From playing an oddball handyman on the Facts of Life to turning up the heat in ER, George Clooney made an acting leap that most actors only dream of. He was a multi-millionaire, being paid to work a few hours a day on a mega-hit television show as a well-respected doctor.

With the show airing until 2009, Clooney, if he would have stayed with the show, could have made in excess of 300 million dollars. Instead, he decided to aim for movies. Clooney is the proverbial self-criticizing actor. No matter what role he takes, he's always looking for something that requires more skill and depth to pull off. After 27 years of acting, he's had more than his fair share of opportunities.

George Timothy Clooney was born on May 6, 1961 in Lexington, Kentucky. Clooney did well in school and attended both Northern Kentucky University and the University of Cincinnati, but didn't graduate from either school. George had his mind set on being an actor, and in 1984, he was cast in the series E/R.

Although strikingly similar, E/R shouldn't be confused with ER. The former was a medical drama produced by Embassy Television, but it only lasted a single season. The popular ER wouldn't arrive until a decade later.

Clooney also had other minor television roles, playing the proverbial jerk boss on Roseanne and a construction worker in Baby Talk. Rounding out the 1980s for Clooney, he landed a role in the slapstick Return of the Killer Tomatoes.

In 1994, Clooney started playing the role of Dr. Doug Ross on the NBC medical drama ER. Unlike its CBS-aired predecessor that Clooney starred in, this show was an instant success. George spent five years on the show, and also appeared in a handful of movies while still playing a doctor on television.

Clooney's first Hollywood movie was From Dusk till Dawn, in which he starred alongside Harvey Keitel. He then went on to shoot One Fine Day, The Peacemaker, and was even put in to replace Val Kilmer as Batman in Batman and Robin. This movie was the biggest box office success, with fans loving it, but critics thought Clooney to be a failure as the caped crusader.

During the last season of ER, Clooney began shooting Three Kings with Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube. He would leave the show in 1999 to pursue acting full time; however, he returned for the final season of ER for a few cameo appearances.

Clooney starred in the 2000 hit The Perfect Storm, and in 2001, ventured into southern territory to play an escaped convict on a mission in O Brother, Where Are Thou?. The latter was Clooney's biggest role to date, even topping Batman.

O Brother was a worldwide success. However, Clooney would soon top himself with the release of a Rat Pack remake titled Ocean's Eleven. This film grossed over 400 million worldwide and has spawned two sequels.

Clooney currently has 4 movies in production and around a dozen more in development. He's kept extremely busy since leaving ER and has become a movie star. He has attempted to take on serious roles, like Michael Clayton and Syriana, but he's better received when starring in more light-hearted productions like the Ocean's franchise.