Mel Gibson Always Feels At ‘Home’ in Ireland Despite Being Born in New York And Growing Up in Australia

Oct 27, 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. 

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 a 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.

Gibson was 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.” But aside from his accolades, the “Ransom” actor is also proud of his heritage. 

Many know Gibson 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., Gibson was the sixth of 11 children to parents Hutton 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 — Gibson’s paternal grandmother was opera singer Eva Mylott, who had been born there. 

It was in Australia that Gibson got his career kickstarted. Graduating from the National Institute of Dramatic Art back then opened a lot of doors of opportunities for Gibson. 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 theatre 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.

He went on to have a daughter with Russian pianist Oksana Grigorieva and another one with his current wife, Rosalind Ross. 

With Gibson coming of Irish descent, this biologically meant that all of his nine children were also partly Irish. 

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Gibson is proud and loud of his Irish heritage. 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 is 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.

Well, if Gibson was born in New York and grew up in Australia – how did he become Irish? 

According to the Irish Citizen Information portal, anyone who was born outside Ireland is automatically an Irish citizen by birth if either one of the parents was born in the country and was entitled to Irish citizenship.

In 2016, Gibson 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,” one of his highly-awarded films, was also shot in the same country. Although the setting was in Scotland, the movie was filmed on Irish shores. 

Gibson, who was proud of the film’s success, thanked his fellow countrymen at the time 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.”

In 2010, the Trim Town Council bestowed him the prestigious civic honor of Freedom of Town for the County of Meath in Ireland, the exact location where Gibson shot “Braveheart.”

Did you know that Mel Gibson was Irish? Are there any other Irish actors that you like? Let us know and pass this on to your family, friends, and other Mel Gibson fans!