George Clooney turns 50
(CBS) George Clooney has played a doctor, a thief, a lawyer, a superhero and countless other roles. He's also an Oscar-winner, a humanitarian and really, really, ridiculously good-looking (seriously, Elisabetta Canalis is a lucky woman).
And now, he's also 50 years old. Clooney hits the half-century mark on Friday, and in celebration of his birthday, we're looking back at actor-director-philanthropist-etc's long career in Hollywood and beyond.
His early roles included spots on "The Facts of Life" and "Rosanne," but it wasn't until he played Dr. Doug Ross on "ER" that Clooney got recognized as an actor and a Hollywood heartthrob.
He played Ross from 1994-1999, and then graduated to movie roles, like ones in "From Dusk Till Dawn," "Three Kings" and "Out of Sight." He also played Batman in 1997's "Batman and Robin" (but that might not be memorable in a good way).
From there, it was onto commercial successes like "The Perfect Storm," "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and 2001's "Ocean's 11," which paired him with a star-studded cast including Brad Pitt and Matt Damon and led to two sequels.
He made his directorial debut with 2002's "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," and went on to direct 2005's "Good Night, and Good Luck" (which he also produced and starred in) and "Leatherheads" (2008).
He's been nominated for five Oscars, and won one in 2006, for Best Supporting Actor in "Syriana." His most recent nomination was for 2009's "Up in the Air."
There's also his humanitarian work. He was appointed a United Nations messenger of peace in January 2008, and most recently traveled to Sudan earlier this year as the southern part of the country voted on whether to become independent from the north.
Named the "Sexiest Man Alive" twice by People magazine (in 1997 and 2006), he was married to actress Talia Balsam from 1989-1993. He's vowed never to marry again, but his subsequent relationships always make headlines. Since 2009, he's been dating Canalis, an Italian model and actress.
So, whether he's celebrating in Hollywood, his home on Italy's Lake Como or anywhere else in the world, we hope Clooney has a very happy 50th.
Leave birthday wishes and tell us your favorite Clooney movie or TV role in the comments.
