Mel Gibson Is A Proud Dad To Nine Kids—Meet His Large Family

Dec 08, 2020

Actor Mel Gibson has had a long and illustrious Hollywood career but there's another thing in life that he's very successful at—family. With nine children from three different relationships, Mel Gibson knows the meaning of a large brood. Here, we take a look at his children and what paths they've chosen in life.

Mel Gibson has been acting for over four decades, having started his career in Australia. After graduating from the country's prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney in 1977, he went on to appear in various plays and movies in the country, most notably in the Mad Max films and in 1981's Gallipoli. Soon after the budding actor made the move to Hollywood, where his career only grew.

He starred in various movies stateside but it was 1987's Lethal Weapon that put him on the map as a leading man. The following decade only cemented Gibson's reputation as he appeared in the Lethal Weapon sequels and movies such as Braveheart, Payback, What Women Want, and more.

But while Gibson's professional life was soaring, his personal one was too. In fact, Gibson is the proud father of nine children—that's no small feat! Most of his children are with his first wife, Robyn Moore Gibson, who he was with for decades, marrying in 1980 and having their first child together that year. Robyn Moore Gibson was there to witness Mel Gibson's meteoric rise in Hollywood and the couple had seven children in total before their relationship ended in divorce in 2011, with Robyn Moore Gibson entitled to half of her former husband's $850 million fortune. In fact, the settlement is considered to be Hollywood's biggest ever divorce payout in history.

While his first marriage was undergoing divorce proceedings, Mel Gibson began dating Russian pianist Oksana Grigorieva in 2009, with whom he had his eighth child. But the relationship didn't last long, ending after one year in 2010 and was mired in messy allegations. Grigorieva alleged that Gibson was violent towards her and at times both individuals had restraining orders issued against one another.

In the end, Gibson settled with Grigorieva and had famous friends come to his defense, including Whoopi Goldberg and Jodie Foster. In a tell-all interview with Deadline Hollywood, Gibson commented on the case, stating:  

"I've never treated anyone badly or in a discriminatory way based on their gender, race, religion or sexuality—period. I don't blame some people for thinking that though, from the garbage they heard on those leaked tapes, which have been edited. You have to put it all in the proper context of being in an irrationally, heated discussion at the height of a breakdown, trying to get out of a really unhealthy relationship. It's one terribly awful moment in time, said to one person, in the span of one day and doesn't represent what I truly believe or how I've treated people my entire life."

Then in 2014, Mel Gibson met his current partner, former equestrian and writer Rosalind Ross. The pair have a 34-year age gap, with Gibson 64 years old and Ross 30, but the actor has strongly defended their partnership. He gave his opinion on their age difference, as reported by The Mirror:

“Regarding age and relationships, it’s just a number. We dig each other. She is an adult and we dig each other. It might cause a problem and one has a trepidation about these things, but it’s working out great. She is a really special person. I dig her. So there you go. That’s it. What more can one ask?”

The couple appears to be going strong and welcomed a daughter in 2017, the actor's ninth child. Upon welcoming his ninth kid into the world, Mel Gibson joked to Entertainment Tonight about having more kids than Clint Eastwood, who's equally known for his large family. He said:

“I was talking to Clint the other day. I said, ‘How many kids you got?’ He said, ‘Eight.’ So I’m beating him.”

Let's meet all of the actor's children and see whether they've followed in their famous father's footsteps.

Did you know two of Mel Gibson's nine children are twins?! Christian Gibson is one of Mel Gibson's twin sons who were born in 1982. Christian Gibson and his twin brother were both born in Australia, while their father was still acting predominantly in the Australian movie industry, before his big move to Hollywood.

Like his older sister Hannah Gibson, who didn't follow their dad into acting but has worked in the entertainment industry, Christian Gibson has done likewise. He works as a camera operator and has even worked on his dad's movies Hacksaw Ridge and Daddy's Home 2.

Christian Gibson's other half is twin brother Edward Gibson. However, Edward Gibson has bucked the trend and is the oldest of Mel Gibson's kids who haven't followed him into showbiz. Instead, Edward Gibson is the owner of a furniture company named Natural Edge, which specializes in custom wood slab pieces, in turn, opting for a more private life than his other siblings.

Taking his older brother Edward Gibson's lead, William Gibson has also chosen a private life instead of the spotlight. Born in 1985, making him Mel and Robyn Moore Gibson's fourth child and third son, Edward leads such a quiet life there aren't even photos of him.

Perhaps you've heard of Milo Gibson before? The younger lookalike of Mel Gibson has even followed his dad into acting, but not before trying out a few different professions first. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Milo explained how he changed careers with the support of his dad:

"My dad was always a big advocate of doing what you like to do, and keep doing new things and trying new things, but do what you love. And I did that. I had a lot of different jobs but they weren’t things that I wanted to do for the rest of my life. And I have a really big passion for acting and I really love doing it."

He first made his acting debut in the film Hacksaw Ridge, which happened to be directed by his father Mel. He told Entertainment Tonight in an interview:

"It was really fun working with him. It was a very actor-director relationship."

He's since had roles in Gangster Land, playing crime boss Al Capone, All the Devil's Men, and even had a major role in the movie Hurricane. Next up, he's set to appear in Manifest West—which is co-directed by none other than his brother Louis Gibson!

Although he's now working in the family business, Milo actually didn't want to be an actor at first and chose a couple of rather unusual career paths on his journey of becoming a Hollywood leading man. In the same interview with Entertainment Tonight, Milo explained that after finishing high school, he became a massage therapist for two years, which is not the most A-list profession but is no doubt useful. But then he switched careers to something even more unexpected—Milo became an electrician for five years! He said it was really fun but not something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Hence the switch to acting eventually. What an impressive resume!

Thomas Gibson is Mel and Robyn Moore Gibson's youngest child. He just graduated from college in 2017, but his career aspirations—whether he'll follow his family's lineage into Hollywood or choose a more private life—are not yet known.

Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva's only child, Lucia was born in 2009. Still just a child, she's rarely seen in public, but she is photographed out and about from time to time with her famous father.

Mel Gibson and Rosalind Ross's only child together, Lars Gibson is his father's ninth kid. Born in January 2017, the boy is still a toddler but is often seen out and about in LA with his parents. It's a warm sight to see Mel Gibson finally happy again with his current partner Rosalind Ross and their son Lars.

Mel Gibson's oldest child with ex-wife Robyn Moore Gibson, Hannah Gibson was born in 1980. Although she didn't choose to pursue a career in acting like her famous father, she did follow him into show business, working as a makeup artist on his film What Women Want. 

After marrying musician Kenny Wayne Shepherd, the couple has since started a family of their own, giving birth to a daughter and two sons. According to Hannah Gibson's IMDb profile, she and her husband were married at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Agoura Hills, California, which happens to be the church her father built. Their ceremony was a traditionalist one served completely in Latin.

Born in 1988 in Australia, Louis Gibson is another one of Mel and Robyn Moore Gibson's children who have followed their famous father into his line of work. However, instead of appearing on screen, Louis prefers to stay behind the camera. Louis even studied at Chapman University and graduated with a BFA in Film Production. He co-wrote and co-directed the 2017 movie Happy Hunting, and is currently working on a film titled Manifest West, which is due out in 2021.

Did you know all about Mel Gibson's large family? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, then be sure to pass this on to your friends and family!