The Australian actor and director will attend the Irish Film & Television Awards ceremony in Dublin's Gaiety Theatre on February 17.

Gibson has starred in over 48 film and television productions in the last three decades and is also the co-founder of Icon Productions. Having made a name for himself acting in blockbusters like Mad Max and Lethal Weapon, he made his directorial debut in 1993. Since then, he has gone on to helm some of the biggest productions of the past couple of years, including Braveheart, The Passion Of The Christ and Apocalypto.

Mel Gibson has Irish connections on both his mother’s and father’s side. His late mother, Anne Patricia Reilly, was born in Co. Longford and his great grandfather on his father’s side was Patrick Mylott, who moved from Ireland to Australia in the late 1800s to escape the potato famine.

Mel is named after the Church of Saint Mel in Longford, his mother’s birthplace, while his middle name, Colmcille, is that of the diocese where his mother was born and also the name of a well-known Irish saint.