Due to the peripatetic nature of the radio and television broadcast business, in which Nick Clooney made his living, there were many moves during George's formative years that taught him what would be needed to succeed in show business.

George began first grade at Blessed Sacrament School in Ft. Mitchell, Ky. Later, St. Michael's School in Columbus, Ohio, and the Western Row and St. Susanna schools, both in Mason, Ohio, preceded the family's move to Augusta, Ky., for his high school education.

Always a sports fan, George had hoped to play football. Augusta High School, where he graduated in 1979, only offered basketball and baseball. He participated in both, eventually trying out with the Cincinnati Reds to play professional baseball, but this did not materialize.

Although it would take several years, George's livelihood would be in television and motion pictures. First, he attended Northern Kentucky University and, very briefly, the University of Cincinnati. In spring 1981, his cousins Miguel and Rafi Ferrer, two of his Aunt Rosemary's sons, and their father, Jose Ferrer, came to Lexington, Ky., to do a movie and invited George to the set. For George, this exposure to acting was love at first sight, and he never looked back.

When his father, Nick, tried to convince George to stay in school by saying, "At least with a diploma, you'll have something to fall back on," George replied, "If I have something to fall back on, I'll fall back."

George cut tobacco, sold lemonade at the Labor Day festival in Augusta and drew caricatures of people to get enough money together for his trip to Los Angeles, Calif., to become an actor. In fall 1981, he climbed into an old Monte Carlo automobile and three days later he was in his newly adopted hometown of Los Angeles, ready to do what was necessary to become an actor.

Odd jobs, "cattle calls" (highly competitive acting auditions), trading work for acting lessons, auditioning, hopes dashed, showcases, readings and new friends all followed, but no acting jobs materialized for George for almost two years.

Slowly, small television appearances by George led to several unsuccessful television pilots -- until 1984. That year, George was cast in a role on a new television program called "ER" that was soon cancelled. Ironically, George's great TV success came with a second show also named "ER." His engaging portrayal of Dr. Doug Ross, handsome children's medical specialist, quickly transformed George Clooney into a household name.

George had appeared in a half-dozen small films before his portrayal of Dr. Ross on television brought him to the attention of major movie producers and directors. Never one to shrink from an opportunity or his responsibility, George lived up to his five-year contract with Warner Brothers for "ER," while, with their help in scheduling, he also made six movies. Half of them were filmed during summer hiatus of "ER," and the others during regular tapings of the successful hospital drama.

George was Dr. Doug Ross in scrubs in the mornings; then in the afternoons, he would jump on his bicycle and pedal across the Warner production lot to various sound stages where he made "From Dusk to Dawn" (1996), "Batman & Robin" (1997), and "The Peacemaker" (1997).

George has proven his versatility with success in far-ranging movies that include: "Three Kings" (1999); "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (2000); "The Perfect Storm" (2000); "Oceans Eleven" (2001); "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" (2002); "Intolerable Cruelty" (2003); "Ocean's Twelve" (2004); "Good Night, and Good Luck" (2005); "Syriana" (2005); "Michael Clayton" (2006), and "The Good German" (2006).

Each Monday The Post prints excerpts from the forthcoming "The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky," edited by Paul A. Tenkotte and James C. Claypool. Visit www.nkyencyclopedia.org on the Web.

The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky: Excerpt