What Is Mel Gibson's Net Worth?
Mel Gibson is an Australian/American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, and investor who has a net worth of $425 million. Rewind the clock to the early '80s, and it seemed as if there was nothing this American-born, Australian actor couldn't do. Handsome, talented, and driven, Mel Gibson established himself as a theater actor in Australia, as well as a film star, quite quickly. He starred in such movies as the "Mad Max" franchise, the "Lethal Weapon" franchise, and "The Year of Living Dangerously." Some of his other projects included "The Bounty," "Hamlet," "Bird on a Wire," "The Patriot," and "Signs." In addition to his acting work, he also began writing, producing, and directing projects, ultimately winning an Oscar for Best Director for his work on the film, "Braveheart" in 1995. The future looked bright for the actor/director, and he was clearly at the top of everyone's "A-list."
Then it kind of all went to pot, as it were. It started with marital problems, and then drinking issues, and then incredibly bizarre rants caught on tape… more than once. At one point, he was involved in a war of words with director Joe Eszterhas. Their argument, which went public after someone leaked their private correspondence to an entertainment website, stemmed from multiple anti-semitic remarks made by Gibson and Eszterhas's frustration and anger about them. This was followed by dubious movie choices, and finally, Mel's agency dumped him, and he was dropped from a number of projects. He has made somewhat of a comeback over the years but for some fans and studio executives, Gibson will remain persona non grata.
Early Life
Mel Gibson was born Mel Colmcille Gerard Gibson on January 3, 1956, in Peekskill, New York. The sixth of eleven children, Mel is the son of Anne Patricia Reilly and writer Hutton Gibson. Anne died in 1990, and Hutton passed away in 2020 at the age of 101. When Mel was 12 years old, the family moved to his grandmother's native country, Australia, for various economic reasons. Gibson was educated by the Christian Brothers and attended the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, working onstage before transitioning into the Australian film scene.
Acting Career
Gibson's first major roles were in the "Mad Max" series, which he immediately began working on straight after graduating college in 1977. Mel earned his first $1 million paycheck in 1985 from "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome," the third installment in the franchise. All the while, Gibson was still working as a stage actor and appearing in several plays with the State Theatre Company of South Australia in Adelaide. He appeared on stage in many well-known works, such as "Waiting for Godot" and "Death of a Salesman."
Mel starred in his first American film, "The River, in 1984," playing a struggling Tennessee farmer opposite Sissy Spacek. He took two years off of acting before returning to play the role of Martin Riggs in 1987's "Lethal Weapon," followed by "Tequila Sunrise" in 1988 and "Lethal Weapon 2" in 1989. He spent the first half of the '90s starring in blockbuster action hits like "Maverick," "Braveheart," "Ransom," and "Payback," just to name a few. The early 2000s saw Gibson starring in films that each grossed over $100 million at the box office: "The Patriot," "Chicken Run," and "What Women Want." He starred in M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs," which was wildly successful and the highest-grossing film of his career.
Some of his other notable film roles include starring parts in the other four installments of the "Mad Max" series, "We Were Soldiers," "Edge of Darkness," "The Beaver," and "The Expendables 3."
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Director and Producer
Gibson began to move into producing and directing in 1989 when he formed Icon Productions and made his first film, "Hamlet." He made his directorial debut with 1993's "The Man Without a Face." He went on to film "Braveheart" two years later, which earned him an Oscar for Best Director. In 2004, Gibson wrote, directed, and funded the controversial film "The Passion of the Christ." It became the highest-grossing film with an R rating of all time, earning over $370 million at the U.S. box office. He also directed the movie "Hacksaw Ridge" in 2016, which received 14 award nominations, including an Academy Award for Best Achievement in Directing and a Golden Globe for Best Director – Motion Picture. Gibson won six awards for the film, including a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Director and a Hollywood Film Award for Director of the Year. Throughout his career, Gibson has also directed and produced various television projects as well.
| Mel Gibson Salary Highlights | |
| Signs | $25,000,000 |
| We Were Soldiers | $25,000,000 |
| The Patriot | $25,000,000 |
| Chicken Run | $1,550,000 |
| Lethal Weapon 4 | $25,000,000 |
| Conspiracy Theory | $20,000,000 |
| Ransom | $20,000,000 |
| Maverick | $15,000,000 |
| Lethal Weapon 3 | $10,000,000 |
| Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome | $1,200,000 |
| The River | $500,000 |
| Attack Force Z | $918/week |
| Gallipoli | $32,147 |
| Mad Max | $15,000 |
| Summer City | $400 |
| Total | $168,298,465 |
"The Passion of the Christ" Earnings
Mel spent years trying to get funding for his passion project, "The Passion of the Christ." Eventually, a frustrated Mel decided to invest $30 million of his own money to finance the project. He also chipped in an additional $15 million for marketing, bringing his total investment to $45 million.
Gibson owned 50% of the film's profits. The other 50% went to the distributor, Newmarket Films. After the movie's revenues were all totaled, Mel's personal cut was $300 million.
But that's not all. "Passion" was also a merchandising juggernaut. Merchandise brought Mel another $50-$100 million. Finally, there are DVD sales, which were close to their general peak back in 2004. Mel took home a cool $75 million from DVD sales.
When you add it all together, Mel Gibson earned somewhere in the range of $400 – $475 million off of "The Passion Of the Christ."
It was reported in January 2023 that the sequel, "The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection," would begin filming later in the year.
(Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images)
Real Estate
Over the years, Mel Gibson has owned a number of impressive homes and properties. Over the decades, Gibson has owned multiple properties in Malibu, Los Angeles, Costa Rica, Fiji, and throughout Australia.
Greenwich, Connecticut:
In 1994, Mel Gibson paid $9 million for Old Mill Farm, a 75+ acre estate in Greenwich, Connecticut. He sold this property in July 2007 for $40 million. Here's a video tour of Old Mill Farm:
Malibu:
In 2008, Mel paid $11.5 million for a 5.5-acre home in Malibu. The sellers were then-married couple David Duchovny and Tea Leoni. Mel listed this home for sale at one point for $17.5 million. He listed it again in March 2019 for $14.5 million. He removed the listing in July 2019 and continues to own this property to this day.
Gibson's compound in Malibu is 5,403 square feet, with 6 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. The home has two offices, a detached gym, an open-air garden cabana/entertainment pavilion with a high ceiling, a built-in barbecue and fireplace, 3 guest houses, and staff quarters. The grounds feature an oversized chess board designed on the lawn, organic gardens, fruit orchards, shade trees, shaded terraces, a tennis court, and a swimming pool. Here's a video tour:
In April 2007, Gibson bought a 400-acre ranch in Costa Rica for the hefty sum of $26 million. He has tried to sell this mansion at various points for as much as $35 million. Here's a video tour of Gibson's Costa Rican estate, which is called Playa Barrigona:
In December 2004, Mel sold a property in his native Australia for $6 million. Later that same month, he paid $15 million for a private island in Fiji called Mago Island.
Personal Life
Gibson married Robin Moore in 1980 and the couple had seven children before divorcing in 2011. Gibson then started dating Russian musician Oksana Grigorieva, and they had a daughter together. Oksana later accused Mel of domestic violence, and in August 2011, Gibson settled with Grigorieva, who was awarded $750,000, joint legal custody, and a house in Sherman Oaks, California, until their daughter, Lucia, turned 18.
In 2014, Gibson began a relationship with former champion equestrian vaulter and writer Rosalind Ross. They had a son together, Lars Gerard, Gibson's ninth child, in January 2017.
Divorce Settlement
In his divorce from Robin Gibson, Mel reportedly agreed to pay a $400 million settlement. At the time, it was the largest divorce celebrity divorce settlement in history.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Controversies and Legal Issues
Oksana Grigorieva filed a restraining order against Gibson in 2010 in an attempt to keep him away from their child. Gibson, in turn, filed a restraining order against her. She accused him of domestic violence, and Gibson was investigated by the LA County police. In July 2010, an audio recording of a violent and racist rant in a phone call from Gibson to Grigorieva was leaked onto the internet. Mel entered a plea of no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge and settled with Grigorieva, who was awarded $750,000 and their house in Sherman Oaks, California, for damages.
Gibson has had his fair share of anti-Semitic hate speech incidents as well as anti-LGBTQ sentiments. His controversial statements over the years resulted in him being blacklisted by many producers, directors, agencies, and fellow actors in the Hollywood film scene for nearly a decade. It wasn't until he released "Hacksaw Ridge" that the Hollywood community began to warm to him again.
Gibson has addressed his alcohol addiction and recovery in many interviews. In 1984, he rear-ended a car in Toronto while drunk and was banned from driving in Canada for three months. He was arrested on July 28, 2006, for a DUI while speeding in his car with an open container of alcohol. He pled no contest and was sentenced to three years of probation.
Photo by Matej Divizna/Getty Images
Philanthropy
Gibson has donated millions of dollars to Healing the Children, a charity that provides life-saving medical treatment to underserved children around the world. In 2007, on a business trip to Singapore, he donated massive amounts to a local charity for kids with terminal illnesses. He has also supported causes in the arts, such as the restoration of Renaissance paintings. Gibson has given millions of dollars to the National Institute of Drug Abuse as well. He donated $500,000 to the El Mirador Basin project, which aims to protect the last of the virgin rainforest in Central America. Additionally, he visited Central America in July 2007 to meet with the president of Costa Rica and make donations to the indigenous population. That same year, he gave financial assistance to Green Rubber Global to build a tire recycling factory in Gallup, New Mexico.
Accolades
Mel Gibson has won a total of seven Academy Awards, five for "Braveheart" and two for "Hacksaw Ridge." He also won a Golden Globe for best director for "Braveheart." He's been nominated for a BAFTA and several other awards.
