Ten Things You Probably Didn't Know About George Clooney
Ten things you probably didn't know about Kentucky native and actor George Clooney.
On May 6, 1961, George Timothy Clooney was born in Lexington, KY, the younger child of journalist Nick Clooney and his wife, Nina. George, the nephew of singer and actress Rosemary Clooney, made his TV debut at age 5 on his father's Cincinnati-based talk show, and grew up in the Bracken County, KY town of Augusta. He was clearly a charm from a young age.
Young George with his older sister, Ada.
In honor of everybody's favorite Kentucky-born birthday boy, I thought it would be fun to do a little trivia this morning. Here are 10 things you probably didn't know about George Clooney.
George Clooney and Brad Pitt dance at a 2013 Oscars after-party.
- George was a high school athlete; he tried out for the Cincinnati Reds, but he didn't make the team.
- He is the only person ever to be nominated for an Academy Award in six categories.
- Although George rose to fame playing Dr. Doug Ross in the NBC medical drama ER, he previously had a supporting role in the similarly-named Elliot Gould sitcom E/R, which ran on CBS for one season.
- He was arrested in 2012 for a planned protest at the Sudanese embassy in Washington, DC.
- George attended classes at Northern Kentucky University, the University of Cincinnati, and the Beverly Hills Playhouse. He dropped out of NKU to to make a low-budget movie with his cousin Miguel Ferrer.
- George has been married twice: first to actress Talia Balsam (Mona on Mad Men) and currently to attorney Amal Alamuddin.
- George is a distant relative to perhaps the most famous Kentuckian of all: His maternal great-great-great-great-grandmother, Mary Ann Sparrow, was a half-sister to Nancy Hanks, mother of Abraham Lincoln.
- For years, George had a pet potbellied pig named Max. He credits Max with saving his life, by waking him up before the 1994 Northridge, California earthquake.
- He guest-starred on classic 1980s TV shows including The Golden Girls and Murder, She Wrote, as well as his parts on The Facts of Life and Roseanne.
- George is the co-owner of a premium tequila label, Casamigo. One of his partners in the Casamigo brand is his friend and neighbor Rande Gerber (Cindy Crawford's husband.)
George with his mother, Nina.
From all of us here at HerKentucky, Happy Birthday, George!!
Everybody's Got a George Clooney Story.
Stories of George Clooney are all over the Commonwealth.
It's George Clooney. With a pug. Cue swooning.
We talk a lot about George Clooney here at HerKentucky. He's one of our Favorite Things. He
isn't the only famous person from Kentucky, but he sure is famous.
Why shouldn't we talk about George Clooney a lot? He's handsome and charming. (Or, as the
Kentucky for Kentucky guys would say, "George Clooney is a beautiful man." He's one of the most recognizable actors in the world. He's nominated for Best Actor in this weekend's
Academy Awards. And, he's from Augusta, Kentucky, a charming river town located just a stone's throw away from Maysville.
Dreamy.
The HerKentucky girls aren't the only ones who talk about George Clooney a lot. It's been my experience that anyone with ties -- even the most tenuous -- to the Maysville area has a George Clooney story for you. I once had a co-worker who'd grown up in Cincinnati; she never failed to tell you that George was the clerk who sold her shoes at Dillard's. (I strongly doubt that she'll make it into the final draft of George's acceptance speech, but stranger things have happened...) A secretary at one of the law firms in my old office building had been George's high school prom date; she was always extremely gracious when this fact was dredged up.
Several years ago, I had the opportunity to attend the Rosemary Clooney Music Festival with some friends who are Augusta natives. A charming, tuxedoed George was the master of ceremonies at the festival which honored his late aunt. Even though I was never closer than 100 yards from the stage, I finally got why George Clooney leaves such an impression on everyone he meets. He is just as charming and charismatic as Danny Ocean, , Doug Ross , or
Everett McGill. Even if he weren't George Clooney, Serious Movie Star, you'd always know that this guy was in the room. He just has a presence. It wouldn't matter if he were a prosecutor, a football coach, or a TV anchorman, you'd always pay attention to him.
Over the weekend of the Clooney Festival, I got a mini-tour of George Clooney's Augusta. I saw where his parents lived, and where George himself keeps a small home. I also realized why it is that everybody from that part of the state has a George Clooney story. The Clooneys are Maysville royalty. George's aunt, the singer and actress Rosemary Clooney, was Maysville's most famous daughter. His father, Nick, is a beloved regional anchorman. It seems that the entire town was devoted to George's success. Stories still circulate about viewing parties for his Facts of Life and Golden Girls episodes. It's as though the entire town was invested in George's future success. There's a really sweet sense of hometown pride that emerges along with everyone's George Clooney Story.
Here at HerKentucky, we wish George the best of luck on Sunday. (Even if The Descendants led to an unintentional yet inspired revelation for Sarah.) And, we'd love to hear some George Clooney Stories from y'all.