Looking Back At Mel Gibson's Love Life As The Actor Turns 66

Jan 03, 2022 by apost team

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. The well-known star turns 66 today, on January 3rd, 2022. We're taking the chance to look back at his long career and his sometimes tumultuous love life and family.

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 the country, 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 soon 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 Gibson's reputation as he appeared in the Lethal Weapon sequels and internationally acclaimed movies such as Braveheart, Payback, What Women Want, and more.

But while Gibson's professional life was soaring, his personal one was too. In fact, Gibson is the proud father of nine children—that's no small feat! Seven of his children all share the same mother, his first wife. Sadly, his decades-long relationship with his first wife fell through in a spectacular way and consequent relationships haven't always worked out well for him.  

Read on to find out more about Gibson's tumultuous relationships.

Most of his children are with his first wife, Robyn Moore Gibson, who he was with for decades, marrying in 1980 and having their first child together that year. Robyn Moore Gibson was there to witness Mel Gibson's meteoric rise in Hollywood and the couple had seven children in total before their relationship ended in divorce in 2011, with Robyn Moore Gibson 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.

While his first marriage was undergoing divorce proceedings, Mel Gibson 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 was mired in messy allegations. Grigorieva alleged that Gibson was violent towards her and at times both individuals had restraining orders issued against one another.

In the end, Gibson 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, Gibson commented on the case, stating:  

"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."

apost.com

Trying to leave his relationship with Grigorieva and the scandal surrounding it behind, Gibson took a time out from relationships for a while. Focusing on his children and career, it would be four long years before the star returned to the dating scene.

Then in 2014, Mel Gibson met his current partner, former equestrian turned writer Rosalind Ross. While not the most scandalous age difference among famous pairs and celebrity relationships, the pair does have a 34-year age gap, with Gibson 66 years old and Ross being 32. However, the actor has strongly defended their partnership against questioning voices. 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?"

The couple appears to be going strong and has been enjoying each other's company for eight years now. They even had a daughter together in 2017, marking the actor's ninth child. Upon welcoming his ninth kid into the world, Mel Gibson joked to Entertainment Tonight about having more kids than Clint Eastwood, another male star who is 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."

What do you think about having such a large family? Could you handle having so many children? Tell us your thoughts and pass this along.