Born in Lexington, Kentucky, as son of Nick Clooney, a TV newscaster of many years, who hosted a talk show at Cincinnati and often invited George into the studios already at the age of 5. Avoiding competition with his father, he quit his job as broadcast journalist after a short time.

Studied a few years at Northern Kentucky University. Failed to join the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. He came to acting when his cousin, Miguel Ferrer, got him a small part in a feature film. After that, he moved to L.A. in 1982 and tried a whole year to get a role while he slept in a friend's closet. His first movie, together with Charlie Sheen, stayed unreleased but got him the producers' attention for later contracts.
Ocean's Thirteen (2007): $15,000,000
Syriana (2005): $350,000
Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005): $1
Intolerable Cruelty (2003): $15,000,000
Ocean's Eleven (2001): $20,000,000
The Perfect Storm (2000): $8,000,000
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000): $1,000,000
Three Kings (1999): $5,000,000
Out of Sight (1998): $10,000,000
The Peacemaker (1997): $3,000,000
Batman & Robin (1997): $10,000,000
One Fine Day (1996): $3,000,000
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996): $250,000
Best man at the wedding of Richard Kind. Tried out for a position on the Cincinnati Reds. Personal stunt doubles are stuntmen Brad Martin, Troy Hartman and James E. Mitchell . He says he will never get married again, nor have any children, but Michelle Pfeiffer and Nicole Kidman both bet $10,000 each that he would be a father before he turned 40. They were both wrong, and each sent him a check. He returned the money, betting double or nothing that he won't have kids by age 50. Waged war against the paparazzi by boycotting Entertainment Tonight, the sister show of Hard Copy, which had filmed Clooney without his permission. Was voted "Sexiest Man Alive" by People Magazine. [1997] Was voted "Best Dressed Male Television Star." [1997] Chosen by People (USA) magazine as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World." [1996] Cousin is actor Miguel Ferrer. Uncle is the late actor José Ferrer. Nephew of singer/actress Rosemary Clooney and Betty Clooney. Education: Northern Kentucky University Owned a pet pig named Max, given to him by Kelly Preston, for eighteen years. Max died on December 1, 2006. Studied acting at The Beverly Hills Playhouse. Coincidentally, his first steady TV role was in the medical sitcom E/R that was based in Chicago and co-starred Elliott Gould, Mary McDonnell and Jason Alexander. Ten years later it would take another TV series ER (also based in Chicago) to finally launch him into the galaxy of superstardom. He was talk-show host Rosie O'Donnell's very first guest when her TV show debuted. Committed to O Brother, Where Art Thou? before even reading a script. Reportedly got into a fistfight with Three Kings director David O. Russell on the set. Russell had yelled and derided a few extras out of frustration and Clooney didn't appreciate it. Russell has since said, "I wouldn't make another George Clooney movie if they paid me $20 million." Good friends with actor Mark Wahlberg. Dated Renée Zellweger and Mariella Frostrup. Has stated in several interviews that he has suffered from bleeding stomach ulcers and is still on medication for stomach pain to this day. Ranked #27 on Premiere's 2002 Power 100 List. Frequently stars in movies that revolve around some type of robbery (Out of Sight, From Dusk Till Dawn, Three Kings, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Ocean's Eleven, Welcome to Collinwood, _Ocean's Twelve (2004)_ , and (announced) Ocean's Thirteen). Was once the son-in-law of Martin Balsam and Joyce Van Patten while he was married to Talia Balsam. Cousin of Rafael Ferrer. One of People Magazine's "Top 50 Bachelors" (2002). Was a pallbearer at the funeral of his late aunt, Rosemary Clooney. He got his start in a movie starring his cousin, Miguel Ferrer. Later, after Clooney had established himself on ER, Ferrer made a guest appearance on the very first show. His aunt, Rosemary Clooney, made guest appearances on two shows the first month ER aired. Ranked #29 in Premiere's 2003 annual Power 100 List. Is the sixth actor to play Batman. No. 3 of 10 Top Sexiest Men in People magazine. (2003) His voice was dubbed for the singing moments in O Brother, Where Art Thou?. Heads his own film and television production company, Maysville Pictures. Broke up with girlfriend Krista Allen (2004). Shared an apartment with actor Thom Mathews during the early 1980s. Dated Céline Balitran from 1996 to 1999. Was the second man, after Richard Gere, to make an appearance on the cover of Vogue magazine. They are the only two men to-date that have had this opportunity. Ranked #16 on VH1's "100 Hottest Hotties." Rode a bicycle to get to auditions as a struggling actor. Son of actor and AMC host Nick Clooney and Nina Warren Clooney. He loves the show South Park. He got a hold of Trey Parker, the creator of the series, and asked for a part in an episode. He was given the role of "Sparky", the gay dog. Is of Irish-American decent. At 43, he was voted sexiest male celebrity in a 'Naughty Forties' poll conducted for UK television station FX. Shared an L.A. home with Kelly Preston when both were struggling actors. Auditioned five times for Ridley Scott for the role of J.D. in Thelma & Louise, a role that ultimately went to future friend Brad Pitt, which catapulted Pitt to super-stardom. Born 2:48 AM, EST. Best friend is Richard Kind. He loves beer. He does voiceovers for Budweiser TV commercials and allegedly had a beer keg installed in his dressing room during filming of Ocean's Eleven. Lived in a friend's closet while struggling as an actor in L.A., early in his career. Is a Dallas Mavericks fan. Received the first "Spirit of Independence Award" of the Los Angeles Film Festival and Find Independent (FIND). [June, 2005] He and his Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's Twelve co- stars, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt and Elliott Gould, all have guest-starred on the TV show Friends, though not in the same episodes. His relationship with Krista Allen, whom he met on the set of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, ended after 2 years [March 2004] Broke off relationship with Lisa Snowdon after 5 years. [June 2005] Appears on the cover of the first Men's Vogue. (2005) After an accident on the set of his movie Syriana he suffered from back pain, bad headaches and memory loss. After several spine surgeries he fully recovered and is fine now. [October 2005] Sought the role of Jack in Sideways. However, the film's director, Alexander Payne, felt that he was too big a star, and turned him down in favor of Thomas Haden Church. Owns a villa in Laglio at Lake Como, Italy, where he lives several months of the year. In winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Syriana, he becomes the second generation of his family to win an Oscar. His uncle, José Ferrer, won a Best Actor Oscar for playing in Cyrano de Bergerac. Is the first (and only) actor who played Batman (in Batman & Robin to win an Oscar. Close friends with actor Tommy Hinkley. Frequently involves himself in projects involving the "Golden Age" of television. For example, he produced and starred in _Fail Safe (2000) (TV)_ , a throwback to the live television plays of the 1950s and 1960s; he directed and appeared in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, about Chuck Barris' career in early game shows; and he directed, wrote, and appeared in Good Night, and Good Luck., about Edward R. Murrow's battle with Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Ranked #21 on Premiere's 2006 "Power 50" list. Had ranked #43 in 2005. Turned down the role of Sgt. John McLoughlin in World Trade Center. As of 2006, he is the only regular cast member from ER to win an Oscar. Was originally to star in Jack Frost but chose to do Batman & Robin instead. His part went to Michael Keaton. Played a gangster in 7 movies: From Dusk Till Dawn, Out of Sight, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, _Ocean's Eleven (2001)_ , Welcome to Collinwood, Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen. He and his producing partner Steven Soderbergh have decided to close down their Section Eight production company after six years of working partnership. [August 2006] He and Grant Heslov founded production company Smoke House after his production company Section Eight closed down. He auditioned for the role of Mr. Blonde/Vic Vega in Reservoir Dogs, but was turned down. People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive". [2006] Is frequently cast as a soldier, as seen in "The thin red line", "The Peacemaker", "The Good German" and "Three Kings". Personal stunt doubles are stunt men Brad Martin, Troy Hartman and James E. Mitchell. His famed "Roman haircut" was actually an accident. While filming "From Dusk Till Dawn" he wanted to make his character Seth Gecko look really crazy with a chopped off hairstyle. But the haircut became popular and turned into a positive. Suffered from Bell's palsy for a time while he was in high school. In December 2006, he traveled to China and Egypt to make a personal plea to Chinese and Egyptian officials to use their ties with the Sudanese government to help stop the violence in the Darfur region. Lives at Lago di Como in Italy. Was considered for the part of Reed Richards in Fantastic Four. His The Peacemaker co-star Nicole Kidman presented him his Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2006. 2001: Voted Most Eligible Bachelor by People Magazine. Quit smoking cigarettes after his aunt Rosemary Clooney died from lung cancer in 2002.