George Clooney

George Clooney is an Academy Award-winning actor, director, producer and screenwriter who has had a successful career in both television and film. Clooney has also become noted for his outspoken political views and for being an advocate for a resolution to the conflict in Darfur. Following a meeting with White House officials on February 23, 2009, Clooney stated that President Barack Obama had agreed to appoint a "full-time, high-level envoy" to the region.http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/19222.html

At the 2010 Emmy Awards, Clooney was honored for his ongoing humanitarian efforts when he was the recipient of the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. The award, which is given to one "whose humanitarian work has brought credit to the industry and whose deeds and actions have a lasting impact on society," was presented to Clooney by ER costar Julianna Margulies. In the past, the award has been given to Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby, among others.http://www.emmys.com/articles/george-clooney-receive-bob-hope-humanitarian-award

George Clooney was born and raised in Kentucky to a father who was a journalist and a mother who is a former pageant queen. After a short stint in college, which he did not finish, and a brief flirtation with a career in Major League Baseball, Clooney found his calling on the set of the hit TV drama ER.

He had a successful run from 1994-1999 on ER and then jumped into the world of Hollywood film, starring in movies like Three Kings, From Dusk Till Dawn, The Peacemaker and Batman & Robin. After the initial commercial success of some of these films, Clooney began to tackle films that were more closely aligned with his own political leanings. These films include, Goodnight and Goodluck and Syriana for which he won an Academy Award.

He has also balanced these politically charged films with commercial hits like the Ocean's Eleven film series.

Clooney received his third acting Academy Awards nomination in five years for his portrayal of Ryan Bingham in the film Up in the Air in 2009. Clooney won the Best Supporting Actor award in 2005 for his role as Bob Barnes in the film Syriana. In 2007, Clooney was nominated for Best Actor for the title role in the film Michael Clayton.

The role of Bingham in Up in the Air is that of a man known as a 'career transition counselor', whose job is to conduct company-wide layoffs of employees for bosses who are too scared to do so themselves. He also gives motivational speeches as well. Bingham is forced to deal with a zealous new hire within his company looking to cut costs, and he tries to show her the ropes.

The United Nations announced in February 2009 that it was looking into allegations that it had endangered Clooney by pulling his security detail as he traveled through the Chad region of Central Africa. New York Times reporter Nicholas Kristof, who had been traveling with Clooney, alleges that the security detail was pulled to discourage Clooney from making remarks critical of the region's leadership.http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b100723_did_un_put_george_clooneys_life_in.html?sid=rss_topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories

At an event at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. in late January 2009, where George Clooney, his father, Nick, and journalist Bill Small spoke, Nick Clooney bragged about George's movie, Good Night, and Good Luck, noting that it is being shown in various journalism schools across the country. Nick commented, "This film has legs." When Nick asked George Clooney for his opinion of the film being shown in schools, George Clooney stated, "I don't care for that." Nick Clooney quickly replied, "I never cared for this kid, his sister's great." George Clooney then turned to Small and jokingly asked, "Will you adopt me? I'm very wealthy. I'll take care of you."http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20255237,00.html

After several years in small roles on television and film, Clooney rose to fame as Dr. Doug Ross on the hit NBC medical drama, ER. Although Clooney departed the show in 1999, he did appear briefly in 2000 for the last episode of his on-screen wife, Julianna Margulies (nurse Carol Hathaway). On January 21, 2009, Entertainment Tonight reported Clooney filmed scenes for the final season and finale of ER, ending months of speculation about whether or not he would reprise his role. Margulies and Clooney both appeared in the final season, working together at a hospital across the country.http://www.etonline.com/news/2009/01/69956/

Clooney and socialite Paris Hilton were spotted having dinner together along with several guests in late December 2008 at the Dan Tana in Hollywood where they were said to have been getting cozy. The night before, the couple were seen together at the Whiskey Bar at the Sunset Marquis hotel in West Hollywood.http://www.lifeandstylemag.com/2008/12/paris-gets-cozy-with-george.html http://defamer.com/5122406/did-george-clooney-spend-two-nights-in-paris?skyline=true&s=x