Mel Gibson’s Divorce Left Him $425 Million Poorer

Mel Gibson is an actor, producer, and screenwriter, well known for movies like Braveheart, Lethal Weapon, and Mad Max.

Throughout the late ’80s and into the ’90s, Gibson was one of the biggest stars in the world, a heartthrob who was courted for nearly every major movie project. In the 2000s, Gibson began to focus more heavily on his directorial career, helming the controversial film The Passion of the Christ.

Unfortunately, Gibson’s image has been tarnished in recent years thanks to a series of very public struggles. In 2011, after his first major scandal, Gibson divorced from his longtime partner — causing the actor to lose half of his fortune in the process. 

When did Mel Gibson meet his wife?

Mel Gibson was born in New York in 1956. Raised primarily in Australia, Gibson studied acting when he was a teenager, and by the late ’70s, he had broken into the entertainment business, acting in a variety of stage productions and television roles.

Gibson had his first breakout role in the 1981 film Gallipoli. The film earned Gibson accolades as a serious actor, and even earned him a Best Actor Award from the Australian Film Institute. 

It was around the same time that Gibson embarked on a serious relationship with a woman named Robyn Denise Moore. At the time, Moore worked as a dental nurse, and in 1980, Gibson and Moore tied the knot.

According to PopularTimelines.com, Gibson and his wife worked hard on their marriage, all while Gibson career was taking off, and by the late ’80s, the actor was one of the biggest names in Hollywood, after a star-making turn in Lethal Weapon. 

Mel Gibson and his wife have seven children

In 1995, Mel Gibson entered the next phase of his career when he produced, directed, and starred in the historical epic Braveheart. For his work in the film, Gibson was honored with multiple awards, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Director, the Academy Award for Best Director, and the Academy Award for Best Picture. At the same time as Gibson’s career was soaring, his personal life was as well.

Since Gibson and Moore’s wedding in 1980, the couple welcomed seven children: Hannah, born in 1980, Edward and Christian, both born in 1982, William, born in 1985, Louis, born in 1988, Milo, born in 1990, and Thomas, born in 1999.

The family stayed out of the spotlight for years, with Gibson’s wife occasionally accompanying him to various red carpet events.

How much did Mel Gibson’s 2011 divorce cost him?

Unfortunately, Mel Gibson and his wife were headed for rough waters, and in 2006, the two announced that they were separating. The news came in the midst of backlash surrounding Gibson’s arrest for drunk driving in California.

Three years after the separation announcement, Gibson and Moore revealed that they would be divorcing. Ultimately, it took several years until the terms of the divorce were finalized in court.

According to People, Gibson paid out big time in the divorce settlement — and even though his estimated net worth at the time was around $850 million, he paid around half of that to his ex-wife, which would have been close to $425 million.

The reason that Gibson paid out so much to his ex, according to the publication, is because the couple never had established a prenup when they got married, back when Gibson was an aspiring actor. In the past few years, although Gibson has been involved in several other romantic relationships, he has never gotten married again.