Everything seems to be humming along nicely for George Clooney, the perfect balance of elegance with a groomed silver mane, open-neck shirt and custom-made suit. Currently he is posing barefoot in his moccasins, discreetly sporting an Omega Seamaster while deftly balancing his afternoon aperitif.

“To me Omega has always been the symbol of class and prestige, so I consider it as an honour to be part of the Omega family, and it’s as if I always have been. My uncle gave me an Omega in 1969; it was my first watch. That was the year that the Apollo 11 crew took Omega with them when they walked on the Moon. I couldn’t have been prouder,” says Clooney, who recently became an international Omega Ambassador worldwide with the exception of the United States and Canada.

Indeed, Clooney is in the same class as Omega, a symbol of class and prestige. Not surprisingly, when a Hollywood director decides to do a remake of North By Northwest, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 classic thriller with a cliff-hanger ending on Mount Rushmore, who of Hollywood’s suave A-listers would be best suited as Hitchcock’s gentleman hero so impeccably played by Gary Grant in North By Northwest and later equally gallantly portrayed by James Stewart in Vertigo?

How would it have been to be the kind of character who would never leave his cufflinks lying around on the bedside table even with evildoers in hot pursuit? Actors like Grant and Stewart possessed the kind of cultured stoicism that was unique to their generation. With their charm and commanding presence they not only swept Hollywood heroines off their feet, they captivated audiences worldwide as well.

Of course, an actor like Naomi Watts seems an obvious choice for the female lead role, not least due to her appearance in the upcoming remake of Hitchcock’s The Birds, scheduled for release in July 2009. Only one actor can ostensibly match the iconic stature and well groomed looks of the likes of Grant and Stewart. That man is George Timothy Clooney.

Born in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1961, at 46 George Clooney is a more sought-after silver screen actor than ever. This season’s movie releases alone include Ocean’s Thirteen, in which he plays rat-pack kingpin Danny Ocean, and the law flick Michael Gilroy, in which he stars as the eponymous corporate in-house fixer.

Balancing blockbusters with independent art house movies, Clooney enjoys equal red carpet attention in Cannes and LA, although his preferred getaway is his Lake Como villa in Italy. Clooney’s striking good looks and integrity are undoubtedly are the generous gifts of his childhood. His mother Nina Warren Clooney enjoyed success as a pageant beauty queen and his father Nick Clooney was a news anchor and reporter.