Mickey Rooney

Mickey Rooney

Date of Birth:

Sep 23, 1920

Place of Birth:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor, vaudevillian, comedian, producer, and radio personality. In a career spanning nine decades and continuing until shortly before his death, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the silent film era. At the height of a career that was marked by declines and comebacks, Rooney performed the role of Andy Hardy in a series of 16 films in the 1930s and 1940s that epitomized American family values. A versatile performer, he became a celebrated character actor later in his career. Laurence Olivier once said he considered Rooney "the best there has ever been". Clarence Brown, who directed him in two of his earliest dramatic roles, National Velvet and The Human Comedy, said he was "the closest thing to a genius I ever worked with". Rooney first performed in vaudeville as a child and made his film debut at the age of six. At 14, he played Puck in the play and later the 1935 film adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Critic David Thomson hailed his performance as "one of the cinema's most arresting pieces of magic". In 1938, he co-starred in Boys Town. At 19, he was the first teenager to be nominated for an Oscar for his leading role in Babes in Arms, and he was awarded a special Academy Juvenile Award in 1939. At the peak of his career between the ages of 15 and 25, he made 43 films, which made him one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's most consistently successful actors and a favorite of MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer. Rooney was the top box-office attraction from 1939 to 1941 and one of the best-paid actors of that era, but his career would never again rise to such heights. Drafted into the Army during World War II, he served nearly two years entertaining over two million troops on stage and radio and was awarded a Bronze Star for performing in combat zones. Returning from the war in 1945, he was too old for juvenile roles but too short to be an adult movie star, and was unable to get as many starring roles. Nevertheless, Rooney's popularity was renewed with well-received supporting roles in films such as Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), and The Black Stallion (1979). In the early 1980s, he returned to Broadway in Sugar Babies and again became a celebrated star. Rooney made hundreds of appearances on TV, including dramas, variety programs, and talk shows, and won an Emmy in 1982 plus a Golden Globe for his role in Bill (1981).

filmography:

Bluegrass Bluegrass

1988

Richard Richard

1972

Hot Feet Hot Feet

1931

Vienna Vienna

1968

Blind Date Blind Date

1934

The Chief The Chief

1933

Reckless Reckless

1935

Sid & Judy Sid & Judy

2019

Chained Chained

1934

Beloved Beloved

1934

Liberation Liberation

1994

Night Club Night Club

2011

Pinocchio Pinocchio

1957

Love Birds Love Birds

1934

The Hunter The Hunter

1931

Hide-Out Hide-Out

1934

High Speed High Speed

1932

Skidoo Skidoo

1968

Quicksand Quicksand

1950

Bill Bill

1981

Boys Town Boys Town

1938

Girl Crazy Girl Crazy

1943

Pulp Pulp

1972

The Healer The Healer

1935

Slave Ship Slave Ship

1937

All Ashore All Ashore

1953

Ambush Bay Ambush Bay

1966

Sound Off Sound Off

1952

The Comic The Comic

1969

The Strip The Strip

1951

Creole Creole

1981

Fol-de-Rol Fol-de-Rol

1972

Riffraff Riffraff

1936

Rendezvous Rendezvous

1935

Lord Jeff Lord Jeff

1938

Off Limits Off Limits

1952

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