By Staff WriterOriginal Source: soberinfo.comMel Gibson shot to fame in 1987 for his portrayal of out-of-control LA cop Martin Riggs. Nearly 20 years later, his personal life would spiral similarly out of control. In 2006, audio leaked of a clearly-intoxicated Gibson, involved in a routine traffic stop, berating an officer in a conspiracy-theory rant riddled with profanity and racial slurs.Five years later, romantic interest Oksana Grigorieva, who had previously split from Gibson and filed for a restraining order, claimed the actor had punched her. At the same time, she released recorded calls from their time together in which Gibson ranted his way through (again) profanity- and racially-insensitive tirades regarding her clothing and parenting decisions.Together, the two incidents were enough to effectively blacklist Gibson from Hollywood projects. From 2010 to 2016, one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood history — the driving force behind Braveheart, Lethal Weapon, and The Passion of the Christ — only appeared in five films.Though he wasn’t doing a lot of acting, Gibson was pulling his life together. In 2016, he reported that he’d been sober for ten years, and gave most of the credit for the turnaround to Alcoholics Anonymous. Now sober, Gibson is on a rehab tour of sorts; jobs are starting to pop up again.The comeback started with a turn as director in Hacksaw Ridge, telling the story of World War II pacifist medic Desmond Doss; that effort earned Gibson both a Oscar and Golden Globes nominations for Best Director. His first giant on-screen appearance happened this year, in the Will Ferrell / Mark Wahlberg vehicle Daddy’s Home 2.The movie was panned by critics, many of whom vocally opposed Gibson’s inclusion. Audiences have proven more forgiving, though: Daddy’s Home 2 has grossed over $116 million at the box office so far, surpassing the expectations of both critics and the studio.Currently, Gibson has The Professor and the Madman in post-production, based on the 1998 book which tells the story of the origins of the Oxford English Dictionary. It’s an ambitious project, and reception by critics and audiences will be the ultimate indicator of whether — and to what degree — Gibson’s newfound sobriety has resulted in cultural forgiveness.