Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of multiple accolades, he is known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocalyptic action series Mad Max and as Martin Riggs in the buddy cop action-comedy film series Lethal Weapon.

In 1995, Gibson produced, directed, and starred in Braveheart, a historical epic for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Director, the Academy Award for Best Director, and the Academy Award for Best Picture. He later directed and produced The Passion of the Christ, a biblical drama that was both financially successful and highly controversial. He received further critical notice for his directorial work of the action-adventure film Apocalypto (2006) set in Mesoamerica during the early 16th century.