Mickey Rourke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mickey Rourke
Rourke in 2010
Born	Philip Andre Rourke Jr. (1952-09-16) September 16, 1952 (age 72) Schenectady, New York, U.S.
Other names	Eddie Cook
Occupation	Actor boxer screenwriter
Years active	Actor (1979–present) Boxer (1964–1994; 2014)
Spouse(s)	Debra Feuer ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 1989)​ Carré Otis ​ ​ (m. 1992; div. 1998)​
Partner(s)	Anastassija Makarenko (2009–2015)

Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke Jr. (born September 16, 1952) is an American actor and former professional boxer. He is famous for playing leading roles in drama, action, and thriller movies.

In the 1980s, Rourke had important roles in films like Body Heat (1981) and Diner (1982). For Diner, he won an award for Best Supporting Actor. He then became a well-known leading actor in movies such as Rumble Fish (1983), The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), Year of the Dragon (1985), 9½ Weeks (1986), and Angel Heart (1987). His acting in Barfly (1987) also earned him a nomination for Best Male Lead.

In 1991, after some movies that didn't do well, Rourke, who had trained as a boxer when he was younger, stopped acting for a while to become a professional boxer.

After he stopped boxing in 1994, Rourke returned to acting. He took on supporting roles in films like The Rainmaker (1997), Buffalo '66 (1998), Animal Factory (2000), and Man on Fire (2004). In 2005, Rourke made a big return to Hollywood with a main role in the action thriller Sin City. This role won him several awards.

His big comeback continued when he played an aging wrestler named Randy 'The Ram' Robinson in the sports drama The Wrestler (2008). For this role, Rourke won a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. After this, Rourke appeared in successful films like Iron Man 2 (2010) and The Expendables (2010).

Mickey Rourke's Early Life

Philip Andre Rourke Jr. was born on September 16, 1952, in Schenectady, New York. His father was of Irish background, and his mother had Scottish family. He was raised Catholic and still follows his faith.

When Mickey was young, his father left the family. After his parents divorced, his mother married Eugene Addis, a police officer from Miami Beach, Florida. They moved Mickey, his younger brother Joey, and their sister Patricia to South Florida. Mickey graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School in 1971.

Mickey Rourke's Career

Becoming an Amateur Boxer

As a teenager, Rourke mostly focused on sports. He started learning self-defense at the Boys Club in Miami. There, he learned boxing and decided to become an amateur boxer.

At age 12, Rourke won his first boxing match. He fought some early matches using the name Phil Rourke. He continued his boxing training at the famous 5th Street Gym in Miami Beach, Florida. In 1969, Rourke, who weighed 140 pounds, sparred with former World Welterweight Champion Luis Rodríguez. Rourke said he got a concussion from this sparring match.

At the 1971 Florida Golden Gloves event, Rourke got another concussion during a boxing match. Doctors told him to rest for a year, so Rourke stopped boxing for a while. From 1964 to 1973, Rourke had a record of 27 wins (including 12 knockouts) and 3 losses in amateur boxing.

Starting His Acting Career

In 1971, while in his last year at Miami Beach Senior High School, Rourke had a small role in a school play called The Serpent. However, he was more interested in boxing and didn't act in any other school plays.

After he temporarily stopped boxing, a friend at the University of Miami told Rourke about a play he was directing, Deathwatch. The actor playing "Green Eyes" had quit, so Rourke got the part. He immediately fell in love with acting. He borrowed $400 from his sister and moved to New York. There, he worked odd jobs while studying acting.

Rourke first appeared in movies with a small role in Steven Spielberg's 1941. He also played Ritchie in the 1980 film Fade to Black. In 1981, he gained attention for his role as an arsonist in Body Heat. The next year, he received more praise for his role as "Boogie" Sheftell in Diner. For this, the National Society of Film Critics named him Best Supporting Actor. Soon after, Rourke starred in Rumble Fish.

Rourke's acting in The Pope of Greenwich Village also impressed critics. In the mid-1980s, Rourke got more main roles. He was praised for his work in Barfly and Year of the Dragon.

In 1987, Rourke appeared in Angel Heart. While some of his work was seen as controversial in the US, he was very popular with European audiences. They liked his "rebel persona" in movies like Year of the Dragon and Angel Heart.

In the late 1980s, Rourke worked with David Bowie on the Never Let Me Down album. He also wrote his first movie script, Homeboy, a boxing story that he also starred in. In 1989, Rourke played St. Francis of Assisi in the film Francesco. This was followed by Wild Orchid, which was not well-received. In 1991, he starred in Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man.

Some directors found it hard to work with Rourke. For example, director Alan Parker said, "working with Mickey is a nightmare. He is very dangerous on the set because you never know what he is going to do." Rourke reportedly turned down roles in several famous films, including Top Gun and Pulp Fiction.

Professional Boxing Career

In 1991, Rourke decided to go back to boxing because he felt he was "self-destructing" and "had no respect for [himself as] an actor." Rourke had a record of six wins (four by knockout) and two draws in eight professional fights. He fought in countries like Spain, Japan, and Germany.

During his boxing career, Rourke suffered several injuries, including a broken nose, toe, and ribs, a split tongue, and a compressed cheekbone. He also had some short-term memory loss. His trainers included Chuck Zito and Freddie Roach. Rourke's entrance song into the ring was often "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns N' Roses.

Boxing promoters said Rourke was too old to fight top boxers. Rourke himself said that boxing was a personal test: "I just wanted to give it a shot, test myself that way physically, while I still had time." His boxing career led to changes in his face, as he needed reconstructive surgery to fix his injuries.

Return to Boxing in 2014

On November 28, 2014, Rourke briefly returned to the boxing ring. He fought 29-year-old Elliot Seymour in Moscow, Russia. This was Rourke's first boxing match in over 20 years. He won the exhibition fight in the second round by TKO (Technical Knockout). This fight is not counted in his official professional record because it was an exhibition match.

Back to Acting in the 1990s

After he retired from boxing, Rourke took on supporting roles in several films in the 1990s. These included Francis Ford Coppola's The Rainmaker, Vincent Gallo's Buffalo '66, and Sean Penn's The Pledge. Rourke also wrote several films under the name Sir Eddie Cook, including Bullet, in which he acted with Tupac Shakur.

Rourke also had a small part in the film Thursday, where he played a dishonest cop. He also had a main role as the villain in Double Team (1997), which starred Jean-Claude Van Damme. He ended the 1990s with some direct-to-video films. Rourke has said that he felt like a "has-been" during this time and lived in "a state of shame."

Acting from 2000 to 2009

Rourke at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival

In 2001, Rourke appeared as the villain in Enrique Iglesias's music video for "Hero". In 2002, he played The Cook in Spun. He also had smaller roles in Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) and Man on Fire (2004).

In 2005, Rourke made a big comeback in Hollywood with a main role as Marv in Sin City. He won awards from the Chicago Film Critics Association and other groups for this role. Rourke then had a supporting role in Domino alongside Keira Knightley.

In 2004, Rourke provided the voice for "Jericho" in the video game Driver. Actors like Johnny Depp, Sean Penn, and Brad Pitt have praised Rourke's acting. Rourke believes that everything he has been through has made him "a better, more interesting actor." He also said, "my best work is still ahead of me."

In 2008, Rourke played the main character in Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler. This film won the Golden Lion Award for Best Film. Rourke played a washed-up professional wrestler named Randy "The Ram" Robinson. He trained under former WWE wrestler Afa the Wild Samoan for the role. He won a BAFTA award, a Golden Globe award, and an Independent Spirit Award for his performance. He was also nominated for an Oscar.

Rourke has written or co-written six movie scripts. Three of them, Homeboy, The Last Ride, and Bullet, were made into films.

Rourke with Ric Flair at WrestleMania XXV

In early 2009, Rourke had a small storyline with WWE wrestler Chris Jericho. This storyline ended at WrestleMania XXV, where Rourke knocked out Jericho. In 2009, Rourke also voiced the character Dick Marcinko in the video game Rogue Warrior.

Acting from 2010 to Present

In 2010, Rourke played the main villain Whiplash in the film Iron Man 2. He prepared for the role by visiting Russian jail inmates. In 2011, he played the villainous King Hyperion in Immortals, which was a box office success. He also had a small role in Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables. Even with limited screen time, his acting was highly praised.

In 2011, Rourke was cast in the film Java Heat, released in 2013. In 2014, he played his character Marv again in the sequel Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.

In 2020, Rourke appeared on The Masked Singer as "Gremlin." He sang "Stand by Me" but unmasked himself early because the costume was too hot.

In the 2021 film Man of God, Rourke played a paralyzed man. In 2023, he starred in The Palace.

Other Works

Rourke provided a rap part in the David Bowie song "Shining Star (Makin' My Love)" on his 1987 album Never Let Me Down.

He made his stage debut in a play called A View from the Bridge. He lent his voice to the video games Driv3r (2004) and True Crime: New York City (2005). He also appeared in commercials for Suntory Reserve, Daihatsu, and Lark cigarettes in Japan. In 2010, he appeared in a Dutch TV commercial for Bavaria Beer.

Rourke was also featured as a gangster in the music video for "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias.

Personal Life

Rourke has been married twice and does not have children. In 1981, he married Debra Feuer, whom he met on a TV movie set. They divorced in 1989. They have remained good friends.

He credits his comeback in acting to his agent, weekly meetings with a psychiatrist, and a Catholic priest. Rourke has been described as a "real good Catholic" by his late friend Tom Sizemore.

From 2009 to 2015, Rourke was in a relationship with Ukrainian-born German model Anastassija Makarenko. In 2023, it was shared that Rourke started training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Political Views

In May 1989, Rourke said he donated most of his earnings from the film Francesco to support Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) member Joe Doherty's effort to get political asylum in the United States.

In August 2014, Rourke was seen wearing a T-shirt with Russian President Vladimir Putin's picture. He explained that he had met Putin a few times and found him to be "a real gentleman. A very cool, regular guy." However, Rourke has since spoken against Putin for his role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has asked him to end the conflict.

In 2015, Rourke supported Ben Carson for president. He also criticized Donald Trump, calling him a "bully." Rourke said he had a personal issue with Trump from the 1990s.

In July 2020, Rourke supported Joe Biden in the 2020 United States presidential election on his Instagram account. In October, Rourke voted for Biden and Harris, saying it was the first time he had ever voted.

His Love for Dogs

Besides his faith, Rourke has publicly said his dogs helped him make his comeback. He is known as a big pet lover, especially of small dogs. Rourke supports spay/neuter and has done a public service announcement for PETA.

His first small dog was a gift from his second wife. While often called "chihuahuas," some of Rourke's dogs are not purebred. Loki, his most famous dog, was a chihuahua-terrier mix. Rourke loved Loki so much that he spent money to have her flown to England when he was filming Stormbreaker.

Rourke thanked his dogs during his Golden Globe Best Actor acceptance speech on January 11, 2009. He said, "I'd like to thank all my dogs. The ones that are here, the ones that aren't here anymore because sometimes when a man's alone, that's all you got is your dog. And they've meant the world to me." He told Barbara Walters that his dogs were there for him when "no one else was there."

Beau Jack, one of his dogs, was the father of Loki and her sister Chocolate. Beau Jack died in 2002. Chocolate was even the subject of a children's book, Chocolate at the Four Seasons. Chocolate returned to Rourke and died in 2006. Rourke has had as many as seven dogs at one time. At the time of his Golden Globes speech, he had five chihuahuas: Loki, Jaws, Ruby Baby, La Negra, and Bella Loca. About a month later, on February 16, 2009, Loki died in Rourke's arms at the age of 18. Rourke currently owns a chihuahua named Jaws, who appeared with him in his 2009 PETA ad and in the film Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

Filmography

Career Awards

See also

In Spanish: Mickey Rourke para niños