Author(s): Shana Cushman

Music and Performing Arts

From baseball wannabe in Kentucky to one of Hollywood's most highly rated leading men, George Clooney's story is that of a late bloomer. After years as a struggling TV actor, he rose slowly to public attention with small, but potent, roles in TV shows like The Facts of Life and Roseanne, before landing the breakthrough role of Dr Doug Ross on the hit TV medical drama, ER. His roles in Hollywood films went hand in hand with ER's incredible success, as Clooney branched out and started working with respected film directors, such as Steven Soderbergh and the Coen Brothers. After leaving ER in 1999, he has starred in a run of box office hits, including the "Ocean's Eleven" remake and its two subsequent sequels, while also directing two acclaimed films (a third is presently in production) and producing a run of features for TV and cinema. Famed for his mysterious private life, unshakeable bachelorhood (the result of a failed marriage to actress Talia Balsam before he made it big) and fondness for partying, Clooney has carved out a unique place in Hollywood. He is simultaneously respected for his talents as an actor, producer, writer and director and worshipped as a sex symbol.