Whoever thought that after the disaster that was Batman & Robin George Clooney would have gone on to be the successful and Oscar winning actor that he is.Clooney made his name playing Dr. Doug Ross in the long running medical drama ER. He stayed in the show from 1994 - 2000 when he left to pursue a full time Hollywood career.He had some early success with From Dawn Til Dusk and One Fine Day alongside Michelle Pfeiffer before he stepped into the role of Bruce Wayne.But the critical or financial failure of Batman didn't dent Clooney's popularity as he went on to star in The Perfect Storm and O Brother, Where Art Thou?More recently Clooney has begun to work behind the camera in the role of director and has enjoyed success with Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Good Night and Good Luck.Here at FemaleFirst we have looked back over Clooney's career, which spans over twenty years, to find his top five performances.
1. Good Night and Good Luck
Taking place during the early days of broadcast journalism in 1950's America, a chronicle of the real-life conflict between television news man Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee.
With a desire to report the facts and enlighten the public, Murrow, and his dedicated staff headed by his producer Fred Friendly and Joe Wershba in the CBS newsroom defy corporate and sponsorship pressures to examine the lies and scaremongering tactics perpetrated by McCarthy during his communist "witch-hunts."
A very public feud develops when the Senator responds by accusing the anchor of being a communist. In this climate of fear and reprisal, the CBS crew carries on regardless and their tenacity eventually pays off when McCarthy is brought before the Senate and made powerless as his lies and bullying tactics are finally uncovered.
Written, directed and starring George Clooney Good Night and Good Luck was a critical hit and went on to be nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Clooney.
2. Syriana
Syriana is a political thriller that unfolds against the intrigue of the global oil industry. From the players brokering back-room deals in Washington to the men toiling in the oil fields of the Persian Gulf, the film's multiple storylines weave together to illuminate the human consequences of the fierce pursuit of wealth and power.
As a career CIA operative (George Clooney) begins to uncover the disturbing truth about the work he has devoted his life to, an up-and-coming oil broker (Matt Damon) faces an unimaginable family tragedy and finds redemption in his partnership with an idealistic Gulf prince (Alexander Siddig).
A corporate lawyer (Jeffrey Wright) faces a moral dilemma as he finesses the questionable merger of two powerful U.S. oil companies, while across the globe, a disenfranchised Pakistani teenager (Mazhar Munir) falls prey to the recruiting efforts of a charismatic cleric.
Each plays their small part in the vast and complex system that powers the industry, unaware of the explosive impact their lives will have upon the world.
Syriana was also released in 2005, same time as Good Night and Good Luck, and cemented Clooney as a director and serious actor worthy of Oscar recognition.
Syriana was also a critical hit and earnt Clooney a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his performance, an Oscar he won.
3. Michael Clayton
Michael Clayton is an in-house ‘fixer’ at one of the largest corporate law firms in New York.
At the behest of the firm’s co-founder Marty Bach (Pollack; Eyes Wide Shut, Cold Mountain, Tootsie), Clayton takes care of Kenner, Bach & Ledeen’s dirtiest work.
Clayton cleans up clients’ messes, handling anything from hit-and-runs and damaging stories in the press to shoplifting wives and crooked politicians.
Though burned out and discontented in his job, Clayton is inextricably tied to Kenner, Bach & Ledeen; divorce, a crippling gambling habit and a failed business venture have left him with mounting debt.
At the agrichemical company U/North, the career of in-house counsel chief Karen Crowder (Swinton; The Deep End, The Chronicles of Narnia, Young Adam) rests on the multi-million dollar settlement of a class action suit that Clayton’s firm is leading to a seemingly successful conclusion.
When Kenner, Bach & Ledeen’s top litigator, the brilliant Arthur Edens (Wilkinson; In The Bedroom, Girl With A Pearl Earring, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), has an apparent breakdown and subsequently tries to sabotage the entire U/North case, Michael Clayton is sent to tackle this unprecedented disaster and in doing so comes face-to-face with the reality of who he has become.
Michael Clayton is Clooney's most recent performance and a role that brought him great critical acclaim he received a Best Actor Oscar and Golden Globe nomination.
4. Ocean's Eleven
Con man Danny Ocean (George Clooney) has just been released from a four-year jail term and decides that his first order of business is robbing three Las Vegas casinos owned by the slimy Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia).
To pull off this nearly impossible task, he quickly assembles an eclectic crew, including a card shark (Brad Pitt), a pickpocket (Matt Damon), an explosives expert (Don Cheadle), and an aging gambler (Carl Reiner), and seeks financial backing from a freewheeling casino mogul (Elliott Gould) who holds a grudge against Benedict.
However, it soon becomes apparent that Ocean has more at stake than money and his newly found freedom his ex-wife, Tess (Julia Roberts), just happens to be Benedict's new girlfriend. Can Ocean steal back Tess' heart and more than a hundred million dollars at the same time?
The 2001 release was loosely based on the Rat Pack film, of the same name, that was released in 1960.
The film grossed $450,717,150 at the global box office and was the 6th high grossing film in 2001 giving birth to a franchise that would result in two more movies.
5. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
In this update of Homer's "The Odyssey," set in the 1930's Depression-era deep South, three convicts, the garrulous silver-tongued Everett, the sweet and simple Delmar and the maladjusted Pete, escape from a chain gang and embark on the adventure of a lifetime.
They set out to pursue their freedom and the promise of sharing in the division of a fortune in buried treasure.
With nothing to lose and still shackled, they make a hasty run for their lives and end up on an incredible journey filled with awesome experiences and colourful characters.
However, they must also match wits with a cunning and mysterious lawman determined to capture them.
Directed by the Coen Brothers the film grossed $71,868,327 worldwide and the soundtrack went on to win a Grammy for Album of the Year in 2001.
George Clooney's new film Leatherheads is released 11th April
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
View the George Clooney movies gallery.Whoever thought that after the disaster that was Batman & Robin George Clooney would have gone on to be the successful and Oscar winning actor that he is.Clooney made his name playing Dr. Doug Ross in the long running medical drama ER. He stayed in the show from 1994 - 2000 when he left to pursue a full time Hollywood career.He had some early success with From Dawn Til Dusk and One Fine Day alongside Michelle Pfeiffer before he stepped into the role of Bruce Wayne.But the critical or financial failure of Batman didn't dent Clooney's popularity as he went on to star in The Perfect Storm and O Brother, Where Art Thou?More recently Clooney has begun to work behind the camera in the role of director and has enjoyed success with Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Good Night and Good Luck.Here at FemaleFirst we have looked back over Clooney's career, which spans over twenty years, to find his top five performances.
1. Good Night and Good Luck
Taking place during the early days of broadcast journalism in 1950's America, a chronicle of the real-life conflict between television news man Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee.
With a desire to report the facts and enlighten the public, Murrow, and his dedicated staff headed by his producer Fred Friendly and Joe Wershba in the CBS newsroom defy corporate and sponsorship pressures to examine the lies and scaremongering tactics perpetrated by McCarthy during his communist "witch-hunts."
A very public feud develops when the Senator responds by accusing the anchor of being a communist. In this climate of fear and reprisal, the CBS crew carries on regardless and their tenacity eventually pays off when McCarthy is brought before the Senate and made powerless as his lies and bullying tactics are finally uncovered.
Written, directed and starring George Clooney Good Night and Good Luck was a critical hit and went on to be nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Clooney.
2. Syriana
Syriana is a political thriller that unfolds against the intrigue of the global oil industry. From the players brokering back-room deals in Washington to the men toiling in the oil fields of the Persian Gulf, the film's multiple storylines weave together to illuminate the human consequences of the fierce pursuit of wealth and power.
As a career CIA operative (George Clooney) begins to uncover the disturbing truth about the work he has devoted his life to, an up-and-coming oil broker (Matt Damon) faces an unimaginable family tragedy and finds redemption in his partnership with an idealistic Gulf prince (Alexander Siddig).
A corporate lawyer (Jeffrey Wright) faces a moral dilemma as he finesses the questionable merger of two powerful U.S. oil companies, while across the globe, a disenfranchised Pakistani teenager (Mazhar Munir) falls prey to the recruiting efforts of a charismatic cleric.
Each plays their small part in the vast and complex system that powers the industry, unaware of the explosive impact their lives will have upon the world.
Syriana was also released in 2005, same time as Good Night and Good Luck, and cemented Clooney as a director and serious actor worthy of Oscar recognition.
Syriana was also a critical hit and earnt Clooney a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his performance, an Oscar he won.
3. Michael Clayton
Michael Clayton is an in-house ‘fixer’ at one of the largest corporate law firms in New York.
At the behest of the firm’s co-founder Marty Bach (Pollack; Eyes Wide Shut, Cold Mountain, Tootsie), Clayton takes care of Kenner, Bach & Ledeen’s dirtiest work.
Clayton cleans up clients’ messes, handling anything from hit-and-runs and damaging stories in the press to shoplifting wives and crooked politicians.
Though burned out and discontented in his job, Clayton is inextricably tied to Kenner, Bach & Ledeen; divorce, a crippling gambling habit and a failed business venture have left him with mounting debt.
At the agrichemical company U/North, the career of in-house counsel chief Karen Crowder (Swinton; The Deep End, The Chronicles of Narnia, Young Adam) rests on the multi-million dollar settlement of a class action suit that Clayton’s firm is leading to a seemingly successful conclusion.
When Kenner, Bach & Ledeen’s top litigator, the brilliant Arthur Edens (Wilkinson; In The Bedroom, Girl With A Pearl Earring, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), has an apparent breakdown and subsequently tries to sabotage the entire U/North case, Michael Clayton is sent to tackle this unprecedented disaster and in doing so comes face-to-face with the reality of who he has become.
Michael Clayton is Clooney's most recent performance and a role that brought him great critical acclaim he received a Best Actor Oscar and Golden Globe nomination.
4. Ocean's Eleven
Con man Danny Ocean (George Clooney) has just been released from a four-year jail term and decides that his first order of business is robbing three Las Vegas casinos owned by the slimy Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia).
To pull off this nearly impossible task, he quickly assembles an eclectic crew, including a card shark (Brad Pitt), a pickpocket (Matt Damon), an explosives expert (Don Cheadle), and an aging gambler (Carl Reiner), and seeks financial backing from a freewheeling casino mogul (Elliott Gould) who holds a grudge against Benedict.
However, it soon becomes apparent that Ocean has more at stake than money and his newly found freedom his ex-wife, Tess (Julia Roberts), just happens to be Benedict's new girlfriend. Can Ocean steal back Tess' heart and more than a hundred million dollars at the same time?
The 2001 release was loosely based on the Rat Pack film, of the same name, that was released in 1960.
The film grossed $450,717,150 at the global box office and was the 6th high grossing film in 2001 giving birth to a franchise that would result in two more movies.