George Clooney Biography

November 3, 8:14 PMColumbus Celebrity Headlines ExaminerCynthia Graham

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George Clooney at the world premiere of 'Fantastic Mr Fox' (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
 

Writer, director, actor and handsome leading man, George Clooney, became a household name after making a splash as Dr. Doug Ross in the hit television show ER, in the 90s.

Early Years

George Timothy Clooney was born in Lexington, Kentucky, to a family of actors and singers. His father Nick was a gameshow host, journalist and politician, his aunt was the popular singer Rosemary Clooney, his uncle Jose Ferrer was the famed actor known for his role as Cyrano de Bergerac on Broadway, and his cousins Miguel and Rafael Ferrer are actors.

Clooney speaks of a tough childhood after coming down with by Bell's palsy, which partially paralyzed his face;

That was the worst time of my life. You know how cruel kids can be. I was mocked and taunted, but the experience made me stronger."

Later on, Clooney attended Northern Kentucky University and the University of Cincinnati, but left college in 1981, without graduating. Clooney took on menial jobs to pay the bills, until his cousin Miguel Ferrer introduced him to acting, when he got him a bit part in a never-released movie about Lexington horse racing. A little known fact is that not too long before he moved to California, the athletic Clooney tried out for, but didn't make, the Cincinnati Reds professional baseball team.

Television Career

While in Los Angeles, Clooney had several small roles on the televison shows The Facts of Life, Roseanne, Baby Talk and Sisters, before finally landing a role on ER in 1994. Clooney signed a five-year contract and even though the show was a huge hit, to the chagrin of his fans, he left at the end of it, to pursue movie roles.

Personal Life

Clooney never lacked for companionship over the years, and was married once, briefly. He hooked up with actress Talia Balsam, in a quickie Las Vegas marriage, that only lasted three years. The marriage came just a short while after Clooney and actress Kelly Preston's live-in relationship ended, leaving Clooney to raise his pet pig Max all by himself. After a string of relationships, that include such beautiful women as French student Celine Balitran and Sarah Larson, Clooney is now in an exclusive relationship with Italian model Elizabeth Canalis.

Although Clooney had a few movie roles that did not do him justice, such as when he played a transvestite in The Harvest, but he has also starred in such notable films as The Perfect Storm, O Brother Where Art Thou?, the crime capers, Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen, along with Siriana, for which he won an Oscar, and Michael Clayton, which earned him an Oscar nomination.

Clooney has a number of upcoming projects, which include the Iraq comedy, The Men Who Stare at Goats, the 2010 drama, The American, and he lends his voice to the character of Mr. Fox, in the animated film Fantastic Mr. Fox.

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