Mel Gibson: ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ Director Welcomes Ninth Child, Earns Oscar Nod


Mel Gibson, director of the highly successful 2016 film Hacksaw Ridge, and girlfriend, Rosalind Ross, 26, have welcomed a baby boy named Lars Gerald Gibson, People has reported. Lars, Gibson’s ninth child overall, is the first child he has had with Ross, who he has been dating for two years, according to People.

“They’re thrilled and Lars is adorable,” a source told People. “Their family is all around them and Mel is over the moon. They’re home and everybody is healthy and happy.”

According to Us Weekly, Gibson, 61, had his first seven children, six sons and a daughter, with his ex-wife, Robyn Moore. Gibson and Moore were married for 28 years before their divorce was finalized in 2011, per Us Weekly. Gibson also has a daughter with Oksana Grigorieva, now his ex-girlfriend, who he was involved in a well-publicized custody battle with.

[Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]

Per Us Weekly, the news that Ross was pregnant was first confirmed last fall. Us Weekly also reports that she recently “showed off her baby bump” when the couple appeared at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards.

Once a prominent figure in Hollywood, Gibson made a name for himself in the 1980s by starring in the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon franchises. In 1995, he played one of his most memorable roles to date, when his portrayed Scottish hero William Wallace, who fought for his country’s independence from England, in the movie Braveheart. Gibson directed Braveheart as well.

In the years following the success of Braveheart, Gibson continued to move along steadily, starring in films such as Ransom, Conspiracy Theory, and the American Revolutionary War film The Patriot. Other successful movies included What Women Want, We Were Soldiers, and Signs. In 2004, he directed The Passion of the Christ,which brought in $612 million worldwide, according to Esquire.

In 2006, however, Gibson’s career began to unravel when he was caught making anti-Semitic remarks on tape after a DUI arrest. Gibson apologized, but a few years later, he found himself in trouble once again, when troubling audio tapes were released, and he was accused of domestic violence against his then-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva.

According to CBS News, Gibson was sentenced to three years probation in 2011, when he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of battery. He was also ordered to undergo counseling.

As the Inquisitr recently reported, Gibson has begun making an improbable comeback with the success of the World War II film Hacksaw Ridge. According to IMDB, Hacksaw Ridge is the first movie that Gibson has directed since he did Apocalypto back in 2006.

Hacksaw Ridge tells the real-life story of Desmond Doss, an American Army Medic and pacifist who worked to save lives during the Battle of Okinawa. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Doss, who would not carry a weapon, helped to save 75 lives during WWII and became the first conscientious objector to receive the Congressional Medal Of Honor. Doss is played by Andrew Garfield in Hacksaw Ridge.

Gibson seems to be working to prove that he is a changed man, and it appears that Hollywood has begun the process of forgiving him. For the widely-applauded job that he did on Hacksaw Ridge, Gibson is heading back to the Oscars, as he has been nominated for Best Director. According to Variety, this marks the first time that Gibson’s name has been in the Oscar mix since he won an Oscar for Braveheart two decades ago.

[Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]

In October of last year, in an interview with Australia’s Sunday Night Channel 7, Gibson claimed that he has now been sober for a decade. He also admitted that he is still “haunted” by the “public outbursts” of his past.

Mel Gibson’s next acting role will be in the movie The Professor And The Madman, which is currently in post-production, according to IMDB. The film, which will focus on the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary, will mark only Gibson’s seventh acting credit since 2010.

In addition to Gibson, The Professor And The Madman will also feature Natalie Dormer and Sean Penn.

[Featured Image by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images]

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