Who is George Clooney's wife? Meet Amal Clooney, the human rights lawyer
Amal Clooney is a former refugee who later gained global attention because of her famous husband. Born in Lebanon and raised in the United Kingdom, George Clooney's wife has built a distinguished career as one of the world’s most influential human rights lawyers.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Key takeaways
- Profile summary
- Amal Clooney was born in Lebanon but raised in the UK
- Clooney co-founded the Clooney Foundation for Justice
- She dated her husband for a year before marriage
- George Clooney and his wife have a 17-year age difference
- Amal Clooney's kids are a set of twins
- Frequently asked questions
- Conclusion
Key takeaways
- Amal Clooney was born in Lebanon and raised in the United Kingdom.
- She is an Oxford- and NYU-trained international human rights lawyer.
- Amal married George Clooney in Venice in 2014 after a year of dating, and they have twins.
- She co-founded the Clooney Foundation for Justice to advance human rights worldwide.
Profile summary
Full name | Amal Ramzi Alamuddin Clooney |
Date of birth | 3 February 1978 |
Age | 47 years (as of 2025) |
Place of birth | Beirut, Lebanon |
Current residence | United Kingdom |
Nationality | British and Lebanese |
Ethnicity | Arab (Lebanese) |
Parents | Bariaa and Ramzi Alamuddin |
Siblings | Three |
Relationship status | Married |
Partner | George Clooney |
Children | Two |
School | Dr Challoner’s High School, Buckinghamshire, England |
University | St Hugh’s College, University of Oxford, and New York University School of Law |
Profession | International human rights lawyer, barrister, author, activist |
Net worth | $50 million |
Amal Clooney was born in Lebanon but raised in the UK
Amal Clooney, born Amal Alamuddin on 3 February 1978 in Beirut, Lebanon, is the daughter of Ramzi and Baria Alamuddin. Her father is a businessman and retired professor, while her mother is a journalist, foreign editor, and public relations specialist.
She has a sister, Tala, born in 1980 in Beirut. At two, her family relocated to the United Kingdom to escape the Lebanese Civil War. When she met Syrian refugees in Berlin, as Business Insider published in March 2016, she said:
[My family] also ran away from a war and were lucky enough to be accepted by a European country in 1982 when the violence there was really bad.
Source: Original
Clooney received an exhibition grant at college
The attorney attended Dr Challoner’s High School in Buckinghamshire before enrolling at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, to study law. During her time at Oxford, she received an exhibition grant and the prestigious Shrigley Award.
Reflecting on her admission to St Hugh’s in May 2023, as published on the college's website, Amal said:
Before applying, I had never visited Oxford nor thought that it was a good idea to do so, but somehow St Hugh’s took a chance on me, and it really opened my eyes; it opened my mind; and it has opened so many doors.
Amal is a qualified law practitioner
Clooney was admitted to the New York Bar in 2002, qualifying her to practise law in the US. In 2010, she was called to the Bar of England and Wales at Inner Temple, enabling her to practise as a barrister in the UK.
She has also appeared before major international courts in The Hague, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.
Source: Getty Images
Clooney co-founded the Clooney Foundation for Justice
Amal Clooney is the co-founder of the Clooney Foundation for Justice, an organisation that provides free legal assistance in defence of free speech and women’s rights in more than 40 countries.
According to Doughty Street Chambers, the foundation works to hold perpetrators of human rights abuses accountable through strategic litigation.
Amal is a Visiting Professor of Practice at the Blavatnik School
In 2025, Clooney was appointed Visiting Professor of Practice in international law at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford.
The rich lawyer has also previously served as a Visiting Professor at Columbia Law School. Acknowledging the appointment on Oxford’s website in February 2025, she said
I am honoured to be back at Oxford, this time not as a student but as a Professor...I look forward to collaborating with both faculty and students to advance access to justice around the world.
Source: Getty Images
She dated her husband for a year before marriage
Amal met American actor George Clooney through a mutual friend in July 2013. The couple became engaged on 28 April 2014. Speaking at a charity event in Italy, as People reported, George said:
I met my lovely bride-to-be here in Italy, whom I will be marrying in a couple of weeks, in Venice, of all places.
They obtained marriage licences in London on 7 August 2014. CBS reported that George and Amal Clooney married on 27 September 2014 at Ca' Farsetti in Venice, Italy.
According to E! Online, Brad Pitt could not attend George Clooney's wedding because he and Angelina Jolie were filming By the Sea in Malta.
Source: Getty Images
Amal's husband had previously been married
Before marrying Amal, the Hollywood star had previously been married. George Clooney's first wife, Talia Balsam, is an American television and film actress. The duo married in 1989 but divorced in 1992. Clooney told People:
I probably – definitely – wasn't someone who should have been married at that point. I just don't feel like I gave Talia a fair shot.
George Clooney and his wife have a 17-year age difference
The Hollywood actor was born on 6 May 1961, making him 64 years old in 2025, while the age of George Clooney's wife is 47. The couple has a 17-year age difference. George told The New York Times in February 2025, saying:
I didn’t really think I’d have much of a chance with her because I was 17 years older and she seemed to have everything she needed.
Amal Clooney's kids are a set of twins
Three years into their marriage, George and Amal Clooney's fraternal twins, Ella and Alexander, were born in June 2017. The celebrity couple has largely kept their children out of the public eye.
Source: Getty Images
Frequently asked questions
- What ethnicity is Amal? The attorney is of Arab ethnicity, specifically Lebanese.
- Is Amal Clooney from a wealthy family? Amal was raised in a well-educated, upper-middle-class family, though not an exceptionally wealthy one.
- How many marriages has George Clooney had? The Hollywood star has been married twice.
- How old was Amal when she gave birth? She was 39 when she had her twins.
Conclusion
Although being known as George Clooney’s wife brought her global attention, Amal's professional accomplishments stand firmly on their own. Through legal practice, education, and philanthropy, she remains a powerful voice for justice and equality.
READ MORE: Amal Clooney’s net worth and career: How rich is George Clooney’s wife?
As Briefly.co.za published, Amal Clooney is a British-Lebanese human rights barrister and the wife of American actor George Clooney.
Amal and her husband share a combined net worth exceeding $550 million, including a $50 million real estate portfolio.
Source: Briefly News
