Mel Gibson has been acting for over four decades, having started his career in Australia. His long and illustrious acting life has put him in the spotlight for many years, and he is known by many people all over the world for his various roles.
After graduating from the country’s prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney in 1977, he went on to appear in various plays and movies in Australia, most notably in the “Mad Max” films and in 1981’s “Gallipoli.” Soon after, the budding actor made the move to Hollywood, where his career really started to take off.
He starred in various movies stateside, but it was 1987’s “Lethal Weapon” that put him on the map globally as a leading man. The following decade only cemented Mel’s reputation as he appeared in the “Lethal Weapon” sequels and other internationally acclaimed movies such as “Braveheart,” “Payback,” “What Women Want” and more.
Mel is particularly proud of his achievements as an actor and a filmmaker. He has been a recipient of two Academy Awards – one for Best Picture and another one for Best Director for “Braveheart.”
Although he’s had a long and illustrious Hollywood career, there’s another thing in life that he’s very successful at — family. While Mel’s professional life was soaring, his personal one was too. Mel is the proud father of nine children—that’s no small feat! Seven of his children all share the same mother, his first wife, while his other two children are each from different relationships.
We’re taking the chance to look back at his long career and his sometimes tumultuous love life and family, including his nine kids and the paths they’ve chosen in life.
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Many know Mel to be an American actor, specifically hailing from Peekskill, New York. After staying for more than a decade in the United States, their family relocated to Sydney, Australia, where he grew up. However, his Australian upbringing wasn’t a secret either – it was his Irish descent that many were unaware of.
Born in the U.S. on Jan. 3, 1956, Mel was the sixth of 11 children to parents Hutton Gibson and Anne Patricia. His father was a writer and would go on to be a “Jeopardy!” grand champion in 1968. After Hutton was awarded a large payout in a work-related injury lawsuit in 1968, the family relocated to Sydney, Australia. The move wasn’t completely random — Mel’s paternal grandmother was opera singer Eva Mylott, who had been born there.
It was in Australia that Mel got his career kickstarted. Graduating from NIDA back then opened a lot of doors to opportunities for Mel. He was eventually cast in a “Mad Max” film that later on became one of his most iconic roles.
But at one point in his career, he eschewed further movie work in order to work as a theater actor in Adelaide for a season. It was while living there that he met his first wife, Robyn Moore Gibson. The couple would go on to be together for decades, marrying in 1980 and having their first child together that year. They had seven children in total, but their relationship ended in divorce in 2011. Robyn ended up being entitled to half of her former husband’s $850 million fortune. In fact, the settlement is considered to be Hollywood’s biggest-ever divorce payout in history.
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While his first marriage was undergoing divorce proceedings, Mel began dating Russian pianist Oksana Grigorieva in 2009, with whom he had his eighth child. But the relationship didn’t last long, ending after one year in 2010, and mired in messy allegations. Grigorieva alleged that Mel was violent towards her, and, at times, both individuals had restraining orders issued against one another.
In the end, Mel settled with Grigorieva and had famous friends come to his defense, including Whoopi Goldberg and Jodie Foster. In a tell-all interview with Deadline Hollywood, Mel commented on the case:
“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.”
Then in 2014, Mel met his current partner, former equestrian and writer Rosalind Ross. The pair have a 34-year age gap, but the actor has strongly defended their partnership. He gave his opinion on their age difference, as reported by The Mirror:
“Regarding age and relationships, it’s just a number. We dig each other. She is an adult and we dig each other. It might cause a problem and one has a trepidation about these things, but it’s working out great. She is a really special person. I dig her. So there you go. That’s it. What more can one ask?”
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The couple appears to be going strong, and in 2017 they welcomed a daughter together, Mel’s ninth child. Upon welcoming his ninth kid into the world, Mel joked to Entertainment Tonight about having more kids than Clint Eastwood, who’s equally known for his large family. He said:
“I was talking to Clint the other day. I said, ‘How many kids you got?’ He said, ‘Eight.’ So I’m beating him.”
With Mel being partly of Irish descent, this biologically means that all of his nine children are also partly Irish. Mel is proud and loud of his Irish heritage and has spoken about it from time to time.
Historically speaking, his parents were both from Ireland. His mother, Anne, hailed from Co Longford in Ireland. She migrated to New York in 1944 and married Hutton, his father, who was also of Irish descent. Hutton’s mother, Eva, who lived in Australia, was also Irish.
Interestingly, the Hollywood actor’s name couldn’t sound more Irish, as his full given name is Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson. Columcille is the name of his mother’s parish in Co Longford.
In 2016, Mel returned to Ireland to film “The Professor and the Madman” opposite Sean Penn. In an interview at the time, he expressed his feelings upon his return to the country.
“I always love being back in Ireland. It feels like home. When this project came along I didn’t hesitate for a second,” he told the Irish Mirror.
“Braveheart” was also shot in the same country. Although the setting was in Scotland, the movie was filmed on Irish shores. Mel thanked his fellow countrymen who had helped him finish the project:
“I have great memories of the time here and all the men and women who worked with me and helped me achieve my vision.”
Let’s meet all of the actor’s nine children and see whether they’ve followed in their famous father’s footsteps.
Hannah Gibson
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Mel’s oldest child with ex-wife Robyn Moore, Hannah Gibson, was born in 1980. Although she didn’t choose to pursue a career in acting like her famous father, she did follow him into show business, working as a makeup artist on his film “What Women Want.”
After marrying musician Kenny Wayne Shepherd, the couple has since started a family of their own, giving birth to a daughter and two sons. According to Hannah’s IMDb profile, she and her husband were married at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Agoura Hills, California, which happens to be the church her father built. Their ceremony was a traditionalist one served completely in Latin.
Christian Gibson
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Did you know two of Mel’s nine children are twins?! Christian Gibson is one of Mel’s twin sons who were born in 1982. Christian and his twin brother were both born in Australia, while their father was still acting predominantly in the Australian movie industry, before his big move to Hollywood.
Like his older sister Hannah, who didn’t follow their dad into acting but has worked in the entertainment industry, Christian has done likewise. He works as a camera operator and has even worked on his dad’s movies “Hacksaw Ridge” and “Daddy’s Home 2.”
Edward Gibson
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Christian’s other half is twin brother Edward Gibson. However, Edward has bucked the trend and is the oldest of Mel’s kids who haven’t followed him into showbiz. Instead, Edward is the owner of a furniture company named Natural Edge, which specializes in custom wood slab pieces, in turn, opting for a more private life than his other siblings.
William Gibson
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Taking his older brother Edward’s lead, William Gibson has also chosen a private life instead of the spotlight. Born in 1985, making him Mel and Robyn Moore’s fourth child and third son, Edward leads such a quiet life there aren’t even photos of him.
Milo Gibson
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Perhaps you’ve heard of Milo Gibson before? The younger lookalike of Mel has even followed his dad into acting, but not before trying out a few different professions first. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Milo explained how he changed careers with the support of his dad:
“My dad was always a big advocate of doing what you like to do, and keep doing new things and trying new things, but do what you love. And I did that. I had a lot of different jobs but they weren’t things that I wanted to do for the rest of my life. And I have a really big passion for acting and I really love doing it.”
He first made his acting debut in the film “Hacksaw Ridge,” which happened to be directed by his father Mel. He told Entertainment Tonight in an interview:
“It was really fun working with him. It was a very actor-director relationship.”
He’s since had roles in “Gangster Land,” playing crime boss Al Capone, “All the Devil’s Men,” and even had a major role in the movie “Hurricane.” In 2022, he appeared in “Manifest West” — which was co-directed by none other than his brother!
Although he’s now working in the family business, Milo actually didn’t want to be an actor at first and chose a couple of rather unusual career paths on his journey to becoming a Hollywood leading man. In the same interview with Entertainment Tonight, Milo explained that after finishing high school, he became a massage therapist for two years, which is not the most A-list profession but is no doubt useful. But then he switched careers to something even more unexpected — Milo became an electrician for five years! He said it was really fun but not something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Hence the switch to acting eventually. What an impressive resume!
Thomas Gibson
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Thomas Gibson is Mel and Robyn Moore’s youngest child. He just graduated from college in 2017, but his career aspirations — whether he’ll follow his family’s lineage into Hollywood or choose a more private life — are not yet known.
Lucia Gibson
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Mel and Grigorieva’s only child, Lucia, was born in 2009. Still just a child, she’s rarely seen in public, but she is photographed out and about from time to time with her famous father.
Lars Gibson
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The actor and Ross’s only child together, Lars Gibson is Mel’s ninth kid. Born in January 2017, the boy is still a toddler but is often seen out and about in LA with his parents. It’s a warm sight to see Mel finally happy again with his current partner and their son Lars.
Louis Gibson
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Born in 1988 in Australia, Louis Gibson is another one of Mel and Robyn Moore’s children who have followed their famous father into his line of work. However, instead of appearing on screen, Louis prefers to stay behind the camera. Louis even studied at Chapman University and graduated with a BFA in Film Production. He co-wrote and co-directed the 2017 movie “Happy Hunting,” and worked on the 2022 film “Manifest West,” alongside his brother Milo.
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Did you know all about Mel Gibson’s large family? What do you think about the various careers each of his kids has pursued? Let us know your thoughts, then be sure to pass this on to your friends and family.