Mickey Rourke's Birth Date:
September 16, 1956
Place of Birth:
Schenectady, New York
His Childhood:
As a kid Mickey Rourke moved with his brother Joey and mother Ann to Miami, Florida, following Ann's divorce from Rourke's father. Growing up in a rough neighborhood, Rourke was drawn to boxing and learned the sport at the 5th Street Gym (Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard once trained at that facility).
He took part in the Florida Golden Gloves competition and did well as an amateur boxer until forced out of the sport as a result of concussions.
Acting Background:
Rourke moved to New York and studied under Sandra Seacat before entering the Actors Studio. Off-off-Broadway productions soon led to Rourke heading to Los Angeles where he landed his first film role in 1979.
Odd Jobs:
Rourke's worked as a pretzel vendor and a bouncer at a transvestite club while waiting for acting roles.
Returning to the Ring:
In the early 1990s with his acting career waning, Rourke stepped back into the ring. But he was once again forced to leave the sport after being on the receiving end of numerous blows to the head.
His Troubled Past:
Over the years Rourke has earned a reputation as difficult, demanding, and nearly impossible to work with. And in 1994 Rourke was arrested in LA for spousal abuse. But after getting a second chance with Sin City and then The Wrestler, Rourke says he's cleaned up his act.
The Resurrection of His Career:
The Wrestler, directed by Darren Aronofsky, is hailed as the film that revived Rourke's career. "Forget all the other things I was in. This is the movie that defines everything because it's like people say to me, 'What's your best movie you've ever made?' And some people will go Barfly, Angel Heart,' you know, this one, that one. This is the best f--king movie I've ever made and it's the hardest movie I've ever made, and it's the movie I'm most proud of," said Rourke in an interview in support of the film.
Notable Movie Credits:
1941 (1979)
Heaven's Gate (1980)
Body Heat (1981)
Diner (1982)
Eureka (1983)
Rumble Fish (1983)
The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984)
Year of the Dragon (1985)
Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986)
Angel Heart (1987)
Barfly (1987)
A Prayer for the Dying (1987)
Homeboy (1988)
Wild Orchid (1989)
Desperate Hours (1990)
Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991)
White Sands (1992)
FTW (1994)
Fall Time (1995)
Exit in Red (1996)
Bullet (1996)
Double Team (1997)
Another Nine & a Half Weeks (1997)
The Rainmaker (1997)
Buffalo '66 (1998)
Point Blank (1998)
Thursday (1998)
Shergar (1999)
Out in Fifty (1999)
Shades (1999)
Animal Factory (2000)
Get Carter (2000)
The Pledge (2001)
Crawlers (2001)
Spun (2002)
Masked and Anonymous (2003)
Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)
Man on Fire (2004)
Sin City (2005)
Domino (2005)
Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker (2006)
The Wrestler (2008)
Killshot (2009)
The Informers (2009)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
The Expendables (2010)
13 (2010)
Passion Play (2011)
Immortals (2011)