Early Life and Education of George Clooney: A Complete Timeline
How education and upbringing influenced the life of George Clooney. A timeline of key moments.
George Clooney is a highly acclaimed American and French actor and filmmaker, recognized for his leading roles in both mainstream and independent cinema. His achievements include two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and four Golden Globe Awards. He has also received nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. Clooney's significant contributions to the film industry have been further acknowledged through prestigious honors such as the Cecil B. DeMille Award, the Honorary César, the AFI Life Achievement Award, and the Kennedy Center Honor, solidifying his status as a prominent figure in entertainment.
1977: Tried out for Cincinnati Reds
In 1977, George Clooney tried out for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team.
1987: Started dating Kelly Preston
In 1987, George Clooney started dating actress Kelly Preston.
1989: Ended Relationship with Kelly Preston
In 1989, George Clooney ended his relationship with actress Kelly Preston.
1989: Marriage to Talia Balsam
In 1989, George Clooney married actress Talia Balsam.
1993: Divorce from Talia Balsam
In 1993, George Clooney divorced actress Talia Balsam.
1995: Dated Cameron Diaz and Frances Fisher
In 1995, George Clooney dated Cameron Diaz and Frances Fisher.
1995: Purchase of Los Angeles property
In 1995, George Clooney purchased a 7,354-square-foot house in Los Angeles through his George Guilfoyle Trust.
1996: Dated Céline Balitran
From 1996 to 1999, George Clooney dated French reality TV personality Céline Balitran.
1999: Ended relationship with Céline Balitran
In 1999, George Clooney ended his relationship with Céline Balitran.
2000: Linked to Charlize Theron and Lucy Liu
In 2000, George Clooney was linked to Charlize Theron and Lucy Liu.
2001: Dated Renée Zellweger
In 2001, George Clooney dated Renée Zellweger.
2002: Dated Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Krista Allen
In 2002, George Clooney dated Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Krista Allen.
April 2006: Advocacy for Darfur conflict resolution
In April 2006, George Clooney spent ten days in Chad and Sudan with his father to create the TV special 'A Journey to Darfur,' highlighting the situation of Darfur's refugees and advocating for action.
2006: Death of Max the pig
In 2006, Max, George Clooney's Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, died. Clooney had kept Max for 18 years after his relationship with Kelly Preston ended.
2006: Humorous Statements at Golden Globe Awards
In 2006, at the 63rd Golden Globe Awards, George Clooney sarcastically thanked Jack Abramoff.
March 25, 2007: Open letter to Angela Merkel
On March 25, 2007, George Clooney sent an open letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, urging the European Union to take "decisive action" regarding the Darfur conflict.
June 2007: Started dating Sarah Larson
In June 2007, George Clooney started dating reality personality Sarah Larson.
September 21, 2007: Motorcycle accident in New Jersey
On September 21, 2007, George Clooney and then-girlfriend Sarah Larson were injured in a motorcycle accident in Weehawken, New Jersey, when his motorcycle was hit by a car.
October 9, 2007: Hospital staff suspended for accessing medical records
On October 9, 2007, more than two dozen staff at Palisades Medical Center were suspended without pay for looking at George Clooney's medical records in violation of federal law.
November 2007: Appearance in 'Darfur Now'
In November 2007, George Clooney appeared in the documentary film 'Darfur Now', a call-to-action film designed to encourage people to help stop the Darfur crisis.
December 2007: Summit Peace Award
In December 2007, George Clooney and Don Cheadle received the Summit Peace Award from the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in Rome for their efforts regarding the Darfur crisis.
January 18, 2008: Appointment as UN Messenger of Peace
On January 18, 2008, the United Nations announced George Clooney's appointment as a UN Messenger of Peace, effective January 31.
May 2008: Broke up with Sarah Larson
In May 2008, George Clooney and Sarah Larson ended their relationship.
2008: Support for Barack Obama's 2008 Presidential Campaign
In 2008, George Clooney supported Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
2008: Darfur documentary released on DVD
In 2008, the documentary 'A Journey to Darfur' was released on DVD, with the sale proceeds being donated to the International Rescue Committee.
February 2009: Visit to Goz Beida, Chad
In February 2009, George Clooney visited Goz Beida, Chad, with New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof.
July 2009: Relationship with Elisabetta Canalis
In July 2009, George Clooney started a relationship with Italian actress Elisabetta Canalis.
January 2010: Organization of 'Hope for Haiti Now' Telethon
In January 2010, George Clooney organized the 'Hope for Haiti Now' telethon, which collected donations for the 2010 Haiti earthquake victims.
May 2011: Washington Post op-ed
In May 2011, George Clooney and John Prendergast co-wrote a Washington Post op-ed piece titled "Dancing with a dictator in Sudan."
June 2011: Split with Elisabetta Canalis
In June 2011, George Clooney and Elisabetta Canalis split.
July 2011: Relationship with Stacy Keibler
In July 2011, George Clooney began dating former WWE personnel Stacy Keibler.
March 2012: Performance in '8'
In March 2012, George Clooney starred in a performance of Dustin Lance Black's play '8' alongside Martin Sheen and Brad Pitt, raising money for the American Foundation for Equal Rights.
March 16, 2012: Arrest at Sudanese Embassy
On March 16, 2012, George Clooney was arrested outside the Sudanese Embassy for civil disobedience during a planned protest against Omar al-Bashir.
September 2012: Auction for GLSEN
In September 2012, George Clooney offered to take an auction winner out to lunch to benefit the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).
2012: Support for Barack Obama's 2012 Presidential Campaign
In 2012, George Clooney supported Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
July 2013: Ended Relationship with Stacy Keibler
In July 2013, George Clooney and Stacy Keibler ended their relationship.
2013: Co-founding of Casamigos Tequila in 2013
In 2013, George Clooney co-founded Casamigos Tequila with Rande Gerber and Michael Meldman.
April 28, 2014: Engagement to Amal Alamuddin
On April 28, 2014, George Clooney became engaged to British-Lebanese human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin.
July 2014: Mocking the Daily Mail
In July 2014, George Clooney publicly mocked British tabloid newspaper the Daily Mail for publishing a false story about his fiancée's mother opposing their marriage.
August 7, 2014: Obtained marriage licenses
On August 7, 2014, George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin obtained marriage licenses at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea of the United Kingdom.
September 27, 2014: Marriage to Amal Alamuddin
On September 27, 2014, George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin were officially married at Ca' Farsetti in Venice, Italy.
2014: Purchase of Mill House in England
In 2014, George Clooney and his wife Amal Alamuddin bought the Grade II listed Mill House on an island in the River Thames at Sonning Eye in Oxfordshire, England.
2014: Rejected Daily Mail Apology
In 2014, George Clooney rejected an apology from the Daily Mail for printing a false story, calling the Mail the "worst kind of tabloid."
May 2015: Focus on Syrian refugees
In May 2015, George Clooney stated he would focus on helping Syrian refugees due to the political complications of the Syrian conflict.
2015: Adoption of Millie the dog
In 2015, George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin adopted a rescue dog, a Basset Hound named Millie, from the San Gabriel Valley Humane Society.
March 2016: Meeting with Syrian refugees and Angela Merkel
In March 2016, George Clooney and his wife Amal met with Syrian refugees living in Berlin to mark the conflict's fifth anniversary, and then met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
April 2016: Commemoration of Armenian Genocide anniversary
In April 2016, George Clooney visited Armenia to commemorate the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
2016: Endorsement of Hillary Clinton
In 2016, George Clooney endorsed Hillary Clinton for the presidential election.
February 9, 2017: Amal's pregnancy announcement
On February 9, 2017, it was reported that Amal Clooney was pregnant with twins on the CBS talk show, 'The Talk'.
June 6, 2017: Birth of twins Ella and Alexander
On June 6, 2017, Amal Clooney gave birth to twins, a daughter named Ella and a son named Alexander.
June 2017: Sale of Casamigos Tequila in June 2017
In June 2017, Casamigos Tequila, co-founded by George Clooney, was sold to Diageo for $700 million, with a potential additional $300 million.
2017: Attended 'The Promise' premiere
In 2017, George Clooney attended the film premiere for 'The Promise', a movie about the Armenian genocide.
July 10, 2018: Motorcycle accident in Sardinia
On July 10, 2018, George Clooney was hit by a car while riding a motorcycle to a film set in Sardinia, and was hospitalized with minor injuries.
2018: Pledge to March for Our Lives
In 2018, following the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, the Clooneys pledged $500,000 to the March for Our Lives and announced their attendance.
March 28, 2019: Call to boycott Brunei's hotels
On March 28, 2019, George Clooney wrote an open letter calling for a boycott of the Sultan of Brunei's hotels due to a new law punishing homosexual sex and adultery with death by stoning.
April 3, 2019: Brunei's anti-LGBTQ law
On April 3, 2019, the Sultan of Brunei's law punishing homosexual sex and adultery with death by stoning came into force.
July 2020: Virtual Fundraiser for Joe Biden
In July 2020, George Clooney hosted a virtual fundraiser for Joe Biden together with Barack Obama.
August 7, 2020: Donation to Lebanese charities
On August 7, 2020, George and Amal Clooney donated $100,000 to three Lebanese charities (Lebanese Red Cross, Impact Lebanon, and Baytna Baytak) to support Beirut after a deadly explosion.
October 2020: Publication of Sports Illustrated Article
In October 2020, Sports Illustrated published an article by Jon Wertheim about the Ohio State University abuse scandal, which served as the basis for a future docuseries produced by George Clooney's Smokehouse Pictures.
2020: Twins speaking Italian
In 2020, George Clooney revealed that his twins can speak Italian fluently, despite neither he nor Amal speaking the language.
February 2021: Announcement of Docuseries Production
In February 2021, it was reported that George Clooney's Smokehouse Pictures would collaborate with Sports Illustrated Studios and 101 Studios to create a docuseries on the Ohio State University abuse scandal.
May 2021: Plans to buy a vineyard in France
In May 2021, it was reported that George Clooney plans to buy a vineyard near the village of Brignoles, in France.
November 2021: Op-ed to Daily Mail about children's photos
In November 2021, George Clooney wrote an op-ed to British tabloid The Daily Mail, petitioning them to stop publishing photos of his children to protect them from potential harm.
June 2022: Announcement of Documentary Production
In June 2022, HBO announced the start of production for a feature-length documentary, 'Surviving Ohio State', based on the Ohio State University abuse scandal, with plans to debut on HBO and HBO MAX.
July 2024: Op-Ed Calling for Biden to Withdraw
In July 2024, George Clooney wrote an op-ed for The New York Times calling for Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential election.
December 2025: Acquired French Citizenship
On 27 December 2025, George, Amal and their twins acquired French citizenship.
2025: Statements on Biden Op-Ed
In 2025, while promoting his Broadway play, George Clooney stood by his decision to write the op-ed calling for Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential election, citing a need to tell the truth.
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