards for Mel Gibson]]
| list  =
{{Academy Award Best Picture Producers}}
{{Academy Award Best Director}}
{{Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role}}
{{AACTA Award Best Direction}}
{{AACTA International Award for Best Direction}}
{{Golden Globe Award for Best Director}}
{{Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor}}
{{Hasty Pudding Man of the Year}}
{{MTV Movie Award for Best Action Sequence}}
{{MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo}}
{{People's Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actor}}
{{Razzie Redeemer Award}}
{{Satellite Award Best Director}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Mel}}
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