Ten Things You Never Knew About George Clooney

Suave, sophisticated and exuding laid-back charm, George Clooney is a Hollywood star in the old-fashioned mould. After a decade in the no-man's land of pilots and sitcoms, he set hearts a-flutter as Dr Doug Ross in ER at the age 33. He has since scooped an Oscar, turned to directing and become a UN Messenger of Peace, all the while retaining his status as one of the sexiest men alive. But what do we really know about him aside from his penchant for Geri Halliwell and pot-bellied pigs? As he tours the length of breadth of the UK promoting new film Leatherheads, we dish up ten fascinating facts about the man known as "gorgeous George".

1. George Timothy Clooney was born in Kentucky to dad Nick, a local talkshow host and news anchor, and mum Nina, a beauty queen. His dad's sister was singer Rosemary Clooney.

2. George had early ambitions to be a baseball player and was asked to try out for the Cincinnati Reds when he was 17. Unfortunately, he failed to make the team.

3. Before heading to LA, George busied himself as a floor manager on his dad's TV show, as well as a shoe salesman, caricaturist and (briefly) a broadcast journalism student at Northern Kentucky University. He was working part-time as a tobacco cutter when he decided to jack it all in to live with aunt Rosemary in Beverly Hills.

4. George's new life did not go immediately to plan and he slept in a friend's walk-in closet for a year while waiting for his big break. Eek!

5. George was rejected for the role of Mr. Blonde in Quentin Tarantino's thriller Reservoir Dogs. He also read for the part of cowboy JD in Thelma and Louise no less than five times, eventually losing out to Ocean's 11 co-star Brad Pitt.

6. George hated his rubber suit in Batman & Robin so much that he claims he urinated in it rather than going to the trouble of taking it off. Lovely!

7. George suffers from bleeding stomach ulcers.

8. George is such a huge fan of cartoon comedy South Park that he called creator Trey Parker to request a role. He recalls: "I came down and literally just barked into a mike for an hour, I left, and all of a sudden I was Sparky the Gay Dog. That's it. I just think the show is hysterically funny." He later appeared in the film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.

9. George calls his eight-bedroom Tudor house in LA's Studio City "Casa De Clooney". Very classy, George!

10. George has been known to write the odd fan letter to Johnny Depp. He says: "Johnny just keeps doing really good stuff. He's just a really, really smart and good actor. I've written letters to him just to say, 'Hey man, you're f***king great.'"