There was a tangible air of disappointment amongst fans and journalists earlier this year when George Clooney told a press conference at the Venice Film Festival that there was no chance of him running for President. “Why not?” they cried. “If Arnold Schwarzenegger can have a go at American politics then surely George can!” It can’t be denied that the thought of George Clooney as President is rather appealing: he’s smart, liberal and looks mighty fine in a suit. His main reason for refusing, however, was simple: “I have a really good job,” he stated to the deflated festival crowd. And a good job he certainly has: an Oscar-winning actor and Oscar-nominated writer and director, Clooney has been one of Hollywood’s most desirable for well over a decade and he only seems to be getting better with age.

Clooney’s first major film role was in Return of the Killer Tomatoes (1988) a film so terrifyingly poor that it currently holds a 0% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Clooney didn’t allow this disappointing start to stand in his way, however, and in the early 1990s his role as Doug Ross - the rebellious doc with a heart of gold - in the TV series ER helped make him hot property with the movie studios.

The ‘charming rebel’ performance that Clooney honed back in those early ER days has in a way become the classic Clooney performance. Steven Soderbergh’s films Out of Sight and Ocean’s Eleven have provided great platforms for this go-to Clooney role and his onscreen chemistry in these films with his co-stars Jennifer Lopez and Julia Roberts managed to both impress critics and melt the hearts of a legion of female fans. In recent years Clooney again portrayed a flawed charmer in the critically acclaimed Up in the Air. In this anti-romcom for the modern age Clooney brought new depths to his archetypal film role and earned himself an Oscar nomination.

Despite his success in this archetypal role Clooney has never been afraid to try his hand at different genres – with varying degrees of success. His attempt at the superhero genre in 1999’s Batman & Robin is perhaps his worst film role to date and is a film that makes it very clear why Christopher Nolan gave Robin the heave-ho. Clooney had more success in the quirky comedy O Brother Where Art Thou? – the Coen Brothers’ inventive re-imagining of Homer’s Odyssey. It was in this film that Clooney first showed that he had real acting chops and revealed that he was an ambitious actor who was willing to take risks.

Clooney handled the step into writing and directing with an ease that few actors could manage. His impressive directorial debut, Good Night, and Good Luck was a powerful film dealing with the McCarthy era and its effect on the media. The film successfully established Clooney as a political and intelligent film maker and his work on this year’s critically acclaimed The Ides of March further cemented this impressive reputation.

Evidently, George Clooney is one of a rare breed: a Hollywood star who is a firm favourite with critics and audiences alike.