George Clooney’s Birthday Today

Some men are like fine wine -they get better with age.  And George Clooney is nothing short of a 1961 Château Margaux.  The Academy Award-winning bachelor turns 50 today.

Born in Lexington, Kentucky on May 6, 1961, the actor celebrated the big 5-0 Thursday night with girlfriend of 2 years, Elisabetta Canalis, and a number of other Hollywood celebrities at Mr. Chow in Beverly Hils.  “Dancing with the Stars” contestant Kirstie Alley and author Jackie Collins were both present and Tweeted about Clooney’s birthday dinner.

At 50, Clooney has had quite a career both onscreen and off.  His claim-to-fame role was on the long-running medical drama “ER”, in which he played Dr. Doug Ross from 1994 to 1999.  Other notable movies Clooney has starred in include Batman & Robin (1997), Ocean’s Eleven (2001) and sequels, and Syriana (2005).  He made his directional debut in 2002 with Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, going on to direct Good Night and Good Luck (2005) and Leatherheads (2008).

Clooney also remains active off-screen.  He has served as one of the United Nations Messengers of Peace since 2008, and his humanitarian work includes raising funds for the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the 2004 Tsunami and also the 9/11 bombing.  Clooney has also created documentaries such as Sand and Sorrow to raise awareness about international crises.

Clooney is currently working on his newest project, The Ides of March, for which he co-wrote the screenplay, and is also currently directing and starring in.  Originally based on the play by Beau Willimon, the film is about a naive presidential candidate (Clooney) who quickly learns that politics can be a dirty game.  He stars along-side Ryan Gosling, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti.  It is set to release in the US in October 2011.

Images by Chesi-Fotos CC and nicogenin via Flickr