Mel Gibson Earns First Oscar Nomination in 21 Years While Holding His Newborn Son

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Mel Gibson has lots to celebrate.

The 61-year-old filmmaker made his return to movies last year when he directed Andrew Garfield in the war drama, Hacksaw Ridge, and on Tuesday morning, he was further recognized for his talents with an Oscar nomination for Best Director. In total, Hacksaw Ridge is up for six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Achievement in Film Editing, Achievement in Sound Editing and Achievement in Sound Mixing.


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Gibson has not been up for an Oscar in 21 years. In 1996, he won for Best Picture and Best Director for 1995's Braveheart.

The exciting nomination comes just a few days after Gibson welcomed his ninth child, son Lars Gerard Gibson, with girlfriend Rosalind Ross. "What could be more exciting than listening to the nominations being announced while holding my newborn son!" he gushed in a statement. "This is a truly wonderful honor."


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Gibson was also thrilled to hear that others on the film's team were up for Oscars. "I'm especially happy for Andrew Garfield, our producers Bill Mechanic and David Permut, our editor John Gilbert and our incredible sound teams," he continued. "The Academy's recognition of our film is a testament to every single person who worked on Hacksaw Ridge, and to every soldier who made the sacrifices they made to fight for their country, including Desmond Doss."

While chatting with ET back in October, Gibson bragged about Garfield's acting skills. "He's a rare actor," he said of the film's 33-year-old star. "He's excellent at what he does. He's able to minimally give volumes with just a look. He doesn't need a whole bunch of dialogue. All his actions, his body language, his thoughts -- you can see what he's thinking through his eyes. I don't know how he does that."

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