George Clooney: Career in Pictures

ER (1994-1999)

George Clooney became a household name and a certified heartthrob after playing Dr. Doug Ross on ER. Although he was an original cast member, he left the show after five years. “It makes me sad, but after five years you've done it," Clooney said at the time. "If there's something for me to come back to do, that makes sense. I will absolutely do it." He eventually returned for the finale of the Emmy-winning series in 2009.

STORY: George Clooney to Receive Actor of the Year Honor at Hollywood Film Awards

Out of Sight (1998)

In this 1998 crime drama, the first of several collaborations with director Steven Soderbergh, Clooney played career bank robber Jack Foley. Aside from Soderbergh, Clooney would also revisit the role of convict and con man several times throughout his career.

POLL: Democrats vs. Republicans: Stars they Won’t Pay to See; Movies They Hate and Love

Batman & Robin (1997)

Clooney put on his superhero suit (with nipples) for Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin. The 1997 action flick garnered tons of awards… for Razzies that is. While it saw commercial success, Clooney’s foray into the Batman franchise was critically panned.

PHOTOS: New Generation of Superheroes
 

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

Clooney stepped into the wacky world of the Coen Brothers for 2000’s comedy loosely based on Homer’s Odyssey. Clooney did not get to show off his singing skills, unfortunately, because all his songs were lip-synched. Despite the fakery, the film's music became extremely popular after its release.

PHOTOS: Great Directors

Vogue

Clooney became the second man to ever grace the cover of Vogue in 2000. Clooney, who was 39 at the time, posed with the then-19-year-old model, Gisele Bundchen. As of 2011, only Richard Gere and LeBron James have joined Clooney as male covers in the magazine’s 119-year history.

PHOTOS: The Hollywood Reporter Cover Stories

Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

Clooney starred as Danny Ocean in the remake of the '60s caper helmed by Steven Soderbergh. The ensemble film did well in theaters, and Clooney starred in two more films in the franchise. "The Ocean's films paid for all the bills and enabled me to get a lot of other projects made,'' Clooney once said of the series, which also starred Brad Pitt and Matt Damon.

VIDEO: Matt Damon's 5 Most Memorable Roles

Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)

Clooney stepped behind the camera – and also in front of the camera – for the 2005 drama about the conflict between Edward R. Murrow and U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy. Clooney’s second directorial project garnered six Oscar nominations, including Best Director.

PHOTOS: 20 Best Taglines From Movies Over the Last 30 Years

Academy Awards (2005)

Clooney took home a golden statue at the 2005 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Syriana. “It’s a funny thing about winning an Academy Award, this will always be sort of synonymous with your name from here on in. It will be: Oscar winner George Clooney, Sexiest Man Alive in 1997, Batman, died today in a freak accident," Clooney said in his acceptance speech. That same year, he was also nominated for Best Director for Good Night, and Good Luck.

PHOTOS: 2011 Oscars Red Carpet

Commercials

Clooney has starred in a variety of commercials, both in the U.S. and abroad. He’s lent his image to Nespresso, Fiat, and, most recently, a Norwegian bank commercial in which he pretends to be a newly married man ready to start his life with his new wife.

VIDEOS: Best Super Bowl Commercials 2011

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Clooney lent his voice to Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox in 2009. Even as an animated character, Clooney brings his suave, charismatic, “foxy” style onto the screen.

PHOTOS: The Big Screen's Evolution of Talking Animals: From 'Mister Ed' to 'Zookeeper'

Political and Humanitarian Work

Clooney has been an active voice in advocating a resolution in the Darfur conflict. He’s met with President Obama – whom Clooney supported when he ran for office -- to discuss the ongoing problems in Sudan. He’s involved with Not On Our Watch, an organization that focuses global attention on preventing mass atrocities.

PHOTOS: The Music Industry's Greatest Givers

Up in the Air (2009)

Clooney, who has said that he’ll never marry again, took a role that may have hit close to home as Ryan Bingham, a man without any personal relationships or attachments who flies around the country firing people. The Jason Reitman-helmed project received nine Oscar noms, but did not win any.

PHOTOS: Hollywood's 10 Highest-Grossing Actors

Bob Hope Humanitarian Award (2010)

At the 2010 Emmy Awards, Clooney was honored with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for his continued human rights efforts. “When the disaster happens, everybody wants to help, everybody in this room wants to help, everybody at home wants to help,” he said in his speech. “The hard part is seven months later, five years later, when we're on to a new story. Honestly, we fail at that, most of the time. That's the facts. I fail at that."

PHOTOS: Hollywood Reporter's Philanthropy Issue: The Photographs

Ides of March (2011)

Clooney used his father's failed political run for Congress as inspiration while making Ides of March, which he co-wrote, directed and starred in as democratic Presidential candidate Mike Morris. The film was a festival darling, showing at both Venice and Toronto.

PHOTOS: Best Presidents in Movies and TV