George Clooney

Some Lesser Known Facts About George Clooney

• George Clooney grew up in Lexington, Kentucky.

  

• He traces its roots to Irish, German, and English ancestry.

• George was raised as a strict Roman Catholic by his parents, but in 1998, he admitted that he was unsure about his faith in Heaven or God. While talking about his upbringing in an interview, he said,
  

  Yes, we were Catholic, big-time, whole family, whole group”

  

• Clooney spent part of his childhood in Ohio, where his father worked for television stations in Cincinnati and Columbus. His family returned to Kentucky when he was in 7th grade.

• During his first year of high school, George Clooney was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a condition that causes partial facial paralysis. However, it went away within a year.

• George actively participated in sports during his high school years. In 1977, he tried to pursue a professional baseball career with the Cincinnati Reds but was eliminated in the first round of tryouts.

• George pursued a major in broadcast journalism at Northern Kentucky University from 1979 to 1981 but did not finish his degree. He later attended the University of Cincinnati but did not graduate there either.

  

• Before becoming an actor, he did odd jobs like stocking shelves, selling women’s shoes, door-to-door insurance, and cutting tobacco.

• He studied acting for five years at the Beverly Hills Playhouse in Los Angeles.

• In 1984, he got his first major role as Mark Kolmar (Ace) in the short-lived sitcom ‘E/R,’ which aired on CBS.

  

• George first met American television actor Talia Balsam in 1984 when they co-starred in a local play. He soon fell in love with Talia and proposed to her. They got married in 1989, but their marriage lasted only three years. George has often mentioned his marriage with Talia in interviews and blamed himself for its failure.

• He appeared as ‘George Burnett’ in NBC’s ‘The Facts of Life’ (1985-1987).

  

• George has appeared in many other television series such as CBS’ Murder, She Wrote (1987), ABC’s Sunset Beat (1990), NBC’s Sisters (1993-1994), CBS’ Murphy Brown (1998), and Hulu’s ‘Catch-22’ (2019).

  

• George started dating American actor Kelly Preston in 1987. They met through mutual friends and even lived together. The duo, however, broke up in 1989.

  

• George’s appearance as Dr. Doug Ross in NBC’s series ER (1994) was appreciated by many.
  

• In 1994, George started dating Kimberly Russell, an actor, after they met in Los Angeles. They broke up in 1995. While talking about her relationship with George in an interview, Kimberly said,
  

  That’s how it starts with George. He sweeps you off your feet and romances the hell out of you … But don’t mention the words, ‘marriage, commitment, or babies’ because that’s the end of the line.”

• George and Karen Duffy, an actor and model, briefly dated in 1996. According to reports, one of the reasons for their breakup was George’s pet pig, which Karen did not like. While talking about this in an interview, she said,
  

  I could never fall in love with a man with a pet pig.”

• While filming ‘The Peacemaker’ in Paris in 1996, George fell for a French law student and waitress named Celine Balitran and started dating. After the film, she moved to Los Angeles with him. However, they broke up in 1999 as they struggled to maintain their relationship, partly because George was frequently away for work.

• In 1997, he played the role of ‘Bruce Wayne/Batman’ in the film ‘Batman & Robin.’
  

• He has also worked as an executive producer for television series like CBS’ Fail Safe (2000), HBO’s K Street (2003), TNT’s Memphis Beat (2010-2011), and Showtime’s On Becoming a God in Central Florida (2019).

  

• In 2000, George and American actress Lucy Liu were often seen together at events, which sparked rumours about their relationship. They were spotted on several dates and seemed close, but neither confirmed the relationship.

• In 2000, he was briefly linked with actor Traylor Howard as they were often spotted together at events.

• George Clooney met British television presenter and fashion model Lisa Snowdon while shooting a Martini advertisement in Spain in 2000. They soon started dating and had an on-and-off relationship for around five years; the duo ended their relationship in 2005.

• He was highly appreciated by the audience for his performance as ‘Danny Ocean’ in the film ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ (2001), which was followed by two sequels: ‘Ocean’s Twelve’ (2004) and ‘Ocean’s Thirteen’ (2007).

• In 2002, Clooney and actor Krista Allen started dating after meeting on the set of the film ‘Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.’ The duo, however, broke up in 2004.

• In 2002, George and British-Norwegian journalist Mariella Frostrup were rumoured to have had a brief affair. Although both denied any romantic relationship, they were seen on a vacation together in Spain and attending the Film Critics Circle Awards in London, holding hands.

• George is an activist who has raised awareness for the 2003 Darfur conflict and helped raise funds for Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.

• In 2003, Clooney was briefly linked with an American documentary filmmaker and actress named Jennifer Siebel, as they were once spotted at George’s Villa Oleandra in Lake Como, Italy. The duo was also frequently seen together at various events.

• In 2004, Clooney and Croatian model Monika Jakišić were rumoured to have an on-and-off relationship from 2004 to 2013. They were first seen together at a party held at George’s Lake Como home in 2004. While their relationship was never confirmed, they continued to be spotted together occasionally over the years.

• In 2005, he appeared as ‘Bob Barnes’ in the film ‘Syriana.’ George suffered a major accident on set, which severely damaged his brain’s dura. The pain was so intense that he once even thought about committing suicide to escape it.

  

• George is an avid animal lover. He once had a Vietnamese Pot-bellied pig named ‘Max, the Star,’ who saved his life by waking him up before an earthquake. Max passed away in 2006.

  

• In April 2006, Clooney spoke at a Save Darfur rally in Washington, D.C. In April, he spent ten days in Chad and Sudan with his father and made a documentary titled ‘A Journey to Darfur’ to highlight the situation of Darfur’s refugees. The documentary aired on American, UK, and French television channels.

  

• In 2007, he narrated and co-produced the documentary ‘Sand and Sorrow’ and appeared in ‘Darfur Now.’ Both documentaries aimed to encourage global action to stop the Darfur crisis.

• George Clooney began dating Sarah Larson in 2007 after they met at the premiere party for the film ‘Ocean’s Thirteen’ in Las Vegas, where Larson worked as a cocktail waitress. The duo ended their relationship in 2008.

• George has been involved in a few accidents. One was a motorcycle crash on 21 September 2007, in Weehawken, New Jersey, while he was with his then-girlfriend Sarah Larson. The other happened on 10 July 2018 in Sardinia while he was heading to a film set.

• In 2008, he was named United Nations Messenger of Peace.

  

• He has appeared in many other films such as ‘Burn After Reading’ (2008), ‘Up in the Air’ (2009), ‘The Descendants’ (2011), ‘Tomorrowland’ (2015), ‘The Midnight Sky’ (2020), and ‘Ticket to Paradise’ (2022).

• George has been actively involved in politics over the years. He supported Barack Obama in both the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, endorsed Hillary Clinton for the 2016 elections, and backed Jow Biden for the 2020 presidential race. He also co-hosted a virtual fundraiser for Biden in July 2020, along with Obama.

  

• George and Elisabetta Canalis, an Italian actress and showgirl, dating from 2009 to 2011. Their romance began at a party at George’s Lake Como home.

• Clooney has adopted many dogs such as a Cocker Spaniel named Einstein in 2010, another Cocker Spaniel named Louie in 2013, a Basset Hound named Millie in 2015, and a St. Bernard named Nelson in 2024.

  

• In 2010, Clooney, along with human rights activist John Prendergast, started the Satellite Sentinel Project (SSP) to monitor and prevent conflicts between Sudan and South Sudan. They decided to launch this project after their visit to Sudan in October.

  

• In 2010, George was featured on the cover of Time magazine with the headline ‘The Last Movie Star.’

  

• Clooney dated Stacy Keibler, an actor and retired professional wrestler, from 2011 to 2013. They started dating after a mutual friend introduced them at a party in Los Angeles.

• In 2013, George began dating Amal Alamuddin, a British lawyer and human rights activist. They first crossed paths at an Italian charity event the same year.
  

• He has worked as a director and producer for films like ‘The Monuments Men’ (2014), ‘Suburbicon’ (2017), ‘The Tender Bar’ (2021), and ‘The Boys in the Boat’ (2023).

  

• George has also worked as a writer for films such as ‘The Monuments Men’ (2014) and ‘Suburbicon’ (2017).

  

• George is the only actor to be nominated for Oscars in six different categories: Best Supporting Actor, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor.

• He was once featured on the cover of Vogue magazine, making him only the second man to appear on it after actor Richard Gere.

  

• He consumes alcohol occasionally.

  

• George used to smoke initially; however, he quit it after his uncle’s death.

• Clooney is known for pulling pranks, like pretending to be politician Bill Clinton and sending fake acting lesson tapes to actress Meryl Streep, which caused some temporary issues.

• George once had long-standing disputes with director David O. Russell and actor Russell Crowe. He clashed with Russel after a physical altercation on set due to the director’s rude behaviour. With Crowe, the conflict started when Crowe criticised Clooney and other actors for their advertising deals, which led to a back-and-forth exchange between the two.

• George is an ardent supporter of LGBTQIA+ rights. On 28 March 2019, he called for a boycott of hotels owned by Brunei after the country introduced a law that imposed death by stoning for homosexual acts.

George Clooney as ‘Danny Ocean’ in the film ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ (2001)

George Clooney as ‘Matthew King’ (Matt) in the film ‘The Descendants’ (2011)

George Clooney as ‘Matthew King’ (Matt) in the film ‘The Descendants’ (2011)