George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. Clooney has balanced his glamorous performances in big-budget blockbusters with work as a producer and director behind commercially riskier projects, as well as social and liberal political activism. On January 31, 2008, the United Nations named Clooney a "Messenger of peace".