- Original name:
- Joseph Yule, Jr.
- Died:
- April 6, 2014, North Hollywood, California (aged 93)
- Awards And Honors:
- Academy Award (1983)
- Notable Family Members:
- spouse Ava Gardner
Mickey Rooney
-
Who was Mickey Rooney?
Mickey Rooney (1920-2014) was a versatile American star of motion pictures, stage, and musicals. Rooney began performing at 17 months old in his parents’ vaudeville act. He signed with MGM Studios in 1934. In 1937, he played Andy Hardy in A Family Affair, a role that led to 14 more films over nine years. During this period, he also starred with Judy Garland in musicals like Babes in Arms. From 1938 to 1943, Rooney was a top box-office star, receiving a special juvenile Oscar in 1939. After serving in World War II, Rooney became a character actor, appearing in Baby Face Nelson and The Black Stallion. He made his Broadway debut in 1979 in Sugar Babies and received an honorary Academy Award in 1983.
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What kinds of roles was Mickey Rooney famous for playing?
Mickey Rooney was renowned for his energy, charisma, and versatility across motion pictures, stage, and musicals. As a child star, he gained popularity for his role as the wholesome and wisecracking Andy Hardy in a series of films.
Rooney also delivered a powerful performance as a tough punk reformed by Spencer Tracy in Boys Town (1938) and starred alongside Judy Garland in musicals such as Babes in Arms (1939), Strike Up the Band (1940), Babes on Broadway (1941), and Girl Crazy (1943). Later, he became a character actor, playing roles such as a gangster in Baby Face Nelson (1957), a trainer in Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), and a mentally handicapped man in Bill (1981).
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In which movies or film series did Mickey Rooney star as a young actor?
Mickey Rooney began his acting career at 17 months in his parents' vaudeville act. In 1926, he debuted in movies as a cigar-smoking midget in the silent short Not to Be Trusted. He starred in comedy shorts as a tough kid, based on a comic strip, and was known as Mickey McGuire.
In 1934, Rooney signed with MGM Studios. He played Puck in the 1935 film version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. From 1937, he played Andy Hardy in A Family Affair and 14 more films over nine years. During this period, he also starred in musicals with Judy Garland, such as Babes in Arms (1939), Strike Up the Band (1940), Babes on Broadway (1941), and Girl Crazy (1943).
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How did Mickey Rooney’s career change as he got older?
Mickey Rooney, born in 1920, began performing at 17 months old in his parents' vaudeville act. He signed with MGM in 1934 and gained fame as Andy Hardy in a series of films starting in 1937. Rooney also starred in musicals with Judy Garland and was a top box-office star from 1938 to 1943. After serving in World War II, Rooney's popularity decreased as audiences preferred him as a child star. Despite this, he became a respected character actor, taking roles such as a gangster in Baby Face Nelson and a mentally handicapped man in the TV movie Bill. In 1979, he debuted on Broadway in Sugar Babies and continued performing in musical theater. Rooney received an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement in 1983.
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What was unique about Mickey Rooney’s acting style or personality?
Mickey Rooney was an energetic, charismatic, and versatile American actor, singer, and dancer known for his vaudevillean roots and his ability to sing, dance, and tell jokes from a very young age. Rooney gained popularity as a child star portraying the wholesome, wisecracking Andy Hardy in a series of films. His seemingly endless energy and talent made him a top box-office star from 1938 to 1943. Although his popularity waned after serving in World War II, he established himself as a fine character actor in such roles as the notorious gangster in Baby Face Nelson (1957).
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How did Mickey Rooney impact the history of American movies and entertainment?
Mickey Rooney significantly impacted American movies and entertainment through his energy, charisma, and versatility. Starting in vaudeville at 17 months old, he transitioned to films, becoming a popular child star in the Andy Hardy series. Rooney's success continued with Judy Garland in breezy musicals and a riveting performance in Boys Town. From 1938 to 1943, he was a top box-office star, earning a special juvenile Oscar in 1939. Although his popularity waned after World War II, Rooney became a respected character actor, debuting on Broadway in 1979 in Sugar Babies and receiving an honorary Academy Award in 1983.
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Mickey Rooney (born September 23, 1920, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.—died April 6, 2014, North Hollywood, California) was an American motion-picture, stage, and musical star noted for his energy, charisma, and versatility. A popular child star best known for his portrayal of the wholesome, wisecracking title character in the Andy Hardy series of films, the short-statured puckish performer established himself as a solid character actor as an adult.
Rooney made his first stage appearance at the age of 17 months in his parents’ vaudeville act. The young performer sang, danced, and told jokes on the vaudeville circuit until 1924, when his parents separated. He and his mother eventually moved to California, where Rooney made his movie debut as a cigar-smoking midget con man in the silent short Not to Be Trusted (1926). Over the next few years Rooney starred as a tough, cocky kid in a series of comedy shorts based on a popular comic strip. He temporarily took the name of his character—Mickey McGuire—as his own, but he changed his name to Mickey Rooney when the series ended (after more than 50 episodes).
Rooney signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios in 1934. That year he also appeared at the Hollywood Bowl in a stage presentation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Max Reinhardt, and repeated his much-praised performance as Puck in the screen version (1935) of the production. In 1937 Rooney played Andy Hardy, the teenage son of a small-town judge, in a B-picture called A Family Affair; the idealized Hardy family—and especially the exuberant and good-hearted, albeit sometimes misguided, Andy—proved so popular that MGM featured them in 14 more films over the next nine years.
During this period, Rooney also gave a riveting performance as a tough punk reformed by Spencer Tracy in Boys Town (1938) and costarred with Judy Garland in a successful series of breezy musicals, including Babes in Arms (1939), Strike Up the Band (1940), Babes on Broadway (1941), and Girl Crazy (1943). Seemingly blessed with an endless supply of energy and talent, Rooney was one of the top 10 box-office stars from 1938 to 1943, heading the list in 1939, 1940, and 1941. He was awarded a special juvenile Oscar in 1939.
After he served in World War II, Rooney’s star power decreased and his career slackened as audiences preferred the juvenile Rooney to the grown-up one. Although he would never regain the popularity he had as a young star, Rooney earned a reputation as a fine character actor in such roles as the notorious gangster in Baby Face Nelson (1957), the trainer of a washed-up boxer in Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), a former jockey in The Black Stallion (1979), and a mentally handicapped man in the television movie Bill (1981). He received an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement in 1983.
Rooney made his Broadway debut in 1979 in the successful Sugar Babies, a nostalgic tribute to burlesque, and continued to perform in popular musical theater productions, appearing in the title role of The Wizard of Oz in 1998.
Rooney’s eight wives included the actresses Ava Gardner and Martha Vickers. He published two autobiographies, I.E.: An Autobiography (1965) and Life Is Too Short (1991), and a mystery novel, The Search for Sonny Skies (1994).
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