Mickey Rourke
The Greatest wwe SuperStar
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| Mickey Rourke Pictures and Biography |
American thriller actor and former boxer
Mickey Rourke was born on September 16, 1952 in the state of New York. Born Philip Andre Rourke, Jr., Rourke was the son of a professional bodybuilder. His mother and father divorced, however, and Rourke moved to Florida with his mother.
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| Mickey Rourke Pictures and Biography |
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| Mickey Rourke Pictures and Biography |
They stayed in Miami, where Rourke attended high school and played on the school’s baseball team. Rourke may have been in plays at this stage in his life but it’s uncertain.
Having grown up under an athletic father, Rourke enjoyed physical pursuits, and along with baseball he received self-defense training at school. It was here that he learned the first few boxing skills that would push him to embark on an early boxing career. He won his first match at age 12. Continuing to practice his boxing, Rourke joined the Police Athletic League boxing program. Here he was given the chance to spar with Luis Rodriquez, who was a World Welterweight Champion. Rodriguez, training to take on another world champion, reportedly gave Rourke a concussion during their match.
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| Mickey Rourke Pictures and Biography |
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| Mickey Rourke Pictures and Biography |
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| Mickey Rourke |
After receiving another concussion in 1971 Rourke was pressured by his doctors to take a break from boxing. He did so for more than just the prescribed year, and eventually fell into acting. His first role came Steven Spielberg’s 1979 war comedy 1941. Rourke did not receive any real attention until playing an arsonist in the 1981 movie Body Heat. He continued through the 1980’s in a series of increasingly larger roles until he received critical praise for his part in The Pope of Greenwich Village. It is considered one of his best performances to date.
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| Mickey Rourke Pictures and Biography |
The mid 80’s helped Rourke develop the rebellious, anti-hero persona for which he is now well known. He starred in Barfly, Year of the Dragon and Angel Heart over this period of time, solidifying his status not only as a gritty actor but a sex symbol as well. Directors and producers alike are said to have found Rourke difficult to work with, however, saying that he was unpredictable. Rourke is said to have turned down a number of high-profile roles, including the role of Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs, in this time.
Rourke decided to return to his boxing roots in 1991 after a 20 year absence, and trained hard under Hells Angel member and fighter Chuck Zito. By this point Rourke was too old, however, and despite winning a string of fights against minor opponents he could never match up well against the pros of the boxing world. By 1995 he retired again from boxing and returned to acting. He accepted several supporting parts in a variety of late 90’s films, including The Rainmaker, Animal Factory and Get Carter. He made his return to leading man status in the 1997 Jean-Claude Van Damme movie Double Team.
Rourke continued in small roles in the early 2000’s, though these roles inevitably lead to larger spots by 2005, when Rourke was cast as Marv in Sin City. He received critical praise and several awards for the role. He followed this with a number of other leading roles, and will be reprising his part as Marv in the upcoming Sin City 2. He is also preparing for a role in The Wrestler, the story of a washed up professional wrestler. He is currently training under a former pro-wrestler.
