GEORGE CLOONEY

'George Timothy Clooney' (born May 6, 1961) is an Academy Award and two-time Golden Globe-winning American actor, director, producer and screenwriter, known for his role in the first five seasons of the long-running television drama ''ER'' (1994–99), and his rise as an "A-List" movie star in contemporary American cinema.
Clooney has balanced his cinematic performances in big-budget blockbusters with more modestly budgeted films on serious topics and more commercially risky projects, while expanding his prominence as a movie producer.

Contents

Early life

Career

Initial success

Movie star

Other ventures

Personal life

Medical history

Politics

Save Darfur

Environmentalism

Charlton Heston controversy

Filmography

References

External links

Early life

Clooney, an Irish American,^[1] was born in Lexington, Kentucky. His mother, Nina Bruce (née Warren), was a former pageant queen, while his father, Nick Clooney, was a journalist, anchorman, game show and American Movie Classics host, as well as a politician from the state of Kentucky.^[2] Clooney has a sister, Ada, and is the nephew of singer Rosemary Clooney and actor Jose Ferrer, as well as the cousin of their children, among them actors Miguel and Rafael Ferrer. He is also the cousin-in-law of another singer Debby Boone, who married Jose's son Gabriel Ferrer. From an early age, Clooney would hang around his father's sets, often participating in shows, where he proved to be a crowd favorite.
Clooney briefly attended Ohio's William Mason High School but graduated from Kentucky's Augusta High School in 1979. He was a poor student. George did excel in athletics; baseball in particular. He was invited to try out for the Cincinnati Reds in 1977, but was not offered a contract.
He briefly attended Northern Kentucky University from 1979-1981, but did not graduate, earning no more than freshman-level credits.^[3] He also very briefly attended the University of Cincinnati, but again did not graduate.^[4][5]

Career

George Clooney spent most of his "struggling actor" years riding to auditions on a bicycle. His first major role came in 1984 in the television medical comedy/drama, ''E/R''. Though it too takes place in a hospital, it should not be confused with ''ER'', which Clooney more famously starred in several years later. Additionally, he played a handyman on the series ''The Facts of Life''. His first significant break was a semi-regular supporting role in the sitcom ''Roseanne'', playing Roseanne Barr's overbearing boss Booker Brooks , followed by the role of a construction worker on ''Baby Talk'' and then as a sexy detective on ''Sisters''. Clooney achieved stardom when he was selected to play Dr. Doug Ross on the NBC hit drama ''ER'', alongside Anthony Edwards's character, as his best friend/partner, Dr. Mark Greene, from 1994 to 1999. Clooney was also partnered with Deborah Leoni in their production company Mirador Entertainment.
Prior to his success on ''ER'', he befriended Grant Heslov, a later close friend with whom he co-wrote ''Good Night, and Good Luck''. Heslov was also the president of Section 8 Entertainment, Clooney and director Steven Soderbergh's production company. In August 2006, Clooney and Heslov started a new company: Smoke House. Clooney said in an interview that he was driving an RV through the country with Heslov, who, at the time, was getting over a broken engagement, when he got a phone call from his agent telling him that NBC just picked up ''ER'' for a full season. Clooney said, "I think I just got my career."
It has been rumored that Clooney was the one to have circulated the videotape of ''Jesus vs. Santa'' (the video greeting card which would inspire ''South Park'') around the Los Angeles area in 1995. He has always been a fan of South Park, and after calling Matt Stone and Trey Parker to tell them this, was invited to play a role in the show as the voice of Stan Marsh's gay dog Sparky in the episode ''Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride'', a role with no dialogue except normal dog noises. He later appeared in the film ''. Despite their history, the show's creators, Parker and Stone, lampooned Clooney for his outspoken political views in their feature film ''. However, Clooney later said that he would have been offended if he ''hadn't'' been made fun of in the film.^[6]
He was also mentioned in the episode Smug Alert! The smugness from an acceptance speech of his had formed a cloud which combined with the clouds of smugness from South Park and San Francisco to form one large smug storm.

Initial success

Clooney continued to star in movies while appearing in ''ER'', his first major Hollywood role coming in ''From Dusk Till Dawn'', directed by Robert Rodriguez. He followed its success with ''One Fine Day'' with Michelle Pfeiffer and ''The Peacemaker'' with Nicole Kidman, the latter being the initial feature length release from Dreamworks SKG studio. Clooney was then cast as the new Batman, following Val Kilmer, in ''Batman & Robin''. In 1998, he starred in ''Out of Sight'', opposite Jennifer Lopez. This was the first of many collaborations with director Steven Soderbergh. He also starred in ''Three Kings'' during the last weeks of his contract with ER.
In 1999, he left the cast of ''ER'' to pursue his film career full-time, though, Clooney mentioned a few times that he would like to do a few cameos. Although to date, he has only done one.

Movie star

After leaving ''ER'', Clooney starred in major Hollywood successes, such as ''Three Kings'', ''The Perfect Storm'', and ''O Brother, Where Art Thou?''. In 2001, he teamed up with Soderbergh again for ''Ocean's Eleven'', a remake of the 1960s Rat Pack film ''Ocean's Eleven''. Alongside Clooney the film also starred Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, and Julia Roberts. To this day, it remains Clooney's most commercially successful movie, earning approximately $444,200,000 worldwide. The film spawned two sequels, ''Ocean's Twelve'' in 2004 and ''Ocean's Thirteen'' in 2007. In 2001, Clooney founded the production studio Section Eight Productions with Steven Soderbergh.
He made his debut as a director in the 2002 film ''Confessions of a Dangerous Mind'', an adaptation of the autobiography of TV producer Chuck Barris. Though the movie didn't do well at the box office, Clooney's direction was praised among critics and general audiences, alike.
In 2005, Clooney starred in ''Syriana'', which was based loosely on former Central Intelligence Agency agent Robert Baer and his memoirs of being an agent in the Middle East. The same year he directed, produced, and starred in ''Good Night, and Good Luck'', a film about 1950s television journalist Edward R. Murrow's famous war of words with Senator McCarthy. Both films received critical acclaim and decent box-office returns despite being in limited release. At the 78th Academy Awards, Clooney was nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for ''Good Night, and Good Luck'', as well as Best Supporting Actor for ''Syriana''. He became the first person in Oscar history to be nominated for directing one movie and acting in another in the same year. He would go on to win for his role in ''Syriana''.
Most recently, he appeared in ''The Good German'', a film-noir directed by frequent collaborator Steven Soderbergh. The film is set in post-World War II Germany.
Clooney is one of only two people to have been given the title of Sexiest Man Alive twice by ''People Magazine'', first in 1997 and again in 2006. The other is Brad Pitt. Clooney also received the American Cinematheque Award in October 2006, an award that honors an extraordinary artist in the entertainment industry who is fully engaged in his or her work and is committed to making a significant contribution to the art of motion pictures.

Other ventures

On July 8, 2005, news reports said that Clooney would be working with Cindy Crawford's husband Rande Gerber to design and build a new casino hotel in Las Vegas. And, on August 29, the same year, Clooney officially announced his involvement with the Las Ramblas Resort project. However, the project never came to fruition, and the property on which the resort was to be built was sold in June 2006.
After serving as pitchman outside the U.S. for products like Fiat and Martini vermouth, Clooney lent his voice to a series of Budweiser ads beginning in 2005 (which were still running as of September 2007).
George secretly financed and executive produced a political thriller short film called "The Endgame Study" in 2006.
After the success of ''Good Night, and Good Luck'', Clooney said he plans to devote more of his energy to directing. He feels that the directing industry is "a great industry to grow old in," something that doesn't ring true with acting.

Personal life

Clooney's father, Nick Clooney, a politician, is noted for saying the following about himself,

Clooney had a 300 pound Vietnamese black bristled, potbellied pig, named Max, that had lived with him for 18 years. Max died on December 1, 2006.^[7][8][9] He also had two bulldogs named Bud and Lou, after the famous comedy team, Abbott and Costello, who both died (one from a rattlesnake attack). ^[10][11]
Clooney has only been married once, to actress Talia Balsam from 1989 to 1993. He says he will never get married again, nor have any children, but Michelle Pfeiffer and Nicole Kidman each bet him $10,000 that he would be a father before he turned 40. They were both wrong, and each sent him a check. He returned the money, betting double or nothing that he won't have kids by age 50.

Medical history

Clooney suffered from Bell's palsy for a time while he was in high school.^[12]
Clooney injured himself on Syriana's set, during the torture scene, in 2004. He had some excruciating headaches and suffered short term memory loss. It took a few weeks for his doctors to find the reasons of his health problems. During ''The Good German's'' promotion (two years after), he revealed that he still had to wear a back brace due to this injury. ^[13]
Always has remained a non smoker throughout his life . Clooney says he saw his uncles and aunts die because of the habit and hence has stayed away from it .

Politics

Clooney is a self-described political liberal. Speaking about the Iraq war: "You can't beat your enemy anymore through wars; instead you create an entire generation of people seeking revenge. These days it only matters who's in charge. Right now that's us — for a while at least. Our opponents are going to resort to car bombs and suicide attacks because they have no other way to win.... I believe (Rumsfeld) thinks this is a war that can be won, but there is no such thing anymore. We can't beat anyone anymore."
Clooney is noted for his public criticisms of Jack Abramoff and other Republicans. On January 16, 2006, during his acceptance speech for the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for ''Syriana'', Clooney paused to sarcastically thank the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff before adding, “Who would name their kid Jack with the word ‘off’ at the end of your last name? No wonder that guy is screwed up!”^[14]
There has been movement to try to convince Clooney to run for political office in his home state of Kentucky, including talk of a Clooney candidacy for US Senate against Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2008.^[15] Clooney's remark on the possibility of his entering politics, however, has been: "Run for office? No. I've slept with too many women, I've done too many drugs, and I've been to too many parties."^[16]
Clooney supports Barack Obama for a 2008 presidential run.^[17]

Save Darfur

Clooney is active in advocating a resolution of the Darfur conflict.^[18] His efforts include an episode of Oprah and speaking at the Save Darfur rally in Washington, D.C. on April 30, 2005.
In April 2006, he spent 10 days in Chad and Sudan with his father to make a film in order to show the dramatic situation of Darfur's refugees.
In September 2006, he spoke in front of the Security Council of the UN with Nobel Prized Elie Wiesel to ask the UN to find a solution to the conflict and to help the people of Darfur. ^[19]
In December 2006, he made a trip to China and Egypt with Don Cheadle and a couple of olympic winners to ask both government to pressure Sudan's government. ^[20]
He narrated the documentary "Sand and Sorrow. ^[21]
On March 25, 2007, he sent an open letter to German chancellor Angela Merkel ^[22]
Clooney is behind Not On Our Watch, an organization that focuses global attention and resources to stop and prevent mass atrocities, along with Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, and Jerry Weintraub.^[23]

Environmentalism

George Clooney owns the first Tango car to be sold.^[24]
Clooney has paid a deposit on a Tesla Roadster from Tesla Motors. It is a battery electric sportscar with a 250 mile range. He will be among the first hundred owners.^[25]

Charlton Heston controversy

As first reported by gossip columnist Liz Smith, Clooney was speaking at a National Board of Review event and said: "Charlton Heston announced again today that he is suffering from Alzheimer's."
"It was just a joke," Clooney responded. "That was someone else trying to make a bigger story." ^[26]
Charlton Heston commented, "It just goes to show that sometimes class does skip a generation," referring to George Clooney's late aunt, Rosemary Clooney. ^[27]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1985	''Streethawk''
1985 - 1986	''The Facts of Life''	George Burnett
1987	''Return to Horror High''	Oliver
	''		''Uncredited''
	''Combat Academy''	Maj. Biff Woods
	''Murder, She Wrote''	Kip Howard	''Episode:'' No Laughing Murder
	''The Golden Girls''	Detective Bobby Hopkins	''Episode:'' To Catch a Neighbor
1988	''Return of the Killer Tomatoes''	Matt Stevens
1988 - 1991	''Roseanne''	Booker Brooks	11 Episodes
1990	''Red Surf''	Remar
1992	''Unbecoming Age''	Mac
1993	''The Harvest''	Lip Syncing Transvestite
1993 - 1994	''Sisters''	Detective James Falconer
1994 - 1999	''ER''	Dr Doug Ross	106 Episodes Emmy nomination: Outstanding Lead Drama Actor Golden Globe nomination: Best TV Actor - Drama
1995	''Friends''	Dr. Michael Mitchell	''Episode:'' The One with Two Parts, Part Two
1996	''From Dusk Till Dawn''	Seth Gecko
	''One Fine Day''	Jack Taylor
	''Curdled''	Seth Gecko	''Uncredited''; only photo shown
1997	''Full-Tilt Boogie''	Himself	''Documentary''
	''The Peacemaker''	Thomas Devoe
	''Batman & Robin''	Batman/ Bruce Wayne
	''South Park''	Sparky the Dog (voice)	''Episode:'' Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride
1998	''The Thin Red Line''	Captain Bosche
	''Out of Sight''	Jack Foley
	''Waiting for Woody''	Himself	''Comedic Short''
1999	''Three Kings''	Major Archie Gates
	''The Book That Wrote Itself''	Himself
	''	Voice of Doctor Gouache
	''The Limey''	TV Interviewee
2000	''The Perfect Storm''	Billy 'Skip' Tyne
	''Fail Safe''	Col. Jack Grady
	''O Brother, Where Art Thou?''	Ulysses Everett McGill	Golden Globe win: Best Musical/Comedy Actor
2001	''Ocean's Eleven''	Danny Ocean
	''Spy Kids''	Devlin
2002	''Confessions of a Dangerous Mind''	CIA Agent Jim Byrd	also ''Director''
	''Solaris''	Chris Kelvin
	''Welcome to Collinwood''	Jerzy	''Producer''
	''Starbuck Holger Meins''		''Documentary''
2003	''Intolerable Cruelty''	Miles Massey
	''	Devlin
2004	''Ocean's Twelve''	Danny Ocean	also ''Executive Producer''
2005	''Good Night, and Good Luck.''	Fred Friendly	Academy Award nomination: Best Director, Best Original Screenplay BAFTA nomination: Best Direction, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe nomination: Best Director, Best Screenplay
	''Syriana''	Bob Barnes	also ''Producer''; Academy Award win: Best Supporting Actor BAFTA nomination: Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe win: Best Supporting Actor
2006	''The Good German''	Jake Geismar
2007	''Michael Clayton''	Michael Clayton	also ''Producer''
	''Ocean's Thirteen''	Danny Ocean
	''Leatherheads''	Jimmy 'Dodge' Connelly	also ''Director, Producer, and co-writer''
2008	''Burn After Reading''	Harry Pfarrer	Pre-production [28]
	''White Jazz''	Dave "The Enforcer" Klein	(Announced)

'Director credits'

Year	Title
2002	''Confessions of a Dangerous Mind''
2005	''Good Night, and Good Luck''
	''Unscripted''
2007	''Leatherheads''

'Producer credits'

Credit	Movie
Executive Producer	''Ocean's Thirteen''

References

1. George Clooney Optimistic After Rough Year
2. http://www.filmreference.com/film/59/George-Clooney.html
3. http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:bSd56oU9IEAJ:www.hyenaproductions.com/whois%2Bjan2007.htm+%22george+clooney%22+%22augusta+high+school%22+%22university+of+cincinnati
4. http://www.clooneystudio.com/biography.html
5. The Politics of George Clooney, Actor and Liberal Activist By Deborah White, About.com, Dec 12, 2006, retrieved March 9, 2007
6. http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/clooney%20supports%20team%20america%20makers%20despite%20ridicule
7. http://www.longislandpress.com/?cp=190&show=article&a_id=10440
8. http://www.itv.com/news/entertainment_63d2fdb1e5b4bd6c661936490f112d76.html
9. http://www.ecanadanow.com/entertainment/2006/12/04/george-clooneys-pet-pig-passes-away/
10. http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/celebrity/73552004.htm
11. http://www.clooneystudio.com/articles/max_passed_away.html
12. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0602/16/lkl.01.html
13. http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Entertainment/20061203-112446-5638r/
14. http://www.hecklerspray.com/?p=2054
15. http://www.leovia.com/?q=node/3368
16. http://thinkexist.com/quotes/george_clooney/
17. http://www.hollywood.com/news/detail/id/3570488
18. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/davidblair/apr06/anarchyindarfur.htm#comments
19. http://www.clooneystudio.com/articles/clooney_un_darfur.html
20. http://www.clooneystudio.com/articles/mission_china_egypt.html
21. http://www.clooneynetwork.com/articles2/viewarticle.php?articleid=2443
22. http://www.dpado.org/article.php?ID=1358&Section=news
23. http://notonourwatchproject.org/
24. http://www.megawattmotorworks.com/display.asp?dismode=article&artid=168
25. http://www.teslamotors.com/media/press_room.php?id=29
26. http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/lycos/1595/id278.htm
27. http://www.thebostonchannel.com/entertainment/1931445/detail.html
28. http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=17128

External links

★ Not On Our Watch: Official site for charity founded by George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Jerry Weintraub

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★ George Clooney on Moviefone

★ NPR interview 10/2005

★ Text, Audio, and Video of Speech to the United Nations Security Council on Darfur

★ Text, Audio, Video of Clooney's Oscar Award Acceptance Address for Best Supporting Actor