Acting downturn

Rourke's acting career eventually became overshadowed by his personal life and seemingly eccentric career decisions. Directors such as Alan Parker found it difficult to work with Rourke. Parker stated that "working with Mickey is a nightmare. He is very dangerous on the set because you never know what he is going to do".

He is alleged to have turned down a number of high-profile acting roles, including the roles of Eliot Ness in The Untouchables and Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop. It is also alleged that Rourke turned down the roles of Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs, Tom Cruise's role in Rain Man, Nick Nolte's part in 48 Hrs., Christopher Lambert's part in Highlander and a part in Platoon. In a documentary on the special edition DVD of Tombstone, actor Michael Biehn, who plays the part of Johnny Ringo, mentions that the role of Ringo was first offered to Rourke. It is also believed he turned down the role finally taken by Robin Williams in Dead Poet's Society after Peter Weir refused to change the script to have Rourke as the students' boxing coach and not their English teacher.

While Rourke turned down major film roles, he did perform in "soft-core" adult-themed films such as Wild Orchid, which may have had an impact on his reputation as an actor. It was during production of Wild Orchid that Rourke began a relationship with his co-star, Carre Otis whom he later married. Rumors that a love scene they filmed for the movie was not simulated have persisted to this day, although both actors deny it.

A controversy over Rourke's political beliefs also developed when he claimed to have donated part of his salary from the 1989 film, Francesco, to the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA). He later backed away from that statement. In 2006, Rourke voiced support for the Republican US President George W. Bush.

In 1991, Rourke decided that he "…had to go back to boxing," because he felt that he "…was self-destructing…[and] 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, brain damage, and a compressed cheekbone. His trainer during his boxing career was Hells Angels member Chuck Zito.

An anecdotal account of Rourke's boxing career in Japan ridicules his "neko (cat) punch." 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: "[I]…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

Rising status as actor

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 the mid-1980s, Rourke earned himself additional leading roles. His role alongside Kim Basinger in the controversial, sexually-themed box-office hit 9½ Weeks helped him gain "sex symbol" status. He received critical praise for his work in Barfly as the alcoholic writer Henry Chinaski, and in the Oliver Stone-penned Year of the Dragon. Critics generally consider his finest performance to be in the 1987 movie Angel Heart. This film by Alan Parker was seen as controversial due to a sex scene involving Cosby Show cast member Lisa Bonet. Although some of Rourke's work was viewed as controversial in the US, he was well-received by French audiences who loved the "rumpled, slightly dirty, sordid...rebel persona" that he projected in Year of the Dragon, 9 1/2 Weeks, Angel Heart, and Desperate Hours.

In the late 1980s, Rourke performed with musician David Bowie on the Never Let Me Down album. Around this same time, he also wrote his first screenplay, Homeboy, a boxing tale in which he starred. In 1991 Rourke starred in the action film Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man as Harley Davidson, a biker whose best friend, Marlboro, is played by Miami Vice star Don Johnson. Even though it was a box office bomb, it later achieved some level of popularity.

Early acting career

Rourke's film debut was a small role in Steven Spielberg's film 1941. Though it was not his first role, his portrayal of an arsonist in Body Heat garnered significant attention despite his modest time onscreen. During the early 1980s, Rourke starred in the cult classic Diner, which also starred Paul Reiser, Daniel Stern, Steve Guttenberg and Kevin Bacon. The film was directed by Barry Levinson who is well known for his direction on the movie Rain Man. Most of the principal actors continued on to become well-known stars.

Soon after, Rourke starred in Francis Ford Coppola's follow-up to The Outsiders in the coming-of-age tale, Rumble Fish. Playing the enigmatic older brother of Matt Dillon's character, he was praised as a standout in a film that also featured such talents as Dennis Hopper, Diane Lane, Nicolas Cage, Chris Penn, Laurence Fishburne and Tom Waits.

Early life

Mickey Rourke was born Phillip Andre Rourke, Jr., in Schenectady, New York. As a teenager he attended Miami Beach Senior High School, where it's not clear if he graduated or not. 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. Rourke's teenage years were more aimed toward sports than acting. Raised in the tough inner city, Rourke took up self-defense training at the Boys Club of Miami. It was there he learned boxing skills and decided on an amateur career. At the age of 12, Rourke won his first boxing match as a 118 pound bantamweight. Some of his early matches were fought as Andre Rourke. 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. In 1971, at the Florida Golden Gloves, he received another concussion from a boxing match. He was told by doctors to take a year off and rest, but Rourke decided to retire from the ring. From 1968 to 1972, Mickey Rourke compiled an amateur boxing record of 20-6, with 17 knockouts. He was disqualified 4 times, and lost 2 decisions. At one point, he reportedly scored 12 consecutive first round knockouts. As an amateur, Rourke had been friendly with pro-boxer Tommy Torino. When Rourke decided to return to boxing as a professional, Torino promoted some of Rourke's fights. Rourke was trained by former pro-boxer Freddie Roach at Miami Beach's 5th Street Gym and the Outlaw Boxing Club Gym in Los Angeles. Rourke made $250 for his pro debut, but by the end of his 2nd year of boxing, he earned a million dollars. Rourke appeared on the cover of World Boxing Magazine in June 1994. He sparred with world champions James Toney, John David Jackson, and Tommy Morrision. Rourke wanted to have 16 professional fights and then fight for a world title. However, he retired after 7 bouts and never got his desired title fight. His boxing career resulted in severe facial injuries which required a number of operations to repair his damaged face.

Intro

Mickey Rourke (born September 16, 1953 [disputed, 1950 also cited]), is an American actor who has primarily appeared in drama, action, and thriller films. Trained as a boxer in his early years, he had a short stint as a professional boxer in the 1990s. Although his acting career has been uneven, he has carved out a niche over the last several decades in gritty, marginalized anti-hero roles.