George Clooney - Best friend ever

He's stylish. Well dressed. A silver fox that women dream of. And men wish they could match. Even at 61. The name is George Clooney. Due in theaters this fall with a new romantic comedy in which he stars opposite Julia Roberts. And then the best friend imaginable. A friend who packed 14 suitcases with a million dollars in each. And gave them to his best friends. By Claus Vesterager Martinus Photo: Getty Images

Like so many other Hollywood stars, it was a TV series that really launched his career. For five years, George Clooney played the role of doctor Doug Ross in ER. The series was launched in 1994 - and became an overwhelming success, running across TV screens for 15 years. The fact that Clooney was written out of the series as early as 1999 was not about declining ratings. It was entirely due to his personal success - and his desire to move his career into feature films.

Because his success in this medical series is undeniable. Particularly because of his outward appearance. He simply became one of the strongest icons of modern masculine style of the time. His chin is sharp and his type is in the same league as historical stars like Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant and Clark Gable. And later Sean Connery and Charles Bronson. They all exude a classic masculinity that only grows stronger with the passing of the years. They don't dye their hair and they don't have plastic surgery. They have lines on their faces and they have to shave every day. George Clooney ages gracefully and only gets more interesting as the years go by.

He was - and is - simply perfect for playing roles ranging from gentleman thug to first lover in romantic comedies. And it has made him a particularly wealthy gentleman, boasting a bank account of more than $500 million. While this has of course given him choices in life not available to the rest of us, in his own way he has managed to keep his feet on the ground.

Presented friends with one million - each!

And he remembers who was there for him when he needed it. In 2013, that led him to do something quite extraordinary. Even for a Hollywood star.

He simply bought 14 Tumi suitcases (which, by the way, cost well over DKK 10,000 each!) and packed one million dollars into each one. "They are the best friends in the world. They have given me the opportunity to sleep on their couch when I was broke. And friends who were always there for me when I was in trouble. Now the 14 best friends I have would no longer have to worry about paying for their kids' schooling or mortgage. I had the money. And they did more good with the people who matter so much that today I can point to a random spot on the map and just travel there," George Clooney told GQ Magazine.

I wonder if he has room for one more best friend.

Overall, he is concerned with his surroundings. And interested in politics. An interest he carries with him from his childhood home in Kentucky, where he was born on 6th May 1961. But he certainly wasn't the only celebrity in the family.

According to an article in Rolling Stone, he and his sister grew up in the shadow of their father, a well-known local figure, TV star and news anchor. Also George Clooney's aunt Rosemary, who was an important person in the family, was a celebrity, well-known and celebrated singer from the 1940s to the 1970s. George Clooney himself made his television debut at the age of five in one of his father's shows. The family was close-knit. They gathered around the dinner table every night to discuss politics, and George Clooney quickly learned to see the great news anchors like Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite as heroes. In 2005, George Clooney wrote and directed the film Good Night and Good Luck, based on Murrow's fight against ultra-conservative Senator McCarthy.

The film was George Clooney's tribute to his father, and he was nominated for several awards for the black-and-white film.

But as a young boy, it was hard to be the son of the famous Nick Clooney. It was impossible for George to hide, because in his hometown there was full attention on what Nick Clooney's son did, be it good sports, results or pranks. When George Clooney reached his teens, he was hit by a rare condition, a paralysis that affected one side of his face. It was a very challenging time for the young Clooney, who now attracted even more attention than usual.

Today Clooney grimaces a lot, he is often seen making faces on his many trips to the world's red carpets, and perhaps this is a reaction to the fact that for a period of his life he could not grimace at all. Although more interested in sports than books, George Clooney did well in school and went on to study journalism at a local college. However, he quickly dropped out of college for fear that he would always be compared to his talented and famous father.

After a few years of fairly casual jobs, including as a tobacco picker, he was asked by a cousin if he wanted to be in a movie production. He happily left the hard and boring job at the tobacco plantation and spent a fantastic summer as an extra and practical helper. The film never made it to cinemas, but George Clooney had found his calling. The tour went to Hollywood, and slowly the roles came.

Melting women's hearts

The TV series ER - or Skadestuen in Danish - was his breakthrough. And it wasn't just female viewers who were thrilled to see it star Clooney as the charming doctor Doug Ross, who both saved countless lives and melted plenty of women's hearts in his blue coat.

The great directors of the day also began to recognize his qualities. Slowly his career began to move away from TV series and into feature films. One of the first to contract George Clooney was Quentin Tarantino, who had him fight vicious vampires in From Dusk till Dawn (1996). That same year, he played a first lover in Michael Hofmann's movie One Fine Day, playing the role of a divorced father who falls in love with Michelle Pfeiffer.

After that, it was stroke after stroke. In 1997 he filled the role of a very goodlooking Batman. The following year, it was Jennifer Lopez who had to resist his charms in the movie Out of Sight. And then he starred in the war movie Thin Red Line (1998), Three Kings (1999), The Perfect Storm (2000), Ocean's Eleven (2001) and The Monuments Men (2014). A total of 49 films have starred George Clooney. And the genres range from romantic comedies to war films, thrillers and science fiction. This autumn also sees the premiere of a new romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts as his leading lady. It's called Ticket to Paradise. But he still lives up to the ideals of his youth, as when he wrote, directed and starred in the 2011 movie The Ides of March.

A quite political film that reflects Clooney's great social commitment. A movie that depicts the struggle for the presidency of the United States so cynically that many call it a cinematic version of House of Cards. That same year, in 2011, he received a Golden Globe for his role in Alexander Payne's powerful family drama The Descendants, and two years later he scored an Oscar for producing the political thriller Argo with Ben Affleck.

Critics around the world love George Clooney. "More than cool, more than grown-up, more than honest" are some of the accolades he has received.

Clooney and women

For years, George Clooney has been voted Hollywood's most eligible bachelor, and millions of women have dreamed of meeting him. Until recently, only one woman had managed to get him to the altar: actress Talia Balsam. The wedding took place in Las Vegas, but the marriage was short-lived and the divorce was a minor trauma for George Clooney, who was so shocked that the marriage wasn't working that he went to therapy after the break-up.

He admits he wasn't invested enough in the relationship, that he didn't actually realise how much you have to invest in a marriage to make it last. Countless affairs of varying lengths followed, all with beautiful and attractive women. Back in the early 80s, before he became famous, and before marriage to Talia, he dated Michelle Pfeiffer's sister DeeDee. In 1988 he moved in with actress Kelly Preston, who later married John Travolta. Then Talia came - and went, and after that a stream of women passed through his embrace: cocktail waitresses, models, a single female wrestler and a number of actresses, including, rumour has it, Renée Zellweger. Throughout all these relationships, George Clooney made no secret of the fact that he didn't see himself as the marital type, and for years his friends almost got more attention than his girlfriends.

But in 2014, the affairs were over. On 27 September, George Clooney extinguished the hopes of millions of women by marrying the beautiful and super-talented star lawyer and human rights campaigner, Lebanese-born Amal Alamuddin, to whom he had already proposed in April. The proposal took place at home, where he had lined up a playlist of some of his famous Aunt Rosemary's songs. Amal was completely unprepared when he suddenly got down on one knee and proposed, and it took her so long to recover from the shock and say yes that Clooney, according to himself, had to say that he was 52 and that he had now been on his knees for almost half an hour and if she did not reply there was a danger that he would never get back on his feet. Amal said yes, of course, and the wedding took place in deep secrecy in Venice.

The UN Ambassador

George Clooney grew up in a home where politics was discussed at the dinner table, and he has never lost interest. He is on the US Democratic wing and has supported President Barack Obama's campaigns. He strongly opposed the US war on Iraq and is known for his strong humanitarian commitment.

His strongest case has probably been Sudan. In 2006, he travelled with his father around the war-torn Darfur province to document the genocide in the hope that the world would take an interest in the conflict and help those in need. And with some success. Oprah Winfrey took up the issue and several stars, including Matt Damon and Brad Pitt, joined the effort to help Darfur. Clooney received an award for his work and was appointed a UN ambassador in 2008.

Politics and sharp views on US wars in Iraq and humanitarian disasters around the world have not diminished his 'market value'. Quite the contrary. Particularly as an advertising pillar for the coffee brand Nespresso, he has been able to deposit many millions in his bank account. And when you already have a well-cushioned economy, well, you can also afford to say no when it contravenes your moral standards. One story has it that Turkish Airlines offered Clooney $35 million to participate in a campaign for the airline. "But this was an airline that is probably linked to an allied country but has at times behaved questionably in terms of human rights," he told the media. George Clooney has also been known as an active supporter of the Kurdish minority in both Turkey and Iraq.

George Clooney is a megastar. A man of his time. He doesn't fear age and has said there are two options: you can grow older. Or you can die. He has chosen to grow older while deciding not to fight the signs of ageing with hair dye and cosmetic surgery. And he doesn't need to.

George Clooney – Style Guide: Wear it like Clooney

We've gone through our range and matched it to some of George Clooney's iconic looks

Stylish

George Clooney is an extremely well-dressed gentleman who can wear most outfits. A smart blue suit and black shirt help him stand out from the crowd.

And despite the lack of a tie, it's still elegant and stylish.

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Stylish

HUGO

Elvio-U Belt | Black

EUR 81

Available in many sizes

Casual

When you have the looks of George Clooney - not to mention the grey hair - you look distinguished even in jeans and a polo T-shirt. Here he is photographed in a small village on Lake Como, where he owns a country home.

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Casual

Shades

The classic outfit - maybe a bit casual because of the missing tie. Stylish. Elegant. He could go for a younger, more contemporary version of Cary Grant.

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Shades