George Clooney

George Clooney
A headshot of Clooney
Clooney at the Venice Film Festival in 2024
Born
George Timothy Clooney

(1961-05-06) May 6, 1961 (age 63)
Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Alma materNorthern Kentucky University
Occupations
  • Actor
  • film director
  • producer
  • screenwriter
Years active1978–present
Organizations
WorksFilmography
Political partyDemocratic[1]
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1989; div. 1993)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 2014)​
Children2
FatherNick Clooney
Relatives
AwardsFull list

George Timothy Clooney[2] (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for his work in both blockbuster and independent films, he has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award and four Golden Globe Awards. His honors include the Cecil B. DeMille Award, the Honorary César, the AFI Life Achievement Award, and the Kennedy Center Honor.[3][4]

Clooney started acting in television in the late 1970s, and later gained wide recognition in his role as Dr. Doug Ross on the NBC medical drama ER (1994–1999), for which he received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He expanded to leading roles in films, with his breakthrough role in From Dusk till Dawn (1996)[5][6] followed by Batman & Robin (1997), Out of Sight (1998), Three Kings (1999), The Perfect Storm (2000) and O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). Greater stardom came from his starring role in Soderbergh's Ocean's film series from 2001 to 2007. Clooney won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the thriller Syriana (2005), and earned Best Actor nominations for the legal thriller Michael Clayton (2007), and the comedy-dramas Up in the Air (2009) and The Descendants (2011). He has also starred in Burn After Reading (2008), The American (2010), Gravity (2013), Hail, Caesar! (2016) and Ticket to Paradise (2022).

Clooney made his directorial debut with the spy drama Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), and has since directed the historical drama Good Night, and Good Luck (2005), the political drama The Ides of March (2011), the war film The Monuments Men (2014), the science fiction film The Midnight Sky (2020) and the biographical sports drama The Boys in the Boat (2023). He received the Academy Award for Best Picture for co-producing the political thriller Argo (2012). As of 2023, he is one of four people to have been nominated for Academy Awards in six different categories (a distinction shared with Walt Disney, Alfonso Cuarón and Kenneth Branagh).[7][8]

Clooney was included on Time's annual Time 100 list, which identifies the most influential people in the world, every year from 2006 to 2009.[9] He is also noted for his political and economic activism, and has served as one of the United Nations Messengers of Peace since 2008.[10][11][12] Clooney is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.[13] He is married to human rights lawyer Amal Clooney.

  1. ^ Breznican, Anthony (October 22, 2020). "George Clooney: Keep Fighting For Kentucky and Other Red States". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021. Growing up as a Democrat in Kentucky helped George Clooney get used to fighting impossible battles. With the presidential election fast approaching, the activist and actor says progressives should not give up on fighting for deep red states—even if the challenge seems insurmountable [...] "I've always been involved in Democratic politics since I was raised a Democrat in Kentucky. So imagine how much fun it was for me," said the actor, whose mother was active in city politics while his father ran unsuccessfully for congress in 2004, in an interview with Vanity Fair about his upcoming film, The Midnight Sky.
  2. ^ "George Clooney". Encyclopædia Britannica. May 2, 2021. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  3. ^ "American Film Institute – 2018 George Clooney Tribute". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 7, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  4. ^ "Actor and Filmmaker George Clooney, Honoree, The 45th Kennedy Center Honors". The Kennedy Center. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  5. ^ McCarthy, Todd (January 22, 1996). "From Dusk Till Dawn". Variety. Archived from the original on September 13, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  6. ^ "AmIAnnoying.com – MTV Movie Awards: Breakthrough Performance". www.amiannoying.com. Archived from the original on July 4, 2004. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  7. ^ "HitFix". June 23, 2023. Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  8. ^ Hammond, Pete (February 21, 2013). "OSCARS: Is George Clooney Now King Of The Academy Awards?". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 6, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  9. ^ Bono (April 30, 2009). "George Clooney – The 2009 TIME 100". Time. Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  10. ^ Worsnip, Patrick (January 18, 2008). "George Clooney named UN messenger of peace". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  11. ^ "UN gives actor Clooney peace role". BBC News. February 1, 2008. Archived from the original on April 5, 2009. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
  12. ^ "Clooney PSA Announcement". Better World Campaign. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
  13. ^ "Membership Roster". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on August 3, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2012.