Mickey Rourke

Philip Andre Rourke Jr. (born 1956-09-16 in Schenectady) is an iconic American actor. He grew up in the tough neighborhoods of an area known as Liberty City in Miami, USA. Upon leaving, he would go on to study at the legendary Lee Strasberg Institute.

Rourke made his film debut in Steven Spielberg's 1941 in a very small role. Consequently, he garnered instant acclaim for his role as the arsonist in Body Heat. His part in that film is a classic example of making much of a character with little screentime.

Moreover, the early 80's would prove promising for the young actor as he starred in Diner, Rumble Fish, and (most notably) "The Pope of Greenwich Village" alongside his good friend and fellow actor Eric Roberts.

As the decade progressed, Rourke joined the canon of leading actors of the time and evovled into arguably the biggest sex symbol of his acting generation, a title no doubt fueled by his role alongside Kim Basinger in the controversial box-office hit Nine 1/2 Weeks. He attained mass critical acclaim for his work in Barfly and the haunting, dark Angel Heart. At the time, he also performed with musician David Bowie on the Never Let Me Down album, and wrote his first screenplay, "Homeboy", a boxing tale which he also starred in.

Sadly, Rourke's once promising acting career eventually became overshadowed by the demands of his personal life as well as his eccentric career decisions. He became a professional boxer in 1991, and despite having won the great majority of his fights, he never acheived national prominence in the sport. The next year he retired from boxing, and segued back into the mainstream with his brief but memorable turns in John Grisham's The Rainmaker and in Vincent Gallo's Bufallo 66.

Since gradually working his way back into full-time acting, Rourke has expressed his newfound dedication to the craft. An avid dog lover, he can be seen alongside his canine companion in "Once Upon a Time in Mexico", the capper to the El Mariachi trilogy. Rourke has also proved recently memorable in Tony Scott's "Man on Fire"

Rourke can next be seen in theaters in the lead role of Marv in Robert Rodriguez's highly anticipated Sin City and also in Tony Scott's "Domino".

External link

• Mickey Rourke at IMDb
• Rourke's Rotten Tomatoes Page