Since first bursting onto the Hollywood scene, George Clooney has cemented himself as an icon. From his humble days on the small screen to walking the red carpet at the Academy Awards, George has done it all.
But for someone as public as he, George prides himself on his privacy. So to better help you to get to know the man behind the myth, here are 10+ things about the classy George Clooney fans didn’t know!
1. Baseball was the only reason that George got good grades in high school.
As a reward for good marks, the teachers at George’s high school would give out tickets to go and see the Cincinnati Reds .
George was a die-hard Reds fan growing up and at one point he even thought about going pro!
George had two separate tryouts to play for the Cincinnati Reds in successive years. He was only 16 at the time.
George recalls in an interview how he, and everyone around him at the time, thought that he would play professional baseball .
Once he arrived at tryouts and realized the caliber of players he was up against, he quickly re-thought his career plan.
2. He once made a bet with Nicole Kidman and Michelle Pfiefer about his wedding nuptials.
For a long time running, George Clooney was the most eligible bachelor on the planet. Both Michelle and Nicole bet him $10,000 dollars that in spite of this, he’d be married by the time he was forty.
It was probably the easiest 20-grand George has ever made in his life.
But being the class-act that he is, George returned the money and offered the pair a double-or-nothing style bet.
George set the terms this time around. Only this time, he bet that he wouldn’t have any children by the time he reached his 50th birthday .
Yet again George won the bet, albeit just barely. He married his wife Amal just after his 53rd birthday.
3. He only has one regret in his professional career.
George’s stint as the Caped Crusader was not received well on any level. After the total box office bomb that was Batman & Robin , he began being more selective with his choice of role.
Clooney still keeps a picture of himself in full bat-suit as a cautionary reminder.
4. George owned a pet pig named Max.
It was a gift from Kelly Preston . George was known to let Max strut his stuff on the red carpet from time to time.
Sadly, after eighteen wonderful years of life, Max passed away back in 2006.
5. He’s a huge fan of *South Park*.
George Clooney was one of the first celebrities to take notice of South Park . He loved the show so much that George even petitioned creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone for a cameo appearance.
He eventually got his wish, sort of…
George was cast to play Sparky the dog and appeared in the episode “Big Gay Al’s Big Gay Boatride”.
Although George does little more than bark and woof, the episode in and of itself is extremely significant. South Park was hailed for its treatment, portrayal, and sensitivity toward homosexuality.
This was also the first episode in the series to receive an Emmy Nomination.
He then went on to appear in *South Park: Bigger, Longer, And Uncut*.
This time around not only did George have a speaking role, but he’s also portraying a much more familiar character: a spoof on Dr. Ross from ER .
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George was even given the prestigious honor of ‘killing Kenny’, which at that time was still a recurring gag in the series.
6. George loves an ice-cold beer.
Who doesn’t, am I right? Over the years George has done voice work for several of the big beer companies. But during his tenure on the set of Ocean’s Eleven , he took things to a whole new level.
George reportedly had a keg installed in his trailer!
7. He once spent Easter with Bono from U2!
George was visiting family in Ireland at the time. During an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, George describes how Bono would actually go through the trouble of hiding Easter Eggs around the house for the kids.
How cool is that?!
8. George is in an Oscar league all his own.
He remains the only person to have been nominated for an Academy Award in six different categories. They are:
Best Actor, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, and finally Best Original Screenplay.
9. He’s become famous among his colleague for practical jokes.
While appearing on The Graham Norton Show , Clooney retold the story of how he put a bumper sticker in the shape of a pot leaf on the back of Brad Pitt’s car.
To make matters worse, it read “[expletive] cops.”
10. George is a not-so-distant relative of former President, Abraham Lincoln.
Honest Abe ‘s aunt was George’s great-great-great-great-grandmother.
If you know your celebrity lineage, then you know that this also means that George and Tom Hanks are related as well!
11. Don’t assume he can sing based on his last name.
The Coen Brothers made this mistake while filming O Brother, Where Art Thou? , based on the fact that George’s aunt was the world-famous singer, Rosemary Clooney.
Unfortunately, vocal talent doesn’t run in the family.
