George Clooney once named his all-time cinematic crush
In the early 1990s, George Clooney broke through to nationwide acclaim after landing the role of Dr Doug Ross in the hit NBC medical drama ER. In 1996, he followed his nose into the movie industry with a memorable appearance in Robert Rodriguez’s 1996 action horror From Dusk Till Dawn, where he starred alongside master auteur Quentin Tarantino. Gradually, Clooney’s career gathered momentum as he was scouted by Steven Soderbergh, David O. Russell, and the Coen brothers for a crucial run of highly acclaimed movies.
By the time Clooney hit the screens in the first of Soderbergh’s popular Ocean’s reboot, he was a bonafide Hollywood heavyweight alongside his co-stars, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts. Since then, Clooney has enjoyed a host of movies spanning the genres from romantic comedy to military history, embracing his status as a silver fox heartthrob while maintaining a varied and critically applauded portfolio.
Clooney married his wife Amal in 2014, but before that, he had been in and out of relationships for over 20 years. Naturally, whenever it was reported that Clooney was single, the press honed in on this most eligible Hollywood bachelor.
In 2011, Clooney responded to rampant conjecture while writing a feature for Esquire. He reminded people that he was once married and revealed that he wasn’t necessarily interested in tying the knot again unless fate presented itself in such a way. “People forget that I was married. I love that, ‘Will he get married?’ I don’t talk about it because I don’t think about it,” he asserted.
Speaking to W magazine in 2013, not long before settling down with Amal, Clooney discussed his romantic life once again. The publication asked the star who the greatest love of his life was. Answering, he said, “I haven’t met her yet…”
Of course, this was a subtle letdown for his previous relationships, yet they all ended for one reason or another. Thankfully, Clooney has now been happily married for a decade and seems to have found the love of his life.
Elsewhere in the conversation with W about his ideal bachelorette, Clooney revealed his childhood infatuation with the film star Audrey Hepburn. The pair would undoubtedly have made a fine couple, but the 32-year age gap could have been a barrier, not to mention the fact that Hepburn passed away in 1993 at the age of 63.
“When I was a kid, I was in love with Audrey Hepburn,” Clooney said. “Watching her in Roman Holiday – I think I was ten or 11 – and I just thought she was as elegant as anything I’d ever seen. And I fell madly in love with her.”
Coming close in second, first on a good day, is Grace Kelly, another Golden Age great. “I always loved Grace Kelly from To Catch a Thief too,” Clooney added. “I mean, when she comes out of the water in To Catch a Thief, you just go, ‘Oh, that’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
