Why He's No. 35

Mickey Rourke is an Oscar-nominated actor. He's best known for his roles in films like The Wrestler, Sin City and 9 1/2 Weeks.

Back Stage

Mickey Rourke was born Phillip Andre Rourke, Jr., in Schenectady, New York. As a teenager he attended Miami Beach Senior High School. Rourke played second-string first baseman on the school's baseball team under coach Skip Bertman. Yet another mystery regarding his high school days is his acting

career. It's reported that he took drama classes with the legendary "Teacher To The Stars", Jay W. Jensen; appearing in at least one stage-play. However, a P. Rourke listed in the play's credits, could be his sister, Patricia Rourke, who also attended Miami Beach Senior High School. He continued his boxing training at the famed 5th Street Gym in Miami Beach, Florida; joining the Police Athletic League boxing program. In 1969, Rourke, now weighing 140lbs., sparred with former World Welterweight Champion Luis Rodriguez. Rodriguez was the number one rated middleweight boxer in the world, and was training for his match with world champion Nino Benvenuti. Rourke claims to have received a concussion in this sparring match.



Rourke's performance in the film The Pope of Greenwich Village alongside Daryl Hannah and Eric Roberts caught the attention of critics. While the film was a box office flop during its initial release, it has become somewhat of a minor cult hit. Actor Johnny Depp calls it "perfect cinema" and HBO's Entourage has praised it. Rourke has said the film is his favorite movie, and both Hannah and Roberts have cited it as a highlight of their careers. In 1991, Rourke decided that he "…had to go back to boxing," because he felt that he "…was self-destructing… had no respect for myself being an actor." When Rourke became a professional boxer, he won all of his fights against minor opponents (and had one fight come to a draw). However, he never achieved national prominence, and he received a number of injuries, including a broken nose, toe, ribs, a split tongue, and a compressed cheekbone. His trainer during his boxing career was Hells Angels member Chuck Zito. Boxing promoters have claimed that Rourke was too old to do well against top-level fighters. Indeed, Rourke himself admits that entering the ring was a sort of personal test: "…just wanted to give it a shot, test myself that way physically, while I still had time (interview in The Gate with Christopher Heard). In 1995, Rourke retired from boxing and returned to acting. While Rourke was also selected for a significant role in Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line, Rourke's part ended up on the editing room floor. Rourke also played a small part in the film Thursday, in which he plays a crooked cop. One of his most interesting film roles was in 1997's Double Team, which co-starred martial arts actor Jean-Claude Van Damme. It was Rourke's first over-top action film role, in which he played the lead villain. In 2005, Rourke made his comeback in mainstream Hollywood circles with a lead role (Marv) in Robert Rodriguez's adaptation of Frank Miller's Sin City. Rourke received awards from the Chicago Film Critics Association, the IFTA and the Online Film Critics Society, as well as "Man of the Year" from Total Film magazine that year.



Rourke followed Sin City with a supporting role in Tony Scott's Domino alongside Keira Knightley, in which he played a bounty hunter. In addition, in 2003, Rourke provided the voice for "Jericho" in the third installment of the Driver video game series. Rourke also recently appeared in a 40-page story by photographer Bryan Adams for Berlin's Zoo Magazine. In an article about Rourke's return to steady acting roles, entitled Mickey Rourke Rising (from The Gate), Christopher Heard stated that actors/musicians Tupac Shakur Johnny Depp, Sean Penn and Brad Pitt have "…animated praise for Rourke and his work." Despite having withdrawn from acting at various points, and having made movies that he now sees as a creative "sell-out" (the action film Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man), Rourke has stated that "…all that I have been through… made me a better, more interesting actor." Rourke's renewed interest in pursuing acting can be seen in his statement that "…my best work is still ahead of me" (article in The Gate).



In November 2006, during an interview, he called Tom Cruise a 'cunt' for his attacks on Brooke Shields and Psychiatry. In February of 2007 he was in South Beach, Florida, protesting against a puppy store he claims sells dogs with parvo. He wanted the store to shut down, claiming a puppy he bought for his friend at the store died. He was supported with other activists. Mickey signed up to act in the movie version of the The Informers in the role of Peter, an amoral former studio security guard who plots to kidnap a small child. During his career, Rourke worked with directors including Steven Spielberg,Lawrence Kasdan, Francis Ford Coppola, Barry Levinson, Stuart Rosenberg, Nicolas Roeg, Michael Cimino, Adrian Lyne, Alan Parker, Mike Hodges, Barbet Schroeder, Walter Hill, Tsui Hark, Terrence Malick, Jonas Åkerlund, Wong Kar Wai, Tony Scott, Robert Rodriguez and John Madden, as well as actors-turned-directors Sean Penn, Vincent Gallo and Steve Buscemi.

Forcaste

Trained as a boxer in his early years, Rourke had a short stint as a professional boxer in the 1990s. He won a 2009 Golden Globe award and a BAFTA award, and was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award and Academy Award for his work in the film The Wrestler.