Skip to main contentSkip to footer

George Clooney - Biography

George Clooney is known for his work as an actor, director, and human rights activist

George Clooney attends the OMEGA 'Lost In Space' dinner to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the OMEGA Speedmaster, which has been worn by every piloted NASA mission since 1965, at Tate Modern on April 26, 2017 in London, England
Share this:

George Clooney Early Life

Born in Kentucky on May 6, 1961, George has show-business in his blood. His father is the former TV talk show host Nick Clooney, and he's a nephew of the famous singer Rosemary Clooney.

He developed a passion for acting as early as age 17, and made his on-screen debut on TV mini-series Centennial in 1978.

George Clooney Acting Career

After his cousin Miguel Ferrer helped him land his first film role in 1982, with an uncredited part on And They're Off, the actor moved to Los Angeles to study acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, where he was a student for five years.

His breakthrough role came by way of the NBC medical drama ER, where he starred as Dr. Doug Ross alongside Julianna Marguiles, Anthony Edwards, Noah Wyle, and others, from 1994 to 1999.

His first major movie was horror comedy-crime thriller From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), which featured a famous cameo from Salma Hayek, also a rising star at the time. From there, he starred in movies such as One Fine Day (1996) with Michelle Pfeiffer, The Peacemaker (1997) with Nicole Kidman, Batman & Robin (1997), and Out of Sight (1998) with Jennifer Lopez.

George became an established Hollywood A-Lister (and director, and subsequent highest-paid actor) thanks to movies such as O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), the Ocean's franchise, Syriana (2005), Good Night, and Good Luck (2005), and others, the latter two earning him Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay (Good Night, and Good Luck), and Best Supporting Actor, which he won, for Syriana.

George Clooney Personal Life

Beyond his work in acting, George has been deeply involved in humanitarian work and democratic politics for over a decade. He has endorsed Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden, he is involved with Not On Our Watch, which works to prevent mass atrocities, was a steadfast advocate to find a resolution amid the Darfur conflict, supported the recognition of the Armenian genocide, and is a supporter of gun control and LGBTQIA rights.

As for his love life, he married Talia Balsam in 1989, but the couple divorced just three years later, and he subsequently became one of Hollywood's most eligible bachelors. He has also dated the late Kelly Preston, French model Celine Balitran, Bridget Jones's Diary star Renee Zellwegger, British model Lisa Snowdon, Sarah Larson, Italian TV presenter Elisabetta Canalis and former wrestler Stacy Keibler.

The woman to finally stick was the one and only Amal Clooney (née Alamuddin) a human rights lawyer, to whom George proposed to in 2014 after seven months of dating. They tied the knot in September of that year in an intimate ceremony at the Aman Canal Grande luxury resort in Venice, Italy.

In June 2017, they welcomed twins Alexander and Ella, and today the power couple own homes in Mexico, France, Italy, and Los Angeles. 

More Profiles

See more