Family life & education

Clooney, an Irish American, was born in Lexington, Kentucky. His mother, Nina Bruce (née Warren), is a former pageant queen, while his father, Nick, is a journalist, anchorman, game show and American Movie Classics host, and – in later years – an aspiring politician from the state of Kentucky. He also has an older sister, Adelia (aka Ada). His cousins include actors Miguel and Rafael Ferrer, who are the sons of his aunt, singer Rosemary Clooney, and actor José Ferrer. He is also related to another singer, Debby Boone, who married José and Rosemary's son, Gabriel Ferrer. From an early age, Clooney would hang around his father's sets, often participating in shows, where he proved to be a crowd favorite.

Clooney began his education at the Blessed Sacrament School in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky. Spending part of his childhood in Ohio, he attended St. Michael's School in Columbus, and the Western Row and St. Susanna schools, both in Mason. There he developed an interest in theater. Eventually, his parents moved to Augusta, Kentucky, where one of his best friends was Steve Colemire. He went to Augusta High School where he was the lead in several plays. Clooney has stated that he earned all A's and a B in school, and was an enthusiastic baseball and basketball player. He tried out with the Cincinnati Reds in 1977 to play professional baseball, but was not offered a contract. He did not pass the first round of player cuts.He attended Northern Kentucky University from 1979 to 1981 and, very briefly, the University of Cincinnati, but did not graduate from either.