Mel Gibson directed Jim Caviezel in The Passion of the Christ

Gibson remains one of Hollywood's biggest movie heartthrobs, being named best actor at the US People's Choice awards for the third time in four years. But at 48, he was too old to play Jesus in The Passion - so satisfied himself with co-writing, directing, producing and financing it. After earning his spurs behind the camera with Braveheart, which he directed and produced as well as starred in, he decided he had "a deep need" to tell the story of Christ's final hours. He has wanted to make this film for the last decade, and has said he has tried to make a familiar story less distant. "The Gospels tell you what basically happened - I want to know what really went down," he said last year. Gibson himself is a conservative Catholic - and has previously told interviewers about his opposition to abortion, birth control and divorce.

Gibson has directed three films during his career

But his religious views are not as conservative as those held by his father, Hutton, who set up a group called Alliance for Catholic Tradition and questioned the extent of the Holocaust. Mel Gibson has avoided publicly criticising his 82-year-old father, saying: "He never denied the Holocaust - he just said there were fewer than six million." Mel was born in New York, the sixth of 11 children, and moved to Australia in 1968 after his father won an injury payout and the TV quiz Jeopardy. He soon adopted an Australian accent after being teased for being a "Yank", and performed at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Arts.

Alcohol battle

While there, he played Romeo opposite Judy Davis' Juliet, and shared accommodation with Shine star Geoffrey Rush.

Braveheart won four Oscars in 1996

Like Kylie Minogue, he started his screen career with a role in TV soap The Sullivans before finding film fame in Mad Max in 1979. The futuristic film became an unexpected hit, taking $100m around the world, and spawned two sequels. More acclaimed roles in films like war drama Gallipoli and The Year of Living Dangerously - both directed by Peter Weir - followed before his hugely successful appearance in 1987's cop thriller Lethal Weapon. Around this time, he also began his battle with alcohol after realising he was drinking four or five beers every morning before work - later attending Alcoholics Anonymous and becoming teetotal. Lethal Weapon was a global smash, and established Gibson on the Hollywood A-list, with three sequels helping his image and bank balance.