50 things you didn't know about George Clooney: he suffers from stomach ulcers, was once saved by his pet pig

People's sexiest man alive George Clooney is an Oscar-winning actor best known for playing Dr. Doug Ross on TV's 'ER' and Danny Ocean in the 'Ocean's Eleven' films. He is also a humanitarian, an Oscar-nominated director and screenwriter of 'Good Night, and Good Luck" and the Oscar-winning producer of 'Argo.'

1. George was born on May 6, 1961, in Lexington, Kentucky, into a well-known family of media and entertainment personalities.

2. His mother, Nina Bruce is a former beauty pageant queen. His father, Nick Clooney, is a former anchorman, as well as a game show and American Movie Classics host.

3. His full name is George Timothy Clooney.

4. He was raised in a Catholic family. "Oh yes, I was an altar boy, did the whole thing. Latin masses too," Clooney told Larry King during an interview.

5. Clooney's ancestry includes Irish, German, English, and more distant Scottish and Dutch roots.

6. He is the nephew of singer and actress Rosemary Clooney and of Oscar-winning actor José Ferrer ("Cyrano de Bergerac"), and the cousin of their actor sons Miguel Ferrer ("Iron Man 3") and Rafael Ferrer. He is also the cousin-in-law of Grammy-winning singer Debby Boone.

7. Spending part of his childhood in Ohio, he attended St. Michael's School in Columbus, then between 1968 and 1974 Western Row Elementary School (a public school) in Mason, Ohio and St. Susanna School in Mason, where he also served as an altar boy, before the Clooneys moved to Kentucky when George was midway through the seventh grade.

8. Growing up, he suffered from Bell's Palsy, a condition that partially paralyzes the face, earning him the nickname 'Frankenstein' in middle school according to People magazine.

9. In 1977, Clooney tried out for the Cincinnati Reds to play professional baseball, but wasn't offered a contract.

10. Clooney went to Augusta High School in 1979.

11. George Clooney dropped out of Northern Kentucky University to make a low-budget movie with his cousin and friend, Miguel Ferrer.

12. He studied acting at The Beverly Hills Playhouse.

13. He started smoking in his 20s but quit after a close uncle of his died from lung cancer.

14. George Clooney lived in a friend's walk-in closet for a few months during his first year in Hollywood.

15. As a struggling actor, running low on cash, he would cycle to auditions because he didn't have a car or money to ride the bus.

16. Clooney auditioned five times for the role of J.D. in "Thelma & Louise," a role that went to Brad Pitt. They later became close friends.

17. He auditioned for the role of Mr. Blonde in "Reservoir Dogs," but was turned down and the part went to Michael Madsen.

18. Clooney's big break was his recurring role as Booker Brooks, Roseanne Conner's overbearing boss on the sitcom 'Roseanne.'

19. Clooney landed his first major role back in 1984 as Mark "Ace" Kolmar in the short-lived sitcom 'E/R.'

20. He was the very first guest on Rosie O'Donnell's talk show in 1996.

21. Clooney owned a pet pig named Max the Star for 18 years, which was a gift from then-girlfriend Kelly Preston.

22. Max is credited with saving Clooney's life by waking him up before the 1994 Northridge, California earthquake. Max appeared in interviews with Clooney and shared his bed until he died in 2006.

23. Clooney owned two bulldogs, Bud and Lou, named after the famous comedy team Abbott and Costello. Both dogs have died, one from a rattlesnake bite.

24. He later gained wide recognition in his role as Dr. Douglas "Doug" Ross on the long-running medical drama ER from 1994 to 1999, for which he received two Emmy Award nominations.

25. His first major Hollywood role was in From Dusk till Dawn, directed by Robert Rodriguez.

26. He followed its success with One Fine Day with Michelle Pfeiffer, and The Peacemaker with Nicole Kidman.

27. George is the sixth actor to play Batman.

28. He also starred in Three Kings during the last weeks of his contract with ER.

29. Clooney was the second man ever (after Richard Gere) to appear on the cover of 'Vogue.' In 2005, he appeared on the cover of the first-ever issue of 'Men's Vogue.'

30. George Clooney famously bet Nicole Kidman and Michelle Pfeiffer $10,000 apiece that he would still be unmarried and childless when he turned 40 in 2001. "If anyone wants to make the same bet for when I'm 50," he said that same year, "get in touch." (He won the bet.)

31. Clooney committed to 2000's "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" before reading a script because of his wish to work with the Coen brothers. He even accepted a significantly lower salary than usual.

32. His voice was dubbed for the singing scenes in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

33. He had his own stunt double from 1996 - 2003 which was Brad Martin.

34. In 2005, TV Guide ranked Clooney #1 on its "50 Sexiest Stars of All Time" lists.

35. In 2007, 'Entertainment Weekly' ranked Clooney #13 on their list of the 50 Smartest People in Hollywood.

36. He loves beer. He does voiceovers for Budweiser TV commercials and allegedly had a beer keg installed in his dressing room during filming of "Ocean's Eleven".

37. In September 2006 he addressed the United Nations Security Council, urging it to act over Darfur.

38. He produced and narrated a documentary about Darfur, 'Sand and Sorrow' (2007), to increase awareness about international crises. Since 2008, Clooney has also served as one of the official United Nations Messengers of Peace.

39. Clooney married Talia Balsam 1989 and they divorced in 1993.

40. He has a string of relationships since then lasting between and year and three. Some of his ex-flames include Kelly Preston, Sarah Larson, Elisabetta Canalis and Stacy Keibler.

41. In 2007 Clooney and his then-girlfriend Sarah Larson were both injured in a motorcycle accident in New Jersey. A month later more than two dozen staff at the hospital Clooney was treated at were suspended without pay for looking at the actor's medical records in violation of federal law.

42. Clooney supported Barack Obama's campaign in the 2008 presidential election and in the 2012 presidential election.

43. He turned down the role of Sgt. John McLoughlin in "World Trade Center".

44. Clooney is involved with Not On Our Watch Project, an organization that focuses global attention and resources to stop and prevent mass atrocities, along with Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, David Pressman, and Jerry Weintraub.

45. Clooney has said in multiple interviews that he has suffered from bleeding stomach ulcers and is still on medication for stomach pain.

46. George is a Dallas Mavericks fan.

47. George Clooney's net worth is $180 million.

48. He owns a villa in Laglio at Lake Como, Italy, where he lives several months of the year.

49. He has been friends with Sandra Bullock for around 25 years. They appear in a movie together for the first time in "Gravity".

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