Mickey Rourke is an American theater, film and television actor, screenwriter and former professional boxer. Best known to the general public for his roles in the films Heart of an Angel, Nine and a Half Weeks, Sin City, Domino, Wrestler, Iron Man 2, and The Expendables. He is the owner of the prestigious Golden Globe and BAFTA awards, nominated for an Oscar. In this article, you can learn more about the filmography, biography, personal life and children of Mickey Rourke.
Childhood and youth
Mickey Rourke was born on September 16, 1952 in the small town of Schenectady, New York. The real name of the actor is Philip Andre Rourke Jr. His father is an amateur bodybuilder of Irish and German descent, his mother is French-Canadian. In 1958, the father left the family, the couple at that time had three children. Mickey Rourke and his younger brother and sister soon moved to Miami, Florida, when the actor’s mother married a second time to a police officer who had five sons from previous marriages.
After moving to Florida, Mickey began to actively engage in sports. After taking a course in self-defense, he became interested in boxing and soon became actively involved in amateur fights. From the age of twelve, under the name Phil Rourke, he began to box in weight up to 51 kilograms. Before graduating from high school, he spent thirty fights, lost three times, won twenty-seven times. After another concussion, the doctors advised the young man to take a break from boxing a year long, at which time Rourke became interested in theater and decided to leave his career as an athlete.
Carier start
While still at school, Mickey took part in a theatrical production under the guidance of the famous teacher Jay W. Jensen, who was also a teacher of actor Andy Garcia. After leaving boxing, Rourke borrowed four hundred dollars from his sister and moved to New York to take part in the play of his friend. After some time, he was able to enter the prestigious Acting Studio, during his studies he changed many low-paying works.
The first feature film featuring Mickey Rourke was Steven Spielberg's comedy "1941", which failed at the box office and was crushed by critics. In 1980, the young actor appeared in a small role in Michael Cimino's Western "Gates of Paradise", which also became a loud financial failure. In addition, Rourke could be seen in the supporting role in the horror film "Going Black." Also at this time, the actor appeared in several television films.
The first success came to the actor thanks to a small but memorable role in the thriller "Heat of the Body". After that, critics and viewers remembered Mickey. Over the next few years, he established himself as a rising star thanks to his roles in the successful comedy Eatery, Francis Ford Coppola's drama Fighting Fish, the historical film Eureka, and the black comedy Pope Greenwich Village.
Peak of popularity
In 1985, the actor received a major role in the crime drama Michael Cimino's “Year of the Dragon,” which failed at the box office, but later gained cult status. The following year, one of the most popular films with Mickey Rourke in the lead role was released, the erotic melodrama Nine and a Half Weeks, which became a real hit and established the actor in the status of one of the main sex symbols of Hollywood.
In subsequent years, Mickey starred in a successful drama based on the works of Charles Bukowski's “Pian” and the mystical thriller Heart of an Angel. After that, the actor continued to work actively, however, the paintings with his participation were no longer so successful.
In 1988, Rourke wrote the script and starred in the sports drama "The Simpleton", a year later he worked with the cult director Walter Hill on the movie "Johnny Handsome", and in 1990 appeared in the erotic thriller "Wild Orchid" and the crime drama Michael Cimino "Watch despair. "
In 1991, one of the most popular films with the actor’s participation, the crime comedy “Harley Davidson and the Cowboy Marlboro”, which failed at the box office, but subsequently gained cult status, was released on the screen.
Mickey Rourke’s withering career was influenced by his complex nature, many directors (for example, director of Angel Heart, Alan Parker) spoke poorly about the actor and refused to work with him again. Rourke is also rumored to have given up leading roles in such successful projects as 48 Hours, Beverly Hills Policeman, Pulp Fiction, Best Gunman, Rain Man and Silence of the Lambs.
Boxing career
In 1991, Mickey Rourke decided to quit his movie career and try his hand at professional boxing. He planned to conduct sixteen battles and as a result conquer one of the belts of world organizations. In training, Rourke was assisted by Freddy Roach, a former professional boxer and trainer who later worked with Manny Pacquiao.
In total, Mickey spent eight fights in the professional ring, he won six times, four of them by knockout. Two more fights ended in a draw. As a result, Rourke stopped his boxing career, as he was already too old to compete on equal terms with the best fighters of the world at that time. As a result of the fighting, the actor received severe facial injuries, after several plastic surgeries, his appearance has changed dramatically, which can be easily seen by comparing Mickey Rourke's photo before and after a break in his acting career. According to the actor himself, this is due to the poor choice of a plastic surgeon who made a number of mistakes during operations.
Return to the cinema
After returning to the movie, Mickey wrote several scripts, in particular, for the crime drama "Bullet", where he also starred with his friend rapper Tupac Shakur. Basically, during this period, the actor starred in supporting roles, among the projects with his participation can be distinguished films "Benefactor", "Buffalo 66", "Animal Farm", "Promise" and "Remove Carter".
At the beginning of the new millennium, Rourke began to appear more and more often in films that were released immediately on video media, and the actor could also be seen in several music videos, commercials and small roles in the Hollywood projects Anger and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. A real return to the top for Mickey was the main role in the film of Robert Rodriguez "Sin City", for which the actor received several awards, the picture itself became a hit movie.
In the next few years, Rourke was able to gain a foothold on top thanks to roles in the action movie Domino and the crime drama Informants. In 2008, the sports drama "Wrestler" was released, which received the main prize following the results of the Venice Film Festival. For the main role, Mickey Rourke received the Golden Globe and BAFTA awards, and was also considered the main favorite for the Oscars, but lost to Sean Penn.
It soon became known that the actor will play the role of the main villain in the sequel to Iron Man. Shortly after the filming began, Mickey Rourke's photos in the form of a character named Whip appeared on the web. Also in 2010, the actor appeared in a small role in the blockbuster The Expendables and the thriller 13.
Recent and future projects
In the past few years, Mickey has become less frequent. He again returned to the role of Marv in the sequel to Sin City, which failed at the box office and received negative reviews from critics. It can also be seen in low-budget films, including Ashby and Tiger. At the moment, several projects with the participation of the actor are under development, the most noticeable among them is the fifth part of the Rambo franchise.
Views and hobbies
Since childhood, Mickey was brought up in the traditions of the Catholic faith and still calls religion an important part of his life. As for the political views of the actor, he supports the Republican Party of the United States. The press criticized Rourke for supporting George W. Bush after the outbreak of war in Iraq, as well as for publicly wearing a T-shirt with a portrait of Vladimir Putin in 2014.
Mickey Rourke is a big lover of dogs; for many years several pets have always lived in his house, he gives particular preference to the Chihuahua breed. Actively supports animal rights organizations. Also, the actor is a big fan of motorcycles.
Personal life
The personal life of Mickey Rourke has been the subject of heated discussion in the press from the very beginning of his career. Even before world-wide popularity, in 1981, he married the young actress Debre Foyer, and later they worked together several times. The marriage ended eight years later, according to the wife, the reason was that they decided to get married too early, and the actor’s wife was unhappy with the candid filming of the actor in the movie “Nine and a Half Weeks”. The couple had no children.
Mickey Rourke married a second time actress Carrie Otis in 1992, the couple met on the set of the film "Wild Orchid." In 1994, Rourke was arrested on charges of domestic violence, however, the couple stayed together and broke up only four years later. In addition to two marriages, the actor was in a relationship with several celebrities, including Terry Farrelli and Sasha Volkova. Since 2009, meets with Russian model Anastasia Makarenko, then they announced their engagement, but nothing is known about the couple’s wedding. Mickey Rourke has no children.