George Clooney dating Amal Alamuddin? Vacation pics make a case

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George Clooney. The name says it all: the films, the awards, the looks. We reflect on the actor’s career. (Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times)

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Clooney has his cousin Miguel Ferrer to thank for giving him his first mini-role in Ferrer’s horse racing film “And They’re Off.” Nearly 10 years later, Clooney landed his breakout TV role as seasoned pediatrician and expert womanizer Dr. Doug Ross on “ER.” (Patrick Downs / Los Angeles Times)

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Clooney then starred in a comedy chronicling two single working parents (Michelle Pfeiffer and Clooney) and their children, who encounter a day full of surprises. (Gemma La Mana / For The Times)

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With Ben Affleck, center, and close freind Grant Heslov, Clooney held the producer’s role in the political thriller “Argo.” With Oscar nods for “Argo” in 2013, it made Clooney the only person in Academy Award history to be nominated across six categories. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

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The Hollywood bachelor tied the knot with Beirut-born human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in September. It’s the second marriage for Clooney, who was previously wed to Talia Balsam from 1989 to 1993. (Luca Bruno / AP)

By Nardine Saad

March 19, 2014 11:57 AM PT

Things appear to be heating up between George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin.

“The Monuments Men” actor-director and the British lawyer were spotted together on a four-day safari in Tanzania and photos of the pair have been obtained by People and Us magazine -- photos that suggest a serious romance is afoot.

Several images show Clooney, 52, and Alamuddin, 36, decked out in safari or beach digs, in close proximity, with the Oscar-winner’s arm wrapped around his reported lady love.

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Earlier this year, the perennial bachelor was also spotted vacationing with the Beirut-born barrister in the Seychelles, according to People.

On Feb. 18, the pair attended a screening of Clooney’s historical caper “The Monuments Men” at the White House with President Obama, the magazines added.

An on Tuesday, the charming “Gravity” star and the attorney were seen leaving New York’s Carlyle Hotel together just before boarding a black SUV on their way to dinner, E! noted.

A few things about the brunet beauty: She studied English law at Oxford, graduated from NYU’s School of Law in 2011 and is fluent in French, Arabic and English, according to ABC News. She specializes in international law, human rights, extradition and criminal law, the Daily Mail reported, and is representing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in his Swedish extradition case. She also co-edited a book titled “The Special Tribunal for Lebanon,” which is available through the Oxford University Press.

“He’s with someone who is a very accomplished attorney,” a source who has worked with the actor told People. “She isn’t someone who is pursuing a career in acting or entertainment.... She’s on his level.”

The couple was first spotted together having dinner in an October, a meal and surrounding events that prompted a rare statement from Clooney’s rep about his love life “in the interest of stopping the harassment” of the women who previously had been romantically linked to the actor. (Clooney was reportedly dating Croatian model Monika Jakisic and/or actress Katie Holmes at the time).

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“Three different stories in three weeks. I should be an athlete,” Clooney told People in October. “But, no of course, it’s all made up.”

The former “ER” heartthrob’s love life has always been a topic of interest (and a butt of jokes this awards season) and stories ran rampant just after he called it quits in July with former flame Stacy Keibler, who married Jared Pobre earlier this month.

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