George Clooney

Biography

After a decade spent toiling on series television, mostly in roles easily forgotten, actor George Clooney shot to stardom with his portrayal of charming but troubled pediatrician Doug Ross on the acclaimed medical series "ER" (NBC, 1994-2009). 

Thanks to his newfound celebrity, Clooney made the jump to films while still on the series, quickly establishing himself as a major Hollywood player with leading roles in "From Dusk Till Dawn" (1996), "Batman & Robin" (1997), and "Out of Sight" (1998). 

When he left the confines of the small screen for big-screen pastures, Clooney transcended mere stardom to become one of the most prominent actors of his era, emulating the devil-may-care nonchalance of a Cary Grant or Clark Gable, while at the same time becoming an Academy Award-winning performer, risk-taking director, and socially-conscious activist. 

While raking at the box office as the breezy Danny Ocean in "Ocean's Eleven" (2001) and its two sequels, Clooney forged ahead on a directing career with "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" (2002). But it was his sophomore effort behind the camera, "Good Night, and Good Luck" (2005), that catapulted the star into the realm of top-ranking filmmakers, thanks to several Academy Award nominations. 

Meanwhile, his Oscar-winning performance as a disillusioned CIA agent in "Syriana" (2005), a jaded executive in "Up in the Air" (2009), and a widowed father in "The Descendants" (2011) helped put to rest any residual notions that Clooney was just a famously devout bachelor out to have a good time. 

Films ranging from the science fiction drama "Gravity" (2013) to the Coen Brothers' Old Hollywood satire "Hail Caesar!" (2016) to the action thriller "Money Monster" (2016) demonstrated his ever-widening range. 

As he matured as both an actor and an individual (including a high-profile 2014 marriage to British-Lebanese human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin and the birth of twins in June 2017), George Clooney became one of modern Hollywood's most old-school stars.