Mickey Rourke, Date unknown.
 
Mickey Rourke on Wikipedia
Mickey Rourke on the Internet Movie Database
 
 
 
 
Mickey Rourke
Forecourt Ceremony held on Monday, October 31, 2011
 
Born: Philip Andre Rourke Jr., September 16, 1952, in Schenectady, New York
Age at the time of the ceremony: 59
 
Mickey Rourke has been the bad boy of films for a long time. Closely associated with boxing, Rourke began at an early age, got injured, and began his film career. More recently, he has returned to the ring.

Rourke's parents divorced when young Mickey was only six. His mother remarried to a police officer with five sons in Miami. Becoming a boxer at the age of 12, by 1969, Rourke sparred with World Welterweight Champion Luis Rodriguez, suffering a concussion.

Mickey graduated high school in 1971, but after suffering another concussion that year, Rourke took some time off. He got back in there, and over the next couple of years, he compiled an impressive record. While sidelined, a friend asked Rourke to take over a part in a local production of the play Deathwatch and loved it. Boxing was fun, but acting — was better.

Borrowing $400 from his sister, Rourke moved to New York, and studied acting with Sandra Seacat. His first film credit is as one of Dan Aykroyd's men in 1941 (released in December 1979) with John Belushi. But roles like that don't grow on trees: he had to play the bad guy / asshole in the slasher pic Fade to Black (released in October 1980) with Dennis Christopher (which has a finalé filmed at the Chinese).

Rourke made an important connection with director Michael Cimino during his part in Heaven's Gate (released in November 1980) with Kris Kristofferson — Rourke starred for Cimino later. Rourke really made an impression on audiences as the bad guy in Body Heat (released in August 1981) with William Hurt. He appeared in Barry Levinson's Diner (released in May 1982) with Steve Guttenberg, and practically walked away with the picture.

For director Francis Ford Coppola, Rourke co-starred in Rumble Fish (released in October 1983) with Matt Dillon. Rourke shone in the domestic drama / heist film The Pope of Greenwich Village (released in June 1984) with Eric Roberts. When Michael Cimino finally got set to direct again, he chose Rouke as the lead in Year of the Dragon (which played the Chinese in August 1985) with John Lone.

For director Adrian Lyne, Rourke starred in the softcore drama 9 1/2 Weeks (released in February 1986) with Kim Basinger. No matter how they cut it, it flopped. As did Alan Parker's Angel Heart (released in March 1987) with Robert De Niro. Rourke as an IRA soldier in the re-edited A Prayer for the Dying (released in September 1987) with Bob Hoskins, didn't exactly work either.

Starring as Charles Bukowski in Barfly (released in October 1987) with Faye Dunaway, was a step in the right direction (the film was a big hit, as expected, in France). Director Walter Hill's crime film Johnny Handsome (released in September 1989) with Ellen Barkin, tanked.

For Zalman King, Rourke appeared in the softcore film Wild Orchid (released in April 1990) with Jacqueline Bisset; the film was an international success, but US audiences stayed away. Michael Cimino's remake of Desperate Hours (released in October 1990) with Anthony Hopkins, flopped, as did Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (released in August 1991) with Don Johnson.

It was around this time that Rourke returned to boxing "just to see if I could still do it." Too old to compete with top-flight talent, Rourke still ended up with several injuries, requiring cosmetic surgery.

White Sands (released in April 1992) with Willem Dafoe, flopped also. Director Coppola put Rourke in his film of The Rainmaker (released in November 1997) with Matt Damon, but the film barely bumped by. Rourke got prominent top-billing in the escape movie Point Blank (released in December 1998) with Danny Trejo. He took a role for director Sean Penn in The Pledge (which played the Chinese in January 2001) with Jack Nicholson.

Rourke took a small role in director Robert Rodriguez's Once Upon a Time in Mexico (released in September 2003) with Antonio Banderas, and for director Tony Scott, he took a small role as the lawyer to the father of Dakota Fanning in Man on Fire (released in April 2004) with Denzel Washington.

Rodriguez gave Rourke a large part in his Sin City (released in April 2005) with Jessica Alba. Writer / director Darren Aronofsky had written a script about a has-been wrestler and sent it to Rourke, who asked to re-write all of his scenes in The Wrestler (released in December 2008) with Marisa Tomei. After this film, Rourke has done a number of WWE events.

Rourke joined the cast of The Expendables (released in August 2010) with Sylvester Stallone, and starred in the comedy-drama Ashby (released in September 2015) with Emma Roberts. Rourke was in the ensemble picture Berlin, I Love You (released in February 2019). He has a role in the ride sharing drama Adverse (released in February 2020) with Sean Astin.

Mickey gets top billing in the Romans vs the Parthians war movie The Legion (released in May 2020). He plays "Sheriff" in Girl with Bella Thorne (released in May 2020). He headlined in Take Back with James Russo (released in March 2021) and as a role in Man of God with Aris Servetalis (released in April 2021).
 
 
Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, California. Mickey Rourke Forecourt block. Executed by unknown, Monday, October 31, 2011. 36 x 36 inches.
Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, California. Mickey Rourke Forecourt ceremony, Monday, October 31, 2011. Mickey Rourke holds aloft his scribe after beginning his autograph in the cement.
 
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