Mickey Rooney
Encyclopedia
Mickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award
. Working as a performer since he was a small child, he was a superstar as a teenager for the films in which he played Andy Hardy
, and he has had one of the longest careers of any actor, to date spanning almost 90 years actively making films in ten decades, from the 1920's to 2010's. He is the last surviving male star from 1930s Hollywood. For a younger generation of fans, he gained international fame for his leading role as Henry Dailey in The Family Channel
's The Adventures of the Black Stallion, as well as the film itself.
family. His father, Joseph Yule
, was from Scotland
, and his mother, Nellie W. (née Carter), was from Kansas City, Missouri
. Both of his parents were in vaudeville
, appearing in a Brooklyn production of A Gaiety Girl
when Joseph, Jr. was born. He began performing at the age of 17 months as part of his parents' routine, wearing a specially tailored tuxedo.
When he was 14 months old, unknown to everyone, he crawled on stage wearing overalls and a little harmonica around his neck. He sneezed and his father, Joe Sr., grabbed him up, introducing him to the audience as Sonny Yule. He felt the spotlight on him and has described it as his mother's womb. From that moment on, the stage was his home.
His father was a womanizer and heavy drinker, leaving the family when Joe Jr. was only three. While Joe Sr. was traveling, Joe Jr. and his mother moved from Brooklyn, New York to Kansas City, Missouri
to live with his aunt. While his mother was reading the entertainment newspaper, Nellie was interested in getting Hal Roach
to approach the young star to participate in the Our Gang
series in Hollywood. Roach offered $5 a day to Joe Jr. while the other young stars were paid five times more.
As he was getting bit parts in films; he was working with other established film stars such as Joel McCrea
, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
and Jean Harlow
. While selling newspapers around the corner, he also entered into Hollywood Professional School
, where he went to school with dozens of unfamiliar students such as: Joseph A. Wapner, Nanette Fabray
, Judy Garland
, Lana Turner
, among many others, and later Hollywood High School
, where he graduated in 1938.
had placed a newspaper ad for a dark-haired child to play the role of "Mickey McGuire" in a series of short films
. Lacking the money to have her son's hair dyed, Mrs. Yule took her son to the audition after applying burnt cork to his scalp. Joe got the role and became "Mickey" for 78 of the comedies, running from 1927 to 1936, starting with Mickey's Circus, released September 4, 1927. These had been adapted from the Toonerville Trolley
comic strip, which contained a character named Mickey McGuire. Joe Yule briefly became Mickey McGuire legally in order to trump an attempted copyright lawsuit (if it was his legal name, the film producers did not owe the comic strip writers royalties). His mother also changed her surname to McGuire in an attempt to bolster the argument, but the film producers lost. The litigation settlement awarded damages to the owners of the cartoon character, as well as compelled the twelve-year-old actor to refrain from calling himself by the name Mickey McGuire on and off screen.
Rooney later claimed that, during his Mickey McGuire days, he met cartoonist Walt Disney
at the Warner Brothers studio, and that Disney was inspired to name Mickey Mouse
after him, although Disney always said that he had changed the name from "Mortimer Mouse" to "Mickey Mouse" on the suggestion of his wife.
During an interruption in the series in 1932, Mrs. Yule made plans to take her son on a ten-week vaudeville tour as McGuire, and Fox sued successfully to stop him from using the name. Mrs. Yule suggested the stage name of Mickey Looney for her comedian son, which he altered slightly to Rooney, a less frivolous version. Rooney did other films in his adolescence, including several more of the McGuire films, and signed with MGM in 1934. MGM cast Rooney as the teenage son of a judge in 1937's A Family Affair
, setting Rooney on the way to another successful film series.
in A Family Affair (1937), which MGM had planned as a B-movie
. Rooney provided comic relief as the son of Judge James K. Hardy, portrayed by Lionel Barrymore
(although Lewis Stone
would play the role of Judge Hardy in later films). The film was an unexpected success, and led to thirteen more Andy Hardy films between 1937 and 1946, and a final film in 1958. Rooney also received top billing as "Shockey Carter" in Hoosier Schoolboy (1937).
Also in 1937, Mickey made his first film alongside Judy Garland
with Thoroughbreds Don't Cry
. Garland and Rooney became close friends and a successful song and dance team. Besides three of the Andy Hardy films, where she portrayed Betsy Booth, a younger girl with a crush on Andy, they appeared together in a string of successful musicals, including the Oscar-nominated Babes in Arms
(1939). During an interview in the documentary film, When the Lion Roars, Rooney describes their friendship:
Rooney's breakthrough role as a dramatic actor came in 1938's Boys Town
opposite Spencer Tracy
as Whitey Marsh, which opened shortly before his 18th birthday. Rooney was named the biggest box-office draw in 1939, 1940 and 1941. Unquestionably a well-known entertainer by the early 1940s Rooney, with Garland, was one of many celebrities caricatured in Tex Avery
's 1941 Warner Bros.
cartoon
Hollywood Steps Out
. As of 2011, Rooney is the only surviving entertainer depicted in the cartoon.
and earned the Bronze Star. After his return to civilian life, his career slumped. He appeared in a number of films, including Words and Music
in 1948, which paired him for the last time with Garland on film (he appeared with her on one episode as a guest on her CBS variety series in 1963). He briefly starred in a CBS radio series, Shorty Bell, in the summer of 1948, and reprised his role as "Andy Hardy", with most of the original cast, in a syndicated radio version of The Hardy Family in 1949 and 1950 (repeated on Mutual
during 1952).
His first television series, The Mickey Rooney Show: Hey, Mulligan
(created by Blake Edwards
with Rooney as his own producer), appeared on NBC television for thirty-two episodes between August 28, 1954 and June 4, 1955. In 1951, he directed a feature film for Columbia Pictures
, My True Story starring Helen Walker
. Rooney also starred as a ragingly egomaniacal television comedian in the live 90-minute television drama The Comedian
, in the Playhouse 90
series on the evening of Valentine's Day
in 1957, and as himself in a revue
called The Musical Revue of 1959 based on the 1929 film The Hollywood Revue of 1929
which was edited into a film in 1960, by British International Pictures.
In 1958, Rooney joined Dean Martin
and Frank Sinatra
in hosting an episode of NBC's short-lived Club Oasis
comedy and variety show. In 1960, Rooney directed and starred in The Private Lives of Adam and Eve
, an ambitious comedy known for its multiple flashbacks and many cameos. In the 1960s, Rooney returned to theatrical entertainment. He still accepted film roles in undistinguished films, but occasionally would appear in better works, such as Requiem for a Heavyweight
(1962), It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
(1963), and The Black Stallion
(1979). One of Rooney's more controversial roles came in the highly acclaimed 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's where he played a stereotyped buck-toothed myopic
Japanese neighbor (Mr. Yunioshi) of the main character, Holly Golightly. Despite Rooney's protests that he was congratulated for the role by Asians, that role would later be held up as one of the most notorious examples of Hollywood's history of stereotypical depictions of that racial group, evidenced in the film Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
when future Asian-American film star, Bruce Lee
, was deeply offended seeing the film.
On December 31, 1961, he appeared on television's What's My Line and mentioned that he had already started enrolling students in the MRSE (Mickey Rooney School of Entertainment). His school venture never came to fruition, but for several years he was a spokesman/partner in Pennsylvania's Downingtown Inn, a country club and golf resort.
In 1966, while Rooney was working on the film Ambush Bay
in the Philippines
, his wife Barbara Ann Thomason (akas: Tara Thomas, Carolyn Mitchell), a former pin-up model and aspiring actress who had won 17 straight beauty contests in Southern California, was found dead in their bed. Beside her was her lover, Milos Milos
, an actor friend of Rooney's. Detectives ruled it murder-suicide
, which was committed with Rooney's own gun.
Rooney was awarded an Academy Juvenile Award
in 1938, and in 1983 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
voted him their Academy Honorary Award
for his lifetime of achievement. He was mentioned in the 1972 song "Celluloid Heroes
" by The Kinks
: "If you stomped on Mickey Rooney/ He'd still turn round and smile..."
for nearly six decades, beginning with an episode of Celanese Theatre. The part led to other roles on such television series as Schlitz Playhouse, Playhouse 90
, Producers' Showcase, Alcoa Theatre
, Wagon Train
, G.E. True Theater, Hennessey, The Dick Powell
Theatre, Arrest and Trial
, Burke's Law
, Combat!, The Fugitive
, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
, The Jean Arthur Show
, The Name of the Game
, Dan August
, Night Gallery
, The Love Boat
, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
, among many others.
adventure
–drama
television series The Investigators on CBS. In 1963, he even entered The Twilight Zone
, giving a one-man performance in the episode "The Last Night of a Jockey
". In 1964, he launched another half-hour sitcom, Mickey
, on ABC
. The story line had "Mickey" operating a resort hotel
in southern California
. Son Tim Rooney
appeared as Rooney's teenaged son on the program, and Emmaline Henry
starred as Rooney's wife. It lasted 17 episodes, ending primarily due to the suicide of co-star Sammee Tong
in October 1964.
He won a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award
for his role in 1981's Bill. Playing opposite Dennis Quaid
, Rooney's character was a mentally challenged man attempting to live on his own after leaving an institution. He reprised his role in 1983's Bill: On His Own, earning an Emmy nomination for the role.
Rooney did the voices for four Christmas
TV animated/stop action specials: Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
(1970), The Year Without a Santa Claus
(1974), Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July
(1979), and A Miser Brothers' Christmas
(2008) — always playing Santa Claus
. In 1970, he was approached by television producer Norman Lear
to consider taking on the role of Archie Bunker
in the upcoming CBS series, All in the Family
. Like Jackie Gleason
before him, Mickey rejected the role, which ultimately went to Carroll O'Connor
.
He continued to work on stage and television through the 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the acclaimed stage play Sugar Babies
with Ann Miller
beginning in 1979. He also starred in the short-lived sitcom, One of the Boys
, along with 2 unfamiliar young stars, Dana Carvey
and Nathan Lane
, in 1982. He toured Canada in a dinner theatre production of The Mind with the Naughty Man in the mid-1990s. He played The Wizard in a stage production of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
with Eartha Kitt
at Madison Square Garden
. Kitt was later replaced by Jo Anne Worley
. In 1995 he starred with Charlton Heston
, Peter Graves
and Deborah Winters
in the Warren Chaney
docudrama
America: A Call to Greatness
. He also appeared in the documentary That's Entertainment! III.
Rooney voiced Mr. Cherrywood in The Care Bears Movie
(1985), and starred as the Movie Mason in a Disney Channel
Original Movie family film 2000's Phantom of the Megaplex
. He had a guest spot on an episode of The Golden Girls
as Sophia's boyfriend "Rocko", who claimed to be a bank robber. He voiced himself in the Simpsons episode "Radioactive Man
" of 1995. In 1996–97, Mickey played Talbut on the TV series, Kleo The Misfit Unicorn
produced by Gordon Stanfield Animation (GSA)
. He co-starred in Night at the Museum
in 2006 with Dick Van Dyke
and Ben Stiller
.
After starring in one unsuccessful TV series and for turning down an offer on a huge TV series, Rooney finally hit the jackpot, at 70, when he was offering a starring role on The Family Channel
's, The Adventures of the Black Stallion, where he reprised his role as Henry Dailey from the film of the same name, eleven years earlier. The show was based on a novel by Walter Farley
. For this role, he had to travel all the way to Vancouver
. Just like the film itself, the Black Stallion TV series, Rooney became one of the most beloved stars, that the show itself became an immediate hit with teenagers, young adults and people all over the world. The show was also seen in 70 countries. It also lost out to Harry and the Hendersons
, when the show was nominated for a Young Artist Award in the "Best Off-Prime Time or Cable Family Series" category.
Also starring on Black Stallion were Docs Keepin Time
who played "The Black Stallion", but did not have a voice part in the series, despite appearing in every episode of the series, with an unfamiliar Canadian high school student, a fan of Rooney's films, a voice-over actor, a future acting instructor, and online radio host, Richard Ian Cox
, in the role of Henry's teenaged traveler, Alec Ramsay. The on- and off-screen chemistry between Rooney and Cox was an immediate success story of 1990s television. Richard also had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Mickey's real-life family, when not filming. For its three seasons on air, Rooney was nominated for a Gemini Award in the category of "Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role", but didn't win. By the end of the third season, Black Stallion's ratings were declining, the show was cancelled in 1993, after three seasons and 78 episodes.
In December 2009 he appeared as a guest to a dinner party hosted by David Gest
on the UK channel 4 show Come Dine With Me
.
in 1999, alongside his wife Jan. In commercials shown in 2007, he can be seen in the background washing imaginary dishes.
In 2003, Mickey and Jan Rooney began their association with Rainbow Puppet Productions, providing their voices to the 100th Anniversary production of "Toyland!" an adaptation of Victor Herbert
's Babes in Toyland
. He created the voice for the Master Toymaker while Jan provided the voice for Mother Goose. Since that time, they have created voices for additional Rainbow Puppet Productions including "Pirate Party" which also features vocal performances by Carol Channing
. Both productions continue to tour theaters across the country.
He continues to work in film and tours with his wife in a multi-media live stage production called Let's Put On a Show! His first performance of this show after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack was in Bend, Oregon
, in which Mickey and Jan requested the show begin with the singing of the "Star Spangled Banner" by Jan offstage with only the American Flag visible on stage.
On May 26, 2007, he was grand marshal at the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival. Rooney made his British pantomime
debut, playing Baron Hardup in Cinderella
, at the Sunderland Empire Theatre over the 2007 Christmas period, a role he reprised in 2009 at the Milton Keynes theatre.
In 2008, Rooney starred as "Chief", a wise old ranch owner, in the independent family feature film Lost Stallions: The Journey Home
, marking a return to starring in equestrian-themed productions for the first time since the 1990s TV show Adventures of the Black Stallion
. Although they have acted together before, Lost Stallions: The Journey Home is the sole film to date in which he and Jan portrayed a married couple on screen.
In 1942, he married Hollywood starlet Ava Gardner
, but the two were divorced well before she became a star in her own right. While stationed in the military in Alabama in 1944, Rooney met and married local beauty queen Betty Jane Phillips
. This marriage ended in divorce after he returned from Europe at the end of World War II. His subsequent marriages to Martha Vickers
(1949) and Elaine Mahnken
(1952) were also short-lived and ended in divorce. In 1958, Rooney married Barbara Ann Thomason, but tragedy struck when she was murdered in 1966. Falling into deep depression, he married Barbara's friend, Marge Lane, who helped him take care of his young children. The marriage lasted only 100 days. He was married to Carolyn Hockett from 1969 to 1974, but financial instability ended the relationship. Finally, in 1978, Rooney married Jan Chamberlin, his eighth wife. , they live in Westlake Village, California
. Both are outspoken advocates for veterans and animal rights
.
After battling drug addiction
and a near bankruptcy
caused by gambling
and bad investments
, Rooney became a born-again Christian in the 1970s, after an alleged unusual encounter with a busboy in a casino coffee shop. Rooney shared his religious beliefs on Jim
and Tammy Bakker's Christian television show, The PTL Club
.
Rooney's oldest child, Mickey Rooney, Jr.
, is a born-again Christian and has an evangelical ministry in Hemet, California
. He and several of Rooney's other eight children have worked at various times in show business. One of them, actor Tim Rooney
, died in 2006, aged 59.
On September 21, 2005, just days after the death of Liza Minnelli
's ex-stepfather, Sid Luft, where he attended his service, Rooney celebrated his 85th birthday at the Regent Theater in Arlington, Massachusetts
, where his wife appeared with him in a play titled Let's Put On A Show.
On September 23, 2010, Rooney celebrated his 90th birthday at Feinstein's at Loews Regency
in the Upper East Side of New York City. Among the people who were attending the party were: Donald Trump
, Regis Philbin
, Nathan Lane
, Tony Bennett
and Jan Rooney, who threw the party for him. In December 2010 he was honored as Turner Classic Movies
Star of the Month.
On February 16, 2011, Rooney was granted a temporary restraining order against Christopher Aber, one of Jan Rooney's two sons from a previous marriage. On March 2, 2011 Rooney appeared before a special US Senate committee that was considering legislation to curb elder abuse
. Rooney stated that he was financially abused by an unnamed family member. On March 27, 2011, all of Rooney's finances were permanently handed over to lawyers over the claim of missing money.
In April 2011, the temporary restraining order that Rooney was previously granted was voluntarily withdrawn as a result of a confidential settlement between Rooney and his stepson. Christopher Aber and Jan Rooney have denied all the allegations.
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
. Working as a performer since he was a small child, he was a superstar as a teenager for the films in which he played Andy Hardy
Andy Hardy
Andy Hardy was a fictional character played by Mickey Rooney in an MGM film series from 1937 to 1958. Spanning over 20 years, the 16 movies were based on characters in the play Skidding by Aurania Rouverol....
, and he has had one of the longest careers of any actor, to date spanning almost 90 years actively making films in ten decades, from the 1920's to 2010's. He is the last surviving male star from 1930s Hollywood. For a younger generation of fans, he gained international fame for his leading role as Henry Dailey in The Family Channel
The Family Channel
The Family Channel may refer to:* Television networks preceding ABC Family, an American cable television network that ran from 1988 to 1998 by Christian Broadcasting Network...
's The Adventures of the Black Stallion, as well as the film itself.
Early life
Rooney was born Joseph Yule, Jr. in Brooklyn, New York, to a vaudevilleVaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
family. His father, Joseph Yule
Joe Yule
Ninnian Joseph Ewell was a Scottish vaudeville comedian who starred in many films as a character actor. He was noted for his role in the "Jiggs and Maggie" film series....
, was from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and his mother, Nellie W. (née Carter), was from Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. Both of his parents were in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
, appearing in a Brooklyn production of A Gaiety Girl
A Gaiety Girl
A Gaiety Girl is an English musical comedy in two acts by a team of musical comedy neophytes: Owen Hall , Harry Greenbank and Sidney Jones . It opened at Prince of Wales Theatre in London, produced by George Edwardes, on 14 October 1893 and ran for 413 performances. The show starred C...
when Joseph, Jr. was born. He began performing at the age of 17 months as part of his parents' routine, wearing a specially tailored tuxedo.
When he was 14 months old, unknown to everyone, he crawled on stage wearing overalls and a little harmonica around his neck. He sneezed and his father, Joe Sr., grabbed him up, introducing him to the audience as Sonny Yule. He felt the spotlight on him and has described it as his mother's womb. From that moment on, the stage was his home.
His father was a womanizer and heavy drinker, leaving the family when Joe Jr. was only three. While Joe Sr. was traveling, Joe Jr. and his mother moved from Brooklyn, New York to Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
to live with his aunt. While his mother was reading the entertainment newspaper, Nellie was interested in getting Hal Roach
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
to approach the young star to participate in the Our Gang
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
series in Hollywood. Roach offered $5 a day to Joe Jr. while the other young stars were paid five times more.
As he was getting bit parts in films; he was working with other established film stars such as Joel McCrea
Joel McCrea
Joel Albert McCrea was an American actor whose career spanned 50 years and appearances in over 90 films.-Early life:...
, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Douglas Elton Fairbanks, Jr. KBE was an American actor and a highly decorated naval officer of World War II.-Early life:...
and Jean Harlow
Jean Harlow
Jean Harlow was an American film actress and sex symbol of the 1930s. Known as the "Blonde Bombshell" and the "Platinum Blonde" , Harlow was ranked as one of the greatest movie stars of all time by the American Film Institute...
. While selling newspapers around the corner, he also entered into Hollywood Professional School
Hollywood Professional School
Hollywood Professional School was a private school in Hollywood, California, United States, for children working in show business, operating mornings only so that the children could work in the afternoon...
, where he went to school with dozens of unfamiliar students such as: Joseph A. Wapner, Nanette Fabray
Nanette Fabray
Nanette Fabray is an American actress, comedienne, singer, dancer, and activist. She began her career performing in vaudeville as a child and then became a musical theatre actress during the 1940s and 1950s, winning a Tony Award in 1949 for her performance in Love Life...
, Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
, Lana Turner
Lana Turner
Lana Turner was an American actress.Discovered and signed to a film contract by MGM at the age of sixteen, Turner first attracted attention in They Won't Forget . She played featured roles, often as the ingenue, in such films as Love Finds Andy Hardy...
, among many others, and later Hollywood High School
Hollywood High School
Hollywood High School is a Los Angeles Unified School District high school located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California.-History:...
, where he graduated in 1938.
Mickey McGuire
The Yules separated in 1924 during a slump in vaudeville, and in 1925, Nell Yule moved with her son to Hollywood, California, where she managed a tourist home. Fontaine FoxFontaine Fox
Fontaine Talbot Fox Jr. was an American cartoonist and illustrator born near Louisville, Kentucky.Fox is best known for writing and illustrating his Toonerville Folks comic panel. It ran from 1913 to 1955 in 250 to 300 newspapers across North America.The cartoons are set in the small town of...
had placed a newspaper ad for a dark-haired child to play the role of "Mickey McGuire" in a series of short films
Mickey McGuire (film series)
Mickey McGuire was an American comedy series of short subjects from 1927 to 1934. The series was notable for essentially launching the careers of Mickey Rooney and Billy Barty. The series was based on Fontaine Fox's popular comic strip series, Toonerville Trolley. The series was very popular in its...
. Lacking the money to have her son's hair dyed, Mrs. Yule took her son to the audition after applying burnt cork to his scalp. Joe got the role and became "Mickey" for 78 of the comedies, running from 1927 to 1936, starting with Mickey's Circus, released September 4, 1927. These had been adapted from the Toonerville Trolley
Toonerville Folks
Toonerville Folks was a popular newspaper cartoon feature by Fontaine Fox, which ran from 1908 to 1955. It began in 1908 in the Chicago Post, and by 1913, it was syndicated nationally by the Wheeler Syndicate...
comic strip, which contained a character named Mickey McGuire. Joe Yule briefly became Mickey McGuire legally in order to trump an attempted copyright lawsuit (if it was his legal name, the film producers did not owe the comic strip writers royalties). His mother also changed her surname to McGuire in an attempt to bolster the argument, but the film producers lost. The litigation settlement awarded damages to the owners of the cartoon character, as well as compelled the twelve-year-old actor to refrain from calling himself by the name Mickey McGuire on and off screen.
Rooney later claimed that, during his Mickey McGuire days, he met cartoonist Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
at the Warner Brothers studio, and that Disney was inspired to name Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
after him, although Disney always said that he had changed the name from "Mortimer Mouse" to "Mickey Mouse" on the suggestion of his wife.
During an interruption in the series in 1932, Mrs. Yule made plans to take her son on a ten-week vaudeville tour as McGuire, and Fox sued successfully to stop him from using the name. Mrs. Yule suggested the stage name of Mickey Looney for her comedian son, which he altered slightly to Rooney, a less frivolous version. Rooney did other films in his adolescence, including several more of the McGuire films, and signed with MGM in 1934. MGM cast Rooney as the teenage son of a judge in 1937's A Family Affair
A Family Affair (film)
A Family Affair is the first entry in the Andy Hardy film series, though Mickey Rooney has a secondary role as the son of Judge Hardy, played by Lionel Barrymore. The highly respected judge has to deal with family and political problems. The film was based on the play Skidding by Aurania...
, setting Rooney on the way to another successful film series.
"Andy Hardy" and Judy Garland
In 1937, Rooney was selected to portray Andy HardyAndy Hardy
Andy Hardy was a fictional character played by Mickey Rooney in an MGM film series from 1937 to 1958. Spanning over 20 years, the 16 movies were based on characters in the play Skidding by Aurania Rouverol....
in A Family Affair (1937), which MGM had planned as a B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
. Rooney provided comic relief as the son of Judge James K. Hardy, portrayed by Lionel Barrymore
Lionel Barrymore
Lionel Barrymore was an American actor of stage, screen and radio. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in A Free Soul...
(although Lewis Stone
Lewis Stone
Lewis Shepard Stone was an American actor.Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, son of Bertrand Stone and Philena Heald Ball. Stone's hair grew gray by the time he was twenty. He fought in the Spanish-American War, then returned to a career as a writer. He soon began acting...
would play the role of Judge Hardy in later films). The film was an unexpected success, and led to thirteen more Andy Hardy films between 1937 and 1946, and a final film in 1958. Rooney also received top billing as "Shockey Carter" in Hoosier Schoolboy (1937).
Also in 1937, Mickey made his first film alongside Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
with Thoroughbreds Don't Cry
Thoroughbreds Don't Cry
Thoroughbreds Don't Cry is a 1937 film directed by Alfred E. Green. It stars Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in their first film together. Cricket West is a hopeful actress with a plan and a pair of vocal chords that bring down the house. Along with her eccentric aunt, she plays host to the local...
. Garland and Rooney became close friends and a successful song and dance team. Besides three of the Andy Hardy films, where she portrayed Betsy Booth, a younger girl with a crush on Andy, they appeared together in a string of successful musicals, including the Oscar-nominated Babes in Arms
Babes in Arms (film)
Babes in Arms is the 1939 film version of the 1937 Broadway musical of the same name. The film version stars Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Charles Winninger, Guy Kibbee, June Preisser, Grace Hayes and Betty Jaynes.-Production:...
(1939). During an interview in the documentary film, When the Lion Roars, Rooney describes their friendship:
"Judy and I were so close we could've come from the same womb. We weren't like brothers or sisters but there was no love affair there; there was more than a love affair. It's very, very difficult to explain the depths of our love for each other. It was so special. It was a forever love. Judy, as we speak, has not passed away. She's always with me in every heartbeat of my body."
Rooney's breakthrough role as a dramatic actor came in 1938's Boys Town
Boys Town (1938 film)
Boys Town is a 1938 biographical drama film based on Father Edward J. Flanagan's work with a group of disadvantaged and delinquent boys in a home that he founded and named "Boys Town". It stars Spencer Tracy as Father Edward J...
opposite Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
as Whitey Marsh, which opened shortly before his 18th birthday. Rooney was named the biggest box-office draw in 1939, 1940 and 1941. Unquestionably a well-known entertainer by the early 1940s Rooney, with Garland, was one of many celebrities caricatured in Tex Avery
Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Fred/Tex" Avery was an American animator, cartoonist, voice actor and director, famous for producing animated cartoons during The Golden Age of Hollywood animation. He did his most significant work for the Warner Bros...
's 1941 Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
Hollywood Steps Out
Hollywood steps out
Hollywood Steps Out is a 1941 short Merrie Melodies cartoon by Warner Brothers, directed by Tex Avery. The cartoon features caricatures of Hollywood celebrities from the 1930s and early 1940s.- Plot :...
. As of 2011, Rooney is the only surviving entertainer depicted in the cartoon.
After the war
In 1944, Rooney entered military service. He served more than 21 months, until shortly after the end of World War II. During and after the war he helped entertain the troops in America and Europe, and spent part of the time as a radio personality on the American Forces NetworkAmerican Forces Network
The American Forces Network is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces American Forces Radio and Television Service for its entertainment and command internal information networks worldwide...
and earned the Bronze Star. After his return to civilian life, his career slumped. He appeared in a number of films, including Words and Music
Words and Music (1948 film)
Words and Music is a 1948 movie loosely based on the creative partnership of the composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart. The film starred Mickey Rooney, Tom Drake, Janet Leigh, Betty Garrett, and Ann Sothern, It is best remembered for the final screen pairing between Rooney and Judy...
in 1948, which paired him for the last time with Garland on film (he appeared with her on one episode as a guest on her CBS variety series in 1963). He briefly starred in a CBS radio series, Shorty Bell, in the summer of 1948, and reprised his role as "Andy Hardy", with most of the original cast, in a syndicated radio version of The Hardy Family in 1949 and 1950 (repeated on Mutual
Mutual
Mutual may refer to:*Mutual organization, where customers derive a right to profits and votes*Mutual information, the intersection of multiple information sets*Mutual insurance, where policyholders have certain "ownership" rights in the organization...
during 1952).
His first television series, The Mickey Rooney Show: Hey, Mulligan
The Mickey Rooney Show: Hey, Mulligan
The Mickey Rooney Show: Hey, Mulligan is an American sitcom that aired from 1954 to 1955 on NBC. The series stars Mickey Rooney who was particularly remembered for his starring role in numerous Andy Hardy films made between 1937 and 1958, which overlapped with Hey Mulligan.-Synopsis:Rooney stars...
(created by Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards was an American film director, screenwriter and producer.Edwards' career began in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon turned to writing radio scripts at Columbia Pictures...
with Rooney as his own producer), appeared on NBC television for thirty-two episodes between August 28, 1954 and June 4, 1955. In 1951, he directed a feature film for Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
, My True Story starring Helen Walker
Helen Walker
Not to be confused with the singer-actress Helen Roberts WalkerHelen Walker was an American movie actress of the 1940s and 1950s....
. Rooney also starred as a ragingly egomaniacal television comedian in the live 90-minute television drama The Comedian
The Comedian (1957 TV drama)
The Comedian is a 1957 live television drama written by Rod Serling from a novella by Ernest Lehman, directed by John Frankenheimer, and starring Mickey Rooney....
, in the Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California...
series on the evening of Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
in 1957, and as himself in a revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
called The Musical Revue of 1959 based on the 1929 film The Hollywood Revue of 1929
The Hollywood Revue of 1929
The Hollywood Revue of 1929 is a 1929 part Technicolor Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer American musical-comedy film. It was the studio's second feature-length musical, and one of the earliest ventures into the talkie format. Produced by Harry Rapf and directed by Chuck Riesner, the film brought together some...
which was edited into a film in 1960, by British International Pictures.
In 1958, Rooney joined Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
and Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
in hosting an episode of NBC's short-lived Club Oasis
Club Oasis
Club Oasis is a 24-episode half-hour comedy-variety show, set in a chic simulated nightclub, which appeared on NBC in the 1957–1958 television season. The series alternated with The Polly Bergen Show in the 9 p.m. EST time slot on Saturday evenings...
comedy and variety show. In 1960, Rooney directed and starred in The Private Lives of Adam and Eve
The Private Lives of Adam and Eve (film)
The Private Lives of Adam and Eve is a 1960 comedy film starring Mickey Rooney, who also co-directed and Mamie Van Doren. It is a U.S. B-movie in which the plot revolves around a modern couple who dream that they are Adam and Eve. Others of their acquaintance assume the roles of various characters...
, an ambitious comedy known for its multiple flashbacks and many cameos. In the 1960s, Rooney returned to theatrical entertainment. He still accepted film roles in undistinguished films, but occasionally would appear in better works, such as Requiem for a Heavyweight
Requiem for a Heavyweight
Requiem for a Heavyweight was a teleplay written by Rod Serling and produced for the live television show Playhouse 90 on 11 October 1956. Six years later, it was adapted as a 1962 feature film starring Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason and Mickey Rooney....
(1962), It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is a 1963 American comedy film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer about the madcap pursuit of $350,000 in stolen cash by a diverse and colorful group of strangers...
(1963), and The Black Stallion
The Black Stallion (film)
The Black Stallion is a 1979 American film based on the 1941 classic children's novel The Black Stallion by Walter Farley. It tells the story of Alec Ramsey, who is shipwrecked on a desert island, together with a wild Arabian stallion whom he befriends...
(1979). One of Rooney's more controversial roles came in the highly acclaimed 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's where he played a stereotyped buck-toothed myopic
Myopia
Myopia , "shortsightedness" ) is a refractive defect of the eye in which collimated light produces image focus in front of the retina under conditions of accommodation. In simpler terms, myopia is a condition of the eye where the light that comes in does not directly focus on the retina but in...
Japanese neighbor (Mr. Yunioshi) of the main character, Holly Golightly. Despite Rooney's protests that he was congratulated for the role by Asians, that role would later be held up as one of the most notorious examples of Hollywood's history of stereotypical depictions of that racial group, evidenced in the film Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is a 1993 American semi fictionalized biographical martial arts action film telling the story of actor and martial arts expert Bruce Lee, starring Jason Scott Lee as Bruce Lee, Lauren Holly and Robert Wagner...
when future Asian-American film star, Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
, was deeply offended seeing the film.
On December 31, 1961, he appeared on television's What's My Line and mentioned that he had already started enrolling students in the MRSE (Mickey Rooney School of Entertainment). His school venture never came to fruition, but for several years he was a spokesman/partner in Pennsylvania's Downingtown Inn, a country club and golf resort.
In 1966, while Rooney was working on the film Ambush Bay
Ambush Bay
Ambush Bay is a 1966 war film filmed on location in the Philippines that was produced by Aubrey Schenck and released through United Artists.-Plot:...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, his wife Barbara Ann Thomason (akas: Tara Thomas, Carolyn Mitchell), a former pin-up model and aspiring actress who had won 17 straight beauty contests in Southern California, was found dead in their bed. Beside her was her lover, Milos Milos
Milos Milos
Milos Milos was a Hollywood actor, stunt double, and bodyguard of actor Alain Delon.-Early days:In the 1950s Milos Milosevic and his friend Stevan Markovic were involved in a streetfight in Belgrade. They met Alain Delon, who was filming a movie in Belgrade...
, an actor friend of Rooney's. Detectives ruled it murder-suicide
Murder-suicide
A murder–suicide is an act in which an individual kills one or more other persons before or at the same time as killing himself or herself. The combination of murder and suicide can take various forms, including:...
, which was committed with Rooney's own gun.
Rooney was awarded an Academy Juvenile Award
Academy Juvenile Award
The Academy Juvenile Award, also known as the Juvenile Oscar, was a Special Honorary Academy Award bestowed at the discretion of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to specifically recognize juvenile performers under the age of eighteen for their "outstanding...
in 1938, and in 1983 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
voted him their Academy Honorary Award
Academy Honorary Award
The Academy Honorary Award, instituted in 1948 for the 21st Academy Awards , is given by the discretion of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to celebrate motion picture achievements that are not covered by existing Academy Awards, although prior winners of...
for his lifetime of achievement. He was mentioned in the 1972 song "Celluloid Heroes
Celluloid Heroes
"Celluloid Heroes" is a song performed by The Kinks and written by their lead vocalist and principal songwriter, Ray Davies. It debuted on their 1972 album Everybody's in Show-Biz.-Lyrical themes:...
" by The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
: "If you stomped on Mickey Rooney/ He'd still turn round and smile..."
Character actor
In addition to his film roles, Rooney made numerous guest-starring roles as a character actorCharacter actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
for nearly six decades, beginning with an episode of Celanese Theatre. The part led to other roles on such television series as Schlitz Playhouse, Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California...
, Producers' Showcase, Alcoa Theatre
Alcoa Theatre
Alcoa Theatre is a half-hour anthology series telecast on NBC at 9:30 pm on alternate Monday nights from October 7, 1957 to September 16, 1960. The program also aired under the title Turn of Fate, with the stories depicting the difficulties faced by individuals who are suddenly thrust into...
, Wagon Train
Wagon Train
Wagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65...
, G.E. True Theater, Hennessey, The Dick Powell
Dick Powell
Richard Ewing "Dick" Powell was an American singer, actor, producer, director and studio boss.Despite the same last name he was not related to William Powell, Eleanor Powell or Jane Powell.-Biography:...
Theatre, Arrest and Trial
Arrest and Trial
Arrest and Trial is a 90-minute American Police procedural/legal drama that ran during the 1963-64 season on ABC, airing Sundays from 8:30-10 p.m. Eastern.The majority of episodes consisted of two segments...
, Burke's Law
Burke's Law
Burke's Law is a detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s. The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire captain of Los Angeles police homicide division, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud...
, Combat!, The Fugitive
The Fugitive (TV series)
The Fugitive is an American drama series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1967. David Janssen stars as Richard Kimble, a doctor from the fictional town of Stafford, Indiana, who is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death...
, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre is an anthology television series, sponsored by Chrysler Corporation, which ran on NBC from 1963 through 1967...
, The Jean Arthur Show
The Jean Arthur Show
The Jean Arthur Show is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS from September to December 1966. The series stars Jean Arthur and Ron Harper, and was under the primary sponsorship of General Foods.-Synopsis:...
, The Name of the Game
The Name of the Game
"The Name of the Game" is a 1977 song by Swedish pop group ABBA, and was released as the first single from the group's fifth studio album, The Album...
, Dan August
Dan August
Dan August is a short-lived 1970-1971 crime drama television series, which starred Burt Reynolds as the title character: a police lieutenant who investigated homicide cases in his hometown of Santa Luisa, California...
, Night Gallery
Night Gallery
Night Gallery is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, The Twilight Zone, served both as the on-air host of Night Gallery and as a major contributor of scripts, although...
, The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues is a spin-off of the 1972-1975 television series Kung Fu. David Carradine and Chris Potter starred as a father and son trained in kung fu - Carradine playing a Shaolin monk, Potter a police detective. This series aired in syndication for four seasons, from January 27,...
, among many others.
Television, stage and The Black Stallion
Rooney made a successful transition to television and stage work. In 1961, he guest starred in the 13-week James FranciscusJames Franciscus
James Grover Franciscus was an American actor, known for his roles in the series The Naked City and The Investigators, and in feature films.-Life and career:...
adventure
Adventure
An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. The term is often used to refer to activities with some potential for physical danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing and or participating in extreme sports...
–drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
television series The Investigators on CBS. In 1963, he even entered The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
, giving a one-man performance in the episode "The Last Night of a Jockey
The Last Night of a Jockey
"The Last Night of a Jockey" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:A jockey named Grady is sitting alone in his room after he's found out he's been banned from horse racing for life for fixing races by horse doping. All he ever wanted was to be...
". In 1964, he launched another half-hour sitcom, Mickey
Mickey (TV series)
Mickey is an American situation comedy that aired on ABC from September 1964 to January 1965. Created and produced by Bob Fisher and Arthur Marx, the series stars Mickey Rooney.-Synopsis:...
, on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. The story line had "Mickey" operating a resort hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
in southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Son Tim Rooney
Tim Rooney
Timothy Hayes Yule was an American actor and voice actor. He was the second son of actor Mickey Rooney and suffered from a muscle disease known as dermatomyositis....
appeared as Rooney's teenaged son on the program, and Emmaline Henry
Emmaline Henry
Emmaline Henry was an American actress perhaps best known for playing Amanda Bellows, wife of Dr. Bellows, on the hit 1960s situation comedy I Dream of Jeannie....
starred as Rooney's wife. It lasted 17 episodes, ending primarily due to the suicide of co-star Sammee Tong
Sammee Tong
Sammee Tong was an American film and television character actor.He appeared in more than thirty films and some forty television programs between 1935 and 1965. He first appeared in an uncredited role as a waiter in Charlie Chan in Shanghai , and later as Cheela, the houseboy, in Think Fast, Mr....
in October 1964.
He won a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor - Miniseries or a Movie
This is a list of winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.-1950s:*1952: Thomas Mitchell*1953: no award*1954: Robert Cummings – 12 Angry Men*1955: Lloyd Nolan – Caine Mutiny Court Marshal...
for his role in 1981's Bill. Playing opposite Dennis Quaid
Dennis Quaid
Dennis William Quaid is an American actor known for his comedic and dramatic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the 1980s, his career rebounded in the 1990s after he overcame an addiction to drugs and an eating disorder...
, Rooney's character was a mentally challenged man attempting to live on his own after leaving an institution. He reprised his role in 1983's Bill: On His Own, earning an Emmy nomination for the role.
Rooney did the voices for four Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
TV animated/stop action specials: Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (TV special)
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town is a 1970 stop motion television special, made by Rankin-Bass with models carved from wood . The film stars actor Fred Astaire as S.D. Kluger, the narrator, and Mickey Rooney as Kris Kringle/Santa Claus...
(1970), The Year Without a Santa Claus
The Year Without a Santa Claus
The Year Without a Santa Claus is a 1974 Rankin/Bass stop motion animated television special. It usually airs during the Christmas season on United States television. The story is based on Phyllis McGinley's 1956 book of the same name, illustrated by Kurt Werth.-Summary:The show is set in the...
(1974), Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July
Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July
Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July is a feature-length 1979 Rankin-Bass crossover sequel filmed in stop-motion animation in the style of their 1964 Christmas special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It was 97 minutes long. Although designed as a theatrical release , it made its U.S...
(1979), and A Miser Brothers' Christmas
A Miser Brothers' Christmas
A Miser Brothers' Christmas is a stop motion spin-off special based on the characters from 1974 Rankin-Bass special The Year Without a Santa Claus. Produced by Warner Bros...
(2008) — always playing Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
. In 1970, he was approached by television producer Norman Lear
Norman Lear
Norman Milton Lear is an American television writer and producer who produced such 1970s sitcoms as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude...
to consider taking on the role of Archie Bunker
Archie Bunker
Archibald "Archie" Bunker is a fictional New Yorker in the 1970s top-rated American television sitcom All in the Family and its spin-off Archie Bunker's Place, played to acclaim by Carroll O'Connor. Bunker is a veteran of World War II, reactionary, bigoted, conservative, blue-collar worker, and...
in the upcoming CBS series, All in the Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
. Like Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, especially by his character Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners, a situation-comedy television series. His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The...
before him, Mickey rejected the role, which ultimately went to Carroll O'Connor
Carroll O'Connor
John Carroll O'Connor best known as Carroll O'Connor, was an American actor, producer and director whose television career spanned four decades...
.
He continued to work on stage and television through the 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the acclaimed stage play Sugar Babies
Sugar Babies
Sugar Babies is a musical revue conceived by Ralph G. Allen and Harry Rigby, with music by Jimmy McHugh, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and Al Dubin and various others. The show is a tribute to the old burlesque era...
with Ann Miller
Ann Miller
Johnnie Lucille Collier, better known as Ann Miller was an American singer, dancer and actress.-Early life:...
beginning in 1979. He also starred in the short-lived sitcom, One of the Boys
One of the Boys
"One of the Boys" is a single released by Mott the Hoople, in Canada, Germany, Netherlands and the United States, although not in the UK.The song was featured in an episode of the BBC Television drama series, Life on Mars....
, along with 2 unfamiliar young stars, Dana Carvey
Dana Carvey
Dana Thomas Carvey is an American actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for playing the role of Garth in the Wayne's World movies.-Early life:...
and Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane is an American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...
, in 1982. He toured Canada in a dinner theatre production of The Mind with the Naughty Man in the mid-1990s. He played The Wizard in a stage production of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
with Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...
at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
. Kitt was later replaced by Jo Anne Worley
Jo Anne Worley
Jo Anne Worley is an American actress. Her work covers television, films, theater, game shows, talk shows, commercials, and cartoons. She is best known for her work on the comedy-variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.-Biography:...
. In 1995 he starred with Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
, Peter Graves
Peter Graves
Peter Graves may refer to:* Peter Graves , American actor* Peter Graves, 8th Baron Graves , English actor and peer* Peter Graves , English cricketer...
and Deborah Winters
Deborah Winters
Deborah Winters is an American actress and businesswoman. Winters is probably most remembered for her roles in Kotch, The People Next Door, Class of '44, and The Winds of War...
in the Warren Chaney
Warren Chaney
Warren Herbert Chaney, Ph.D. is an American executive, author, filmmaker, behavioral scientist, entertainer, businessman and a pioneer in early television. In a career spanning four decades, Chaney wrote fifteen books, fourteen screenplays, and seventy-eight professional and nonprofessional...
docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
America: A Call to Greatness
America: A Call to Greatness
America: A Call to Greatness is a 1995 docudrama feature from Paige-Brace Cinema, chronicling United States history from its inception through the 20th century. It stars Charlton Heston, Mickey Rooney, Deborah Winters, Peter Graves, Jane Russell, and Rita Moreno among others and was written,...
. He also appeared in the documentary That's Entertainment! III.
Rooney voiced Mr. Cherrywood in The Care Bears Movie
The Care Bears Movie
The Care Bears Movie is a 1985 Canadian animated film, the second feature production from the Toronto animation studio Nelvana. One of the first films based directly on a toy line, it introduced the Care Bears characters and their companions, the Care Bear Cousins. In the film, orphanage owners...
(1985), and starred as the Movie Mason in a Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
Original Movie family film 2000's Phantom of the Megaplex
Phantom of the Megaplex
The Phantom of the Megaplex is a 2000 Disney Channel Original Movie, produced by the Disney Channel. With a title and concept very loosely based on The Phantom of the Opera, the film concerns strange happenings at a megaplex on the night of a major movie premiere, Midnight Mayhem...
. He had a guest spot on an episode of The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris, which originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, the show centers on four older women sharing a home in Miami, Florida...
as Sophia's boyfriend "Rocko", who claimed to be a bank robber. He voiced himself in the Simpsons episode "Radioactive Man
Radioactive Man (The Simpsons episode)
"Radioactive Man" is the second episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 24, 1995. The episode sees the film version of the comic book series Radioactive Man set up production in Springfield. Much to Bart's disappointment, the...
" of 1995. In 1996–97, Mickey played Talbut on the TV series, Kleo The Misfit Unicorn
Kleo The Misfit Unicorn
Kleo The Misfit Unicorn is an animated television series for Children that now broadcast on Treehouse TV in Canada and Horse TV in the United States. A television pilot episode for the series aired in 1996, and Kleo The Misfit Unicorn became a regular series in 1998...
produced by Gordon Stanfield Animation (GSA)
Gordon Stanfield Animation (GSA)
Gordon Stanfield Animation is an historic animation service company based in Vancouver, British Columbia with over 20 years of development, pre-production and production experience...
. He co-starred in Night at the Museum
Night at the Museum
Night at the Museum is a 2006 fantasy adventure-comedy film based on the 1993 children's book The Night at the Museum by Milan Trenc. It follows a divorced father trying to settle down, impress his son, and find his destiny...
in 2006 with Dick Van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke
Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is the older brother of Jerry Van Dyke, and father of Barry Van Dyke...
and Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara....
.
After starring in one unsuccessful TV series and for turning down an offer on a huge TV series, Rooney finally hit the jackpot, at 70, when he was offering a starring role on The Family Channel
The Family Channel
The Family Channel may refer to:* Television networks preceding ABC Family, an American cable television network that ran from 1988 to 1998 by Christian Broadcasting Network...
's, The Adventures of the Black Stallion, where he reprised his role as Henry Dailey from the film of the same name, eleven years earlier. The show was based on a novel by Walter Farley
Walter Farley
Walter Farley was an American author, primarily of horse stories for children. Educated at Columbia, where he received a B.A. in 1941, his first and most famous work was The Black Stallion...
. For this role, he had to travel all the way to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. Just like the film itself, the Black Stallion TV series, Rooney became one of the most beloved stars, that the show itself became an immediate hit with teenagers, young adults and people all over the world. The show was also seen in 70 countries. It also lost out to Harry and the Hendersons
Harry and the Hendersons
Harry and the Hendersons is a 1987 American comedy film directed and produced by William Dear, and starring John Lithgow, Melinda Dillon, Lainie Kazan and Don Ameche. It is the story of a family's encounter with the cryptozoological creature Bigfoot...
, when the show was nominated for a Young Artist Award in the "Best Off-Prime Time or Cable Family Series" category.
Also starring on Black Stallion were Docs Keepin Time
Docs Keepin Time
Docs Keepin Time is a black American Quarter Horse most famous for starring as Black Beauty in the 1994 film adaptation of Anna Sewell's novel. He went from having an unsuccessful racing career to being one of Hollywood's most sought after equine performers...
who played "The Black Stallion", but did not have a voice part in the series, despite appearing in every episode of the series, with an unfamiliar Canadian high school student, a fan of Rooney's films, a voice-over actor, a future acting instructor, and online radio host, Richard Ian Cox
Richard Ian Cox
Richard Ian Cox is a Welsh-Canadian voice actor and online radio host best known for his voice acting for English language dubs of anime. Cox gained prominence for playing the character of Henry Dailey's teenaged traveler and horse rider, Alec Ramsay, in The Family Channel's Adventures of the...
, in the role of Henry's teenaged traveler, Alec Ramsay. The on- and off-screen chemistry between Rooney and Cox was an immediate success story of 1990s television. Richard also had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Mickey's real-life family, when not filming. For its three seasons on air, Rooney was nominated for a Gemini Award in the category of "Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role", but didn't win. By the end of the third season, Black Stallion's ratings were declining, the show was cancelled in 1993, after three seasons and 78 episodes.
In December 2009 he appeared as a guest to a dinner party hosted by David Gest
David Gest
David Alan Gest is an American concert promoter and media personality, perhaps best known for his turbulent marriage to Liza Minnelli, friendship with The Jackson 5 and appearance on the 2006 series of the British reality television show I'm a Celebrity.....
on the UK channel 4 show Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me is a popular Channel 4 television programme shown in the United Kingdom, produced by Granada Television and first broadcast in January 2005. The show has either four or five amateur chefs competing against each other hosting a dinner party for the other contestants...
.
Current work
Rooney appeared in television commercials for Garden State Life Insurance CompanyGarden State Life Insurance Company
Garden State Life Insurance Company is a small direct life insurance company located in League City, Texas. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Galveston, Texas based American National Insurance Company....
in 1999, alongside his wife Jan. In commercials shown in 2007, he can be seen in the background washing imaginary dishes.
In 2003, Mickey and Jan Rooney began their association with Rainbow Puppet Productions, providing their voices to the 100th Anniversary production of "Toyland!" an adaptation of Victor Herbert
Victor Herbert
Victor August Herbert was an Irish-born, German-raised American composer, cellist and conductor. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is best known for composing many successful operettas that premiered on Broadway from the 1890s to World War I...
's Babes in Toyland
Babes in Toyland
Babes in Toyland may refer to:* Babes in Toyland , an American punk rock band* Babes in Toyland , a 1903 operetta by Victor Herbert* Babes in Toyland , a musical comedy starring Laurel and Hardy...
. He created the voice for the Master Toymaker while Jan provided the voice for Mother Goose. Since that time, they have created voices for additional Rainbow Puppet Productions including "Pirate Party" which also features vocal performances by Carol Channing
Carol Channing
Carol Elaine Channing is an American singer, actress, and comedienne. She is the recipient of three Tony Awards , a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination...
. Both productions continue to tour theaters across the country.
He continues to work in film and tours with his wife in a multi-media live stage production called Let's Put On a Show! His first performance of this show after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack was in Bend, Oregon
Bend, Oregon
Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States, and the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, and, despite its modest size, is the de facto metropolis of the region, owing to the low population...
, in which Mickey and Jan requested the show begin with the singing of the "Star Spangled Banner" by Jan offstage with only the American Flag visible on stage.
On May 26, 2007, he was grand marshal at the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival. Rooney made his British pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
debut, playing Baron Hardup in Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
, at the Sunderland Empire Theatre over the 2007 Christmas period, a role he reprised in 2009 at the Milton Keynes theatre.
In 2008, Rooney starred as "Chief", a wise old ranch owner, in the independent family feature film Lost Stallions: The Journey Home
Lost Stallions: The Journey Home
Lost Stallions: The Journey Home is a 2008 family/drama film directed by David Rotan and starring Mickey Rooney.- Plot :After the death of his father, troubled teen Jake travels with his mother to Harmony Ranch, a special retreat for families dealing with problems. There, Jake gets to know...
, marking a return to starring in equestrian-themed productions for the first time since the 1990s TV show Adventures of the Black Stallion
Adventures of the Black Stallion
The Adventures of The Black Stallion is a television series that was loosely based on the movies The Black Stallion and The Black Stallion Returns , which starred Mickey Rooney and Richard Ian Cox, as a trainer and a teenaged horse racer. The series originally ran on The Family Channel from...
. Although they have acted together before, Lost Stallions: The Journey Home is the sole film to date in which he and Jan portrayed a married couple on screen.
Personal life
Rooney has been married eight times. In the 1950s and 1960s, he was often the subject of comedians' jokes for his alleged inability to stay married. His current marriage, to Jan Chamberlin, has lasted more than 30 years, which is longer than his previous seven marriages combined.In 1942, he married Hollywood starlet Ava Gardner
Ava Gardner
Ava Lavinia Gardner was an American actress.She was signed to a contract by MGM Studios in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew attention with her performance in The Killers . She became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, considered one of the most beautiful women of her day...
, but the two were divorced well before she became a star in her own right. While stationed in the military in Alabama in 1944, Rooney met and married local beauty queen Betty Jane Phillips
B. J. Baker
Betty Jane Baker was a singer who worked with Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, The Righteous Brothers and Sam Cooke, among others....
. This marriage ended in divorce after he returned from Europe at the end of World War II. His subsequent marriages to Martha Vickers
Martha Vickers
Martha Vickers was an American television and film actress.-Early life and career:Born Martha MacVicar in Ann Arbor, Michigan, she began her career as a model and cover girl...
(1949) and Elaine Mahnken
Elaine Devry
Elaine Devry is an American actress. She appeared in a number of films including A Guide for the Married Man and was formerly married to actor Mickey Rooney.-Filmography:* The Atomic Kid * China Doll...
(1952) were also short-lived and ended in divorce. In 1958, Rooney married Barbara Ann Thomason, but tragedy struck when she was murdered in 1966. Falling into deep depression, he married Barbara's friend, Marge Lane, who helped him take care of his young children. The marriage lasted only 100 days. He was married to Carolyn Hockett from 1969 to 1974, but financial instability ended the relationship. Finally, in 1978, Rooney married Jan Chamberlin, his eighth wife. , they live in Westlake Village, California
Westlake Village, California
Westlake Village is a planned community that straddles the Los Angeles and Ventura county line. The eastern portion is the incorporated city Westlake Village, located on the western edge of Los Angeles County, California. The city, located in the region known as the Conejo Valley, encompasses half...
. Both are outspoken advocates for veterans and animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
.
After battling drug addiction
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
and a near bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
caused by gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
and bad investments
Investment
Investment has different meanings in finance and economics. Finance investment is putting money into something with the expectation of gain, that upon thorough analysis, has a high degree of security for the principal amount, as well as security of return, within an expected period of time...
, Rooney became a born-again Christian in the 1970s, after an alleged unusual encounter with a busboy in a casino coffee shop. Rooney shared his religious beliefs on Jim
Jim Bakker
James Orsen "Jim" Bakker is an American televangelist, a former Assemblies of God minister, and a former host of The PTL Club, a popular evangelical Christian television program.A sex scandal led to his resignation from the ministry...
and Tammy Bakker's Christian television show, The PTL Club
The PTL Club
The PTL Club , later called The Jim and Tammy Show, and in its last days PTL Today and Heritage Today, was a Christian television program first hosted by evangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, which ran from 1974 to 1989...
.
Rooney's oldest child, Mickey Rooney, Jr.
Mickey Rooney, Jr.
Mickey Rooney, Jr. is a retired American actor and the eldest son of the actor Mickey Rooney. He operates the Rooney Entertainment Group, a movie and TV production company.-Early life:...
, is a born-again Christian and has an evangelical ministry in Hemet, California
Hemet, California
Hemet is a city in the San Jacinto Valley in Riverside County, California, United States. It covers a total area of , about half of the valley, which it shares with the neighboring city of San Jacinto. The population was 78,657 at the 2010 census....
. He and several of Rooney's other eight children have worked at various times in show business. One of them, actor Tim Rooney
Tim Rooney
Timothy Hayes Yule was an American actor and voice actor. He was the second son of actor Mickey Rooney and suffered from a muscle disease known as dermatomyositis....
, died in 2006, aged 59.
On September 21, 2005, just days after the death of Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
's ex-stepfather, Sid Luft, where he attended his service, Rooney celebrated his 85th birthday at the Regent Theater in Arlington, Massachusetts
Arlington, Massachusetts
Arlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, six miles northwest of Boston. The population was 42,844 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, where his wife appeared with him in a play titled Let's Put On A Show.
On September 23, 2010, Rooney celebrated his 90th birthday at Feinstein's at Loews Regency
Loews Hotels
-About Loews HotelsHotels:Loews Hotels currently owns and/or operates 18 hotels and resorts in the United States and Canada:-United States locations:*Loews Annapolis Hotel - Annapolis, Maryland*Loews Atlanta Hotel - Atlanta, Georgia...
in the Upper East Side of New York City. Among the people who were attending the party were: Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
, Regis Philbin
Regis Philbin
Regis Francis Xavier Philbin is an American media personality, actor and singer, known for hosting talk and game shows since the 1960s. Philbin is often called "the hardest working man in show business" and holds the Guinness World Record for the most time spent in front of a television camera...
, Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane is an American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...
, Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
and Jan Rooney, who threw the party for him. In December 2010 he was honored as Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies is a movie-oriented cable television channel, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary of Time Warner, featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and MGM, United Artists, RKO and Warner Bros. film libraries...
Star of the Month.
On February 16, 2011, Rooney was granted a temporary restraining order against Christopher Aber, one of Jan Rooney's two sons from a previous marriage. On March 2, 2011 Rooney appeared before a special US Senate committee that was considering legislation to curb elder abuse
Elder abuse
Elder abuse is a general term used to describe certain types of harm to older adults. Other terms commonly used include: "elder mistreatment," "senior abuse," "abuse in later life," "abuse of older adults," "abuse of older women," and "abuse of older men."...
. Rooney stated that he was financially abused by an unnamed family member. On March 27, 2011, all of Rooney's finances were permanently handed over to lawyers over the claim of missing money.
In April 2011, the temporary restraining order that Rooney was previously granted was voluntarily withdrawn as a result of a confidential settlement between Rooney and his stepson. Christopher Aber and Jan Rooney have denied all the allegations.
Selected films
This is a selected list of Rooney's full-length films, both theatrical and made for television.| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1927 | Orchids and Ermine Orchids and Ermine Orchids and Ermine is a 1927 silent film comedy starring Colleen Moore, filmed partly on location in New York. The film still exists.- Story :... |
| 1932 | The Beast of the City The Beast of the City The Beast of the City is a 1932 pre-Code gangster movie featuring cops as vigilantes and known for its singularly vicious ending. Written by W.R... |
| Sin's Pay Day Sin's Pay Day -Cast:* Lloyd Whitlock as Robert Webb* Dorothy Revier as Iris Markey* Mickey Rooney as Chubby Dennis* Forrest Stanley as James Markey* Bess Flowers as Jane Webb* Hal Price as Jake Bernheim* Alfred Cross as David Lee* Harry Semels as Louie Joe... |
|
| High Speed | |
| Fast Companions | |
| My Pal, the King | |
| Officer Thirteen | |
| 1933 | The Big Cage The Big Cage The Big Cage is a 1933 circus film released by Universal Pictures starring Clyde Beatty and Anita Page and featuring Raymond Hatton, Wallace Ford, Andy Devine and Mickey Rooney, with Walter Brennan and Louise Beavers in bit roles.... |
| The Life of Jimmy Dolan The Life of Jimmy Dolan The Life of Jimmy Dolan is a 1933 starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Loretta Young. It features John Wayne in a small supporting role as a frightened boxer. It was remade in 1939 as They Made Me a Criminal.-Cast:* Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as Jimmy Dolan* Loretta Young as Peggy* Aline MacMahon as... |
|
| The Big Chance The Big Chance - Cast :*John Darrow as Knockout Frankie Morgan*Merna Kennedy as Mary Wilson*Natalie Moorhead as Babe*Mickey Rooney as Arthur Wilson*Matthew Betz as Flash McQuaid*J. Carrol Naish as Undetermined Role *Hank Mann as Tugboat... |
|
| Broadway to Hollywood Broadway to Hollywood (1933 film) Broadway to Hollywood is a film directed by Willard Mack, produced by Harry Rapf, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film features many of MGM's stars of the time, including Frank Morgan, Alice Brady, Madge Evans, Jimmy Durante, Mickey Rooney, and Jackie Cooper... |
|
| The Chief | |
| The World Changes The World Changes The World Changes is a 1933 drama film starring Paul Muni as an ambitious farm boy who becomes rich, but does not handle success well. Aline MacMahon and Mary Astor play his mother and wife respectively.-Cast:*Paul Muni as Orin Nordholm Jr.... |
|
| 1934 | Beloved |
| The Lost Jungle The Lost Jungle The Lost Jungle is a Mascot movie serial.A semi-sequel to this serial, Darkest Africa, was released by Republic Pictures in 1936... |
|
| I Like It That Way | |
| Manhattan Melodrama Manhattan Melodrama Manhattan Melodrama is a 1934 crime melodrama film, produced by MGM, directed by W. S. Van Dyke, and starring Clark Gable, William Powell, and Myrna Loy... |
|
| Love Birds | |
| Half a Sinner | |
| Hide-Out Hide-Out Hide-Out is a 1934 comedy film directed by W. S. Van Dyke and starring Robert Montgomery and Maureen O'Sullivan. It also features a young Mickey Rooney.- Plot :... |
|
| Chained Chained (1934 film) Chained is a 1934 motion picture directed by Clarence Brown, and starring Joan Crawford, Clark Gable and Otto Kruger. The plot concerns a kept woman who finds herself drawn to a charismatic South American rancher while aboard a cruise, all the while still harboring feelings for her married lover... |
|
| Blind Date | |
| Death on the Diamond Death on the Diamond Death on the Diamond is a 1934 mystery film starring Robert Young as a baseball player who has to figure out who is trying to murder the members of his team, the Saint Louis Cardinals... |
|
| 1935 | The County Chairman The County Chairman The County Chairman is a 1935 comedy film directed by John G. Blystone and starring Will Rogers.-Plot:A political party boss in Wyoming must decide to either do what's right and lose the election or do what's wrong and win it.... |
| Reckless Reckless (1935 film) Reckless is a 1935 American musical film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Jean Harlow, William Powell and Franchot Tone. The story was based on the scandal of the 1931 marriage between torch singer Libby Holman and tobacco heir Zachary Smith Reynolds and his subsequent alleged... |
|
| The Healer | |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935 film) A Midsummer Night's Dream is a 1935 film directed by Max Reinhardt and William Dieterle, produced by Henry Blanke and Hal Wallis, and adapted by Charles Kenyon and Mary C. McCall Jr... |
|
| Rendezvous Rendezvous (1935 film) Rendezvous is a 1935 spy film set in World War I, starring William Powell as an American cryptologist who tangles with German spies. The film was based on The American Black Chamber, the controversial memoirs of Herbert Yardley, founder and head of MI8.... |
|
| Ah, Wilderness! Ah, Wilderness! (film) Ah, Wilderness! is a 1935 screen adaptation of the Eugene O'Neill play of the same name starring Wallace Beery. The movie was filmed in Grafton, Massachusetts and directed by Clarence Brown. Beery plays the drunken uncle later portrayed on Broadway by Jackie Gleason, and the film features Lionel... |
|
| 1936 | Riffraff Riffraff (1936 film) Riffraff is a 1936 film starring Jean Harlow and Spencer Tracy. The movie was written by Frances Marion, Anita Loos, and H. W. Hannaford, and directed by J. Walter Ruben.-Plot:... |
| Little Lord Fauntleroy Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936 film) Little Lord Fauntleroy is a 1936 drama film based on the 1886 novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The film stars Freddie Bartholomew, Dolores Costello, , and C. Aubrey Smith... |
|
| Down the Stretch | |
| The Devil is a Sissy The Devil is a Sissy The Devil is a Sissy is a 1936 American MGM comedy drama film directed by W.S. Van Dyke and Rowland Brown. The film stars Freddie Bartholomew, Jackie Cooper and Mickey Rooney.The film premiered on September 18, 1936.-Cast:... |
|
| 1937 | A Family Affair A Family Affair (film) A Family Affair is the first entry in the Andy Hardy film series, though Mickey Rooney has a secondary role as the son of Judge Hardy, played by Lionel Barrymore. The highly respected judge has to deal with family and political problems. The film was based on the play Skidding by Aurania... |
| Captains Courageous | |
| Slave Ship Slave Ship (1937 film) Slave Ship is a 1937 film directed by Tay Garnett, starring Warner Baxter and Wallace Beery. The supporting cast includes Mickey Rooney, George Sanders, Jane Darwell, and Joseph Schildkraut... |
|
| Hoosier Schoolboy Hoosier Schoolboy Hoosier Schoolboy is a 1937 American film directed by William Nigh. The film is also known as Yesterday's Hero in the United Kingdom.- Cast :*Mickey Rooney as Shockey Carter*Anne Nagel as Mary Evans*Frank Shields as John 'Jack' Matthews Jr.... |
|
| Live, Love and Learn | |
| Thoroughbreds Don't Cry Thoroughbreds Don't Cry Thoroughbreds Don't Cry is a 1937 film directed by Alfred E. Green. It stars Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in their first film together. Cricket West is a hopeful actress with a plan and a pair of vocal chords that bring down the house. Along with her eccentric aunt, she plays host to the local... |
|
| You're Only Young Once You're Only Young Once You're Only Young Once is the second Andy Hardy movie, with Lewis Stone permanently replacing Lionel Barrymore as Judge Hardy, and Mickey Rooney appearing as his son Andy.-Synopsis:... |
|
| 1938 | Love Is a Headache |
| Judge Hardy's Children | |
| Hold That Kiss Hold That Kiss Hold That Kiss is a romantic comedy film starring Maureen O'Sullivan and Dennis O'Keefe.-Plot:Travel agency clerk Tommy Bradford delivers tickets to wealthy J. Westley Piermont at the lavish wedding of his daughter. Piermont introduces him to model June Evans , but neglects to mention neither... |
|
| Lord Jeff Lord Jeff Lord Jeff is a 1938 film starring Freddie Bartholomew as a spoiled orphan who gets mixed up with some crooks, but gets set straight by a stint in a school.-Plot:... |
|
| Love Finds Andy Hardy Love Finds Andy Hardy Love Finds Andy Hardy is a 1938 romantic comedy film which tells the story of a teenage boy who becomes entangled with three different girls all at the same time. It stars Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Fay Holden, Cecilia Parker, Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Ann Rutherford, Mary Howard and Gene... |
|
| Boys Town Boys Town (1938 film) Boys Town is a 1938 biographical drama film based on Father Edward J. Flanagan's work with a group of disadvantaged and delinquent boys in a home that he founded and named "Boys Town". It stars Spencer Tracy as Father Edward J... |
|
| Stablemates Stablemates Stablemates is a 1938 film starring Wallace Beery and Mickey Rooney. The movie was directed by Sam Wood.-Plot:Wallace Beery plays eternally inebriated ex-veterinarian Tom Terry. An aspiring jockey Mickey idolizes Tom, who reciprocates by passing along horsemanship advice to the kid... |
|
| Out West with the Hardys | |
| 1939 | The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939 film) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a 1939 film adaptation of Mark Twain's classic novel of the same name, starring Mickey Rooney in the title role.-Cast:*Mickey Rooney as Huckleberry Finn*Walter Connolly as the 'King'*William Frawley as the 'Duke'... |
| The Hardys Ride High | |
| Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever | |
| Babes in Arms Babes in Arms (film) Babes in Arms is the 1939 film version of the 1937 Broadway musical of the same name. The film version stars Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Charles Winninger, Guy Kibbee, June Preisser, Grace Hayes and Betty Jaynes.-Production:... |
|
| Judge Hardy and Son | |
| 1940 | Young Tom Edison Young Tom Edison Young Tom Edison is a 1940 biographical film about the early life of inventor Thomas Edison, with Mickey Rooney in the title role.-Cast:*Mickey Rooney as Thomas Edison*Fay Bainter as Nancy Edison*George Bancroft as Samuel Edison... |
| Andy Hardy Meets Debutante Andy Hardy Meets Debutante Andy Hardy Meets Debutante is a 1940 American family comedy film directed by George B. Seitz. The film stars Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Cecilia Parker, Fay Holden and Judy Garland... |
|
| Strike Up the Band Strike Up the Band (film) Strike Up the Band is a 1940 American black and white musical film. It is directed by Busby Berkeley and stars Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland.A very famous, memorable quote from the film is "Take that boy on the street... |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1941 | Andy Hardy's Private Secretary Andy Hardy's Private Secretary Andy Hardy's Private Secretary is a 1941 American family film comedy directed by George B. Seitz. The film stars Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Kathryn Grayson, Ann Rutherford and Fay Holden.-Plot:... |
| Men of Boys Town | |
| Life Begins for Andy Hardy Life Begins for Andy Hardy Life Begins for Andy Hardy is the 11th installment of the popular Andy Hardy movies. Directed by George B. Seitz, Life Begins for Andy Hardy was also the last Andy Hardy movie to feature Judy Garland.- Plot :... |
|
| Babes on Broadway Babes on Broadway Babes on Broadway is a 1941 musical film starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland and directed by Busby Berkeley, with Vincente Minnelli directing Garland's big solo numbers. The film, which features Fay Bainter and Virginia Weidler, was the third in the "Backyard Musical" series about kids who put... |
|
| 1942 | The Courtship of Andy Hardy |
| A Yank at Eton A Yank at Eton A Yank at Eton is an American comedy/drama film. It was the 1942 sequel to the 1938 A Yank at Oxford. All of it was filmed in the United States and none of it at Eton... |
|
| Andy Hardy's Double Life | |
| 1943 | The Human Comedy The Human Comedy (film) The Human Comedy is a 1943 drama film directed by Clarence Brown and adapted by Howard Estabrook. It is often thought to be based on the William Saroyan novel of the same name, but actually Saroyan wrote the screenplay first, was fired from the movie project, and quickly wrote the novel and... |
| Thousands Cheer Thousands Cheer Thousands Cheer is a 1943 American comedy musical film released by MGM. Produced at the height of the Second World War, the film was intended as a morale booster for American troops and their families.-Plot:The film is essentially a two-part program... |
|
| Girl Crazy Girl Crazy (1943 film) Girl Crazy is a 1943 musical film produced by Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Based on the stage musical of the same name, Girl Crazy stars Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in their ninth of ten pairings, partly filmed on location near Palm Springs, California... |
|
| 1944 | Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble is a romantic comedy, the fourteenth starring Mickey Rooney as Andy Hardy. Andy goes to college, but soon gets in trouble with some pretty co-eds.-Cast:*Lewis Stone as Judge James K. Hardy*Mickey Rooney as Andrew "Andy" Hardy... |
| National Velvet National Velvet (film) National Velvet is a 1944 drama film, in Technicolor, based on the novel by Enid Bagnold, published in 1935. It stars Mickey Rooney, Donald Crisp and a young Elizabeth Taylor.... |
|
| 1946 | Love Laughs at Andy Hardy Love Laughs at Andy Hardy Love Laughs at Andy Hardy is a 1946 American film directed by Willis Goldbeck starring Mickey Rooney.The film is also known under its American promotional title Uncle Andy Hardy.- Plot summary :... |
| 1947 | Killer McCoy |
| 1948 | Summer Holiday Summer Holiday (1948 film) Summer Holiday is a 1948 American musical film, starring Mickey Rooney and Gloria DeHaven. It is based on the play Ah, Wilderness! by Eugene O'Neill, which had been filmed as Ah, Wilderness! by MGM in 1935.-Cast:... |
| Words and Music Words and Music (1948 film) Words and Music is a 1948 movie loosely based on the creative partnership of the composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart. The film starred Mickey Rooney, Tom Drake, Janet Leigh, Betty Garrett, and Ann Sothern, It is best remembered for the final screen pairing between Rooney and Judy... |
|
| 1949 | The Big Wheel The Big Wheel (film) The Big Wheel is a 1949 film starring Mickey Rooney and Thomas Mitchell.-Plot:Rooney plays Billy Coy, a young man determined to follow in his father's footsteps as a race car driver. Despite the fact that his father, "Cannonball" Coy, was killed in a fiery crash during the Indianapolis 500, Billy... |
| 1950 | Quicksand Quicksand (1950 film) Quicksand is a United Artists film noir starring Mickey Rooney and Peter Lorre in a story about a garage mechanic's descent into crime. The film has been described as "film noir in a teacup..... |
| The Fireball The Fireball The Fireball is a 1950 film starring Mickey Rooney and Pat O'Brien, and directed by Tay Garnett.- Cast :*Mickey Rooney ... Johnny Casar*Pat O'Brien ... Father O'Hara*Beverly Tyler ... Mary Reeves*James Brown ... Allen... |
|
| He's a Cockeyed Wonder | |
| 1951 | My Outlaw Brother My Outlaw Brother - Plot summary :Danny O'Moore, an Irish lad from New York, has not seen big brother Patrick for eight years. Patrick is said to now own a silver mine in Mexico.In the town of Border City, Texas, a bandit known as "El Tigre" blows up and robs a bank... |
| The Strip The Strip (1951 film) The Strip is a 1951 film starring Mickey Rooney, Sally Forrest and William Demarest. It was directed by Leslie Kardos, photographed by Robert Surtees.-Plot:Stanley Maxton is a drummer in the rhythm section of a night club orchestra... |
|
| 1952 | Sound Off Sound Off (film) Sound Off is a 1952 comedy film featuring several songs filmed in SuperCinecolor for Columbia Pictures starring Mickey Rooney. The film was shot in August 1951. The film was the first of a three picture contract between Rooney and producer Jonie Taps for Columbia where Rooney was paid $75,000 for... |
| 1953 | Off Limits Off Limits (1953 film) Off Limits is a 1953 comedy film starring Bob Hope as a manager who enlists in the army to keep an eye on his boxer, who has been drafted. It was released in the UK as Military Policemen, as the characters played by Hope and his friend Mickey Rooney join the military police.-Cast:*Bob Hope as Wally... |
| All Ashore All Ashore All Ashore is a 1953 Technicolor musical comedy film directed by Richard Quine. It is the second of Mickey Rooney's three films for Columbia Pictures that was produced by Jonie Taps, directed by Richard Quine and written by Blake Edwards... |
|
| A Slight Case of Larceny | |
| 1954 | Drive a Crooked Road Drive a Crooked Road Drive a Crooked Road is an American crime film noir directed by Richard Quine and featuring Mickey Rooney, Dianne Foster, Kevin McCarthy, and Jack Kelly... |
| The Atomic Kid The Atomic Kid The Atomic Kid is a 1954 Black-and-white science fiction comedy film starring Mickey Rooney and directed by Leslie H. Martinson. While a Uranium prospector is in the desert he is accidentally exposed to radiation from an atomic bomb test... |
|
| 1955 | The Bridges at Toko-Ri The Bridges at Toko-Ri The Bridges at Toko-Ri is a 1954 film based on a novel by James Michener about a naval aviator assigned to bomb a group of heavily defended bridges during the Korean War. It was made into a motion picture by Paramount Pictures and won the Special Effects Oscar at the 28th Academy Awards... |
| The Twinkle in God's Eye | |
| 1956 | The Bold and the Brave The Bold and the Brave The Bold and the Brave is a 1956 Hollywood World War II movie written by Robert Lewin and directed by Lewis R. Foster, starring Wendell Corey, Mickey Rooney, and Don Taylor. The movie was produced by Filmmakers Production Organization and released by RKO.... |
| Francis in the Haunted House Francis the Talking Mule Francis the Talking Mule was a mule celebrity, featured in seven movie comedies in the 1950s. The character originated in a novel by writer David Stern, and Universal Studios bought the rights for a film series, with Stern adapting his own script for the first entry, simply titled... |
|
| Magnificent Roughnecks | |
| 1957 | Operation Mad Ball Operation Mad Ball Operation Mad Ball is a 1957 military comedy starring Jack Lemmon, Kathryn Grant, Ernie Kovacs, Dick York, Arthur O'Connell, and Mickey Rooney and directed by Richard Quine. The screenplay by Blake Edwards and Jed Harris is based on an unproduced play by Arthur Carter.-Plot:In a hospital unit in... |
| Baby Face Nelson Baby Face Nelson (film) Baby Face Nelson is a 1957 film directed by Don Siegel, starring Mickey Rooney as Baby Face Nelson, and featuring Leo Gordon as John Dillinger.-Cast:Mickey Rooney ... Lester M. 'Baby Face Nelson' Gillis Carolyn Jones ... Sue... |
|
| 1958 | A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed |
| Andy Hardy Comes Home | |
| 1959 | The Big Operator The Big Operator The Big Operator is a 1976 comedy film directed by Claude Pinoteau and starring Yves Montand.-Cast:* Yves Montand - Morland* Agostina Belli - Amandine* Claude Brasseur - Ari* Aldo Maccione - Tony* Adolfo Celi - Rifai* Valentina Cortese - The Widow... |
| The Last Mile | |
| 1960 | Platinum High School |
| The Private Lives of Adam and Eve The Private Lives of Adam and Eve (film) The Private Lives of Adam and Eve is a 1960 comedy film starring Mickey Rooney, who also co-directed and Mamie Van Doren. It is a U.S. B-movie in which the plot revolves around a modern couple who dream that they are Adam and Eve. Others of their acquaintance assume the roles of various characters... |
|
| 1961 | King of the Roaring 20's – The Story of Arnold Rothstein |
| Breakfast at Tiffany's | |
| Everything's Ducky Everything's Ducky Everything's Ducky is a 1961 film directed by Don Taylor and starring Buddy Hackett, Mickey Rooney, and Jackie Cooper.-Plot:Two sailors sneak a talking duck aboard their ship. Complications ensue. The duck waddles all over the ship until he escapes.... |
|
| 1962 | Requiem for a Heavyweight Requiem for a Heavyweight Requiem for a Heavyweight was a teleplay written by Rod Serling and produced for the live television show Playhouse 90 on 11 October 1956. Six years later, it was adapted as a 1962 feature film starring Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason and Mickey Rooney.... |
| 1963 | It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is a 1963 American comedy film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer about the madcap pursuit of $350,000 in stolen cash by a diverse and colorful group of strangers... |
| 1964 | The Secret Invasion The Secret Invasion The Secret Invasion is a 1964 Eastmancolor war film directed by Roger Corman that was filmed in Yugoslavia. In World War II, convicts are recruited by the Allies for an extremely hazardous mission... |
| 1965 | Twenty-Four Hours to Kill |
| How to Stuff a Wild Bikini How to Stuff a Wild Bikini How to Stuff a Wild Bikini is a 1965 beach party film from American International Pictures. The sixth entry in a seven-film series, the movie features Mickey Rooney, Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Brian Donlevy, and Beverly Adams... |
|
| 1966 | The Devil In Love |
| Ambush Bay Ambush Bay Ambush Bay is a 1966 war film filmed on location in the Philippines that was produced by Aubrey Schenck and released through United Artists.-Plot:... |
|
| 1968 | Skidoo Skidoo (film) Skidoo is an American comedy film directed by Otto Preminger, starring Jackie Gleason and Carol Channing, written by Doran William Cannon and released by Paramount Pictures on December 19, 1968... |
| 1969 | The Extraordinary Seaman The Extraordinary Seaman The Extraordinary Seaman is a 1969 American comedy war film directed by John Frankenheimer and starring David Niven, Faye Dunaway, Alan Alda and Mickey Rooney.-Plot:... |
| The Comic The Comic The Comic is a 1969 drama/black comedy film co-written, co-produced and directed by Carl Reiner. It stars former Disney regulars Dick Van Dyke as Billy Bright and Michele Lee as Bright's love interest... |
|
| 80 Steps to Jonah |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1970 | Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County is a Western comedy film released in April 1970 for Universal Pictures and directed by Anton Leader. The film stars Dan Blocker, Nanette Fabray, Jim Backus, Mickey Rooney, and Jack Elam.... |
| 1971 | Mooch Goes to Hollywood Mooch Goes to Hollywood Mooch Goes to Hollywood is a 1971 television movie about an ambitious dog and her attempts to become a canine star after befriending Zsa Zsa Gabor, who provides the pooch with the skinny on the INs and OUTs of achieving Hollywood fame... |
| The Manipulator | |
| 1972 | Evil Roy Slade Evil Roy Slade Evil Roy Slade is a 1972 made-for-television comedy film about the "meanest villain in the West."-Plot:Orphaned and left in the desert as an infant, Evil Roy Slade grew up alone—save for his teddy bear—and mean... |
| Richard Richard (1972 film) Richard is a 1972 film directed by Harry Hurwitz. The film was notable as it was a lampoon of President Richard Nixon before the Watergate scandal.-Cast:* Imogene Bliss ... Mother* Marvin Braverman ... Hardhat* John Carradine ... Plastic Surgeon... |
|
| Pulp | |
| 1973 | The Godmothers |
| 1974 | Thunder County |
| Rachel's Man | |
| Journey Back to Oz Journey Back to Oz Journey Back To Oz is a 1974 animated film and the official sequel to the 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz. It is loosely based on L. Frank Baum's second Oz novel, The Marvelous Land of Oz, although Baum received no screen credit. However, the Wizard was nowhere to be found, at least in the... (voice) |
|
| The Year Without a Santa Claus The Year Without a Santa Claus The Year Without a Santa Claus is a 1974 Rankin/Bass stop motion animated television special. It usually airs during the Christmas season on United States television. The story is based on Phyllis McGinley's 1956 book of the same name, illustrated by Kurt Werth.-Summary:The show is set in the... |
|
| 1975 | Ace of Hearts |
| From Hong Kong with Love | |
| 1976 | Find the Lady |
| 1977 | The Domino Principle The Domino Principle The Domino Principle is a 1977 thriller starring Gene Hackman, Candice Bergen, Mickey Rooney and Richard Widmark. The film is based on the novel of the same name and was adapted for the screen by its author, Adam Kennedy... |
| Pete's Dragon Pete's Dragon Pete's Dragon is a 1977 live-action/animated musical film from Walt Disney Productions and the first Disney film to be recorded in the Dolby Stereo sound system... |
|
| 1978 | The Magic of Lassie The Magic of Lassie The Magic of Lassie is a 1978 Wrather Corporation film. It features James Stewart in one of only two musical film roles that he played . Mickey Rooney and Alice Faye also make cameo appearances in the film... |
| 1979 | The Black Stallion The Black Stallion (film) The Black Stallion is a 1979 American film based on the 1941 classic children's novel The Black Stallion by Walter Farley. It tells the story of Alec Ramsey, who is shipwrecked on a desert island, together with a wild Arabian stallion whom he befriends... |
| Arabian Adventure Arabian Adventure Arabian Adventure is a 1979 fantasy adventure film directed by Kevin Connor and starring Christopher Lee and Oliver Tobias. The film was shot at Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire, U.K.-Plot synopsis:... |
|
| 1981 | The Fox and the Hound The Fox and the Hound (film) The Fox and the Hound is a 1981 animated feature loosely based on the Daniel P. Mannix novel of the same name, produced by Walt Disney Productions and released in the United States on July 10, 1981... (voice) |
| Odyssey of the Pacific | |
| 1982 | The Emperor of Peru |
| 1983 | Bill: On His Own |
| 1984 | It Came Upon the Midnight Clear |
| 1985 | The Care Bears Movie The Care Bears Movie The Care Bears Movie is a 1985 Canadian animated film, the second feature production from the Toronto animation studio Nelvana. One of the first films based directly on a toy line, it introduced the Care Bears characters and their companions, the Care Bear Cousins. In the film, orphanage owners... (voice) |
| 1986 | Lightning, the White Stallion |
| 1988 | Bluegrass |
| 1989 | Erik the Viking Erik the Viking Erik the Viking is a 1989 feature film written and directed by Terry Jones. The film was inspired by Jones's children's book The Saga of Erik the Viking , but the plot is completely different. Jones also appears in the film as King Arnulf.... |
| Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, known in Japan as simply Nemo, is a 1989 animated film directed by Masami Hata and William T. Hurtz. Loosely based on the comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland by Winsor McCay, the film went through a lengthy development process with a number of screenwriters... |
|
| 1990 | Home For Christmas |
| 1991 | My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys |
| 1992 | The Milky Life |
| Sweet Justice | |
| Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker is the fifth movie in the Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise. The film was also featured in an episode of Svengoolie. It stars William Thorne, Jane Higginson, Van Quattro, Tracy Fraim, Conan Yuzna, and veteran screen legend Mickey Rooney as The Toy Maker... |
|
| Little Nemo: Adventures In Slumberland Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, known in Japan as simply Nemo, is a 1989 animated film directed by Masami Hata and William T. Hurtz. Loosely based on the comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland by Winsor McCay, the film went through a lengthy development process with a number of screenwriters... |
|
| Maximum Force | |
| 1993 | The Legend of Wolf Mountain |
| 1994 | Revenge of the Red Baron Revenge of the Red Baron Revenge of the Red Baron is a 1994 American film starring Mickey Rooney, Tobey Maguire, Laraine Newman, Cliff De Young, produced by Roger Corman and directed by Robert Gordon.-Plot:... |
| The Outlaws: The Legend of O.B. Taggart | |
| Making Waves | |
| 1995 | America: A Call to Greatness America: A Call to Greatness America: A Call to Greatness is a 1995 docudrama feature from Paige-Brace Cinema, chronicling United States history from its inception through the 20th century. It stars Charlton Heston, Mickey Rooney, Deborah Winters, Peter Graves, Jane Russell, and Rita Moreno among others and was written,... |
| 1997 | Killing Midnight |
| 1998 | The Face on the Barroom Floor |
| Animals and the Tollkeeper | |
| Michael Kael vs. the World News Company | |
| Sinbad: The Battle of the Dark Knights | |
| Babe: Pig in the City Babe: Pig in the City Babe: Pig in the City is a 1998 sequel to the 1995 film Babe. It occurs in the fictional city of Metropolis. Due to the unexpected darker and more mature subject matter , the film was not received as well as the first Babe film was, as it flopped at the box office and reviews were generally... |
|
| 1999 | Holy Hollywood |
| The First of May | |
| 2000 | Internet Love |
| Phantom of the Megaplex Phantom of the Megaplex The Phantom of the Megaplex is a 2000 Disney Channel Original Movie, produced by the Disney Channel. With a title and concept very loosely based on The Phantom of the Opera, the film concerns strange happenings at a megaplex on the night of a major movie premiere, Midnight Mayhem... |
|
| 2001 | Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure is a 2001 direct-to-video animated film which was released on February 27, 2001 by The Walt Disney Company as a sequel to the 1955 feature film Lady and the Tramp. The story centers around Lady and Tramp's anthropomorphic puppy, Scamp, and his desire to... (voice) |
| 2002 | Topa Topa Bluffs |
| 2003 | Paradise |
| 2005 | Strike the Tent |
| A Christmas Too Many | |
| 2006 | The Thirsting |
| To Kill a Mockumentary | |
| Night at the Museum Night at the Museum Night at the Museum is a 2006 fantasy adventure-comedy film based on the 1993 children's book The Night at the Museum by Milan Trenc. It follows a divorced father trying to settle down, impress his son, and find his destiny... |
|
| 2007 | The Yesterday Pool |
| Bamboo Shark | |
| 2008 | Lost Stallions: The Journey Home Lost Stallions: The Journey Home Lost Stallions: The Journey Home is a 2008 family/drama film directed by David Rotan and starring Mickey Rooney.- Plot :After the death of his father, troubled teen Jake travels with his mother to Harmony Ranch, a special retreat for families dealing with problems. There, Jake gets to know... |
| 2010 | Gerald |
| 2011 | The Muppets The Muppets (film) The Muppets is a 2011 American musical and comedy film, and the first Muppets theatrical release in 12 years, as well as the first Disney-produced Muppets film since 1996's Muppet Treasure Island... |
Short subjects
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1926 | Not to Be Trusted |
| 1927 | Mickey's Circus |
| Mickey's Pals | |
| Mickey's Eleven Mickey's Eleven Mickey's Eleven is a 1927 silent short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters in November 1927 by FBO.-Notes:... |
|
| Mickey's Battles | |
| 1928 | Mickey's Parade |
| Mickey in School Mickey in School Mickey in School is a 1928 silent short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters on February 6, 1928 by FBO.-Synopsis:... |
|
| Mickey's Nine | |
| Mickey's Little Eva | |
| Mickey's Wild West | |
| Mickey in Love | |
| Mickey's Triumph | |
| Mickey's Babies | |
| Mickey's Movies | |
| Mickey's Rivals | |
| Mickey the Detective Mickey the Detective Mickey the Detective is a 1928 silent short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters in 1928 by FBO.-Plot:... |
|
| Mickey's Athletes | |
| Mickey's Big Game Hunt Mickey's Big Game Hunt Mickey's Big Game Hunt is a 1928 silent short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters on December 23, 1928 by FBO.-Plot:... |
|
| 1929 | Mickey's Great Idea |
| Mickey's Menagerie | |
| Mickey's Last Chance | |
| Mickey's Brown Derby | |
| Mickey's Northwest Mounted Mickey's Northwest Mounted Mickey's Northwest Mounted is a 1929 silent short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters on June 9, 1929 by FBO.-Plot:... |
|
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1929 | Mickey's Initiation |
| Mickey's Midnite Follies | |
| Mickey's Surprise Mickey's Surprise Mickey's Surprise is a 1929 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters on September 15, 1929 by RKO.-Cast:*Mickey Rooney - Mickey McGuire... |
|
| Mickey's Mix-Up Mickey's Mix-Up Mickey's Mix-Up is a 1929 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters on October 13, 1929 by RKO.-Plot:... |
|
| Mickey's Big Moment | |
| Mickey's Strategy | |
| 1930 | Mickey's Champs Mickey's Champs Mickey's Champs is a 1930 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters on February 2, 1930 by RKO.-Plot:... |
| Mickey's Explorers Mickey's Explorers Mickey's Explorers is a 1930 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters on February 17, 1930 by RKO.-Synopsis:... |
|
| Mickey's Master Mind | |
| Mickey's Luck | |
| Mickey's Whirlwinds | |
| Mickey's Warriors | |
| Mickey the Romeo | |
| Mickey's Merry Men | |
| Mickey's Winners | |
| Screen Snapshots Series 9, No. 24 | |
| Mickey's Musketeers | |
| Mickey's Bargain | |
| 1931 | Mickey's Stampede |
| Mickey's Crusaders | |
| Mickey's Rebellion | |
| Mickey's Diplomacy | |
| Mickey's Wildcats | |
| Mickey's Thrill Hunters | |
| Mickey's Helping Hand Mickey's Helping Hand Mickey's Medicine Man is a 1931 talkie short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Jesse Duffy, the two-reel short was released to theaters on December 19, 1931 by RKO Radio Pictures... |
|
| Mickey's Sideline | |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1932 | Mickey's Busy Day |
| Mickey's Travels | |
| Mickey's Holiday | |
| Mickey's Big Business | |
| Mickey's Golden Rule | |
| Mickey's Charity | |
| 1933 | Mickey's Ape Man |
| Mickey's Race | |
| Mickey's Big Broadcast | |
| Mickey's Disguises Mickey's Disguises Mickey's Disguises is a 1933 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Jesse Duffy, the two-reel short was released to theaters on July 17, 1933 by RKO Radio Pictures.-Synopsis:... |
|
| Mickey's Touchdown Mickey's Touchdown Mickey's Touchdown is a 1933 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Jesse Duffy, the two-reel short was released to theaters on October 14, 1933 by Columbia Pictures.-Plot:... |
|
| Mickey's Tent Show Mickey's Tent Show Mickey's Tent Show is a 1933 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Jesse Duffy, the two-reel short was released to theaters on October 27, 1933 by Columbia Pictures.-Synopsis:... |
|
| Mickey's Covered Wagon Mickey's Covered Wagon Mickey's Covered Wagon is a 1933 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Jesse Duffy, the two-reel short was released to theaters on November 30, 1933 by Columbia Pictures.-Plot:... |
|
| 1934 | Mickey's Minstrels Mickey's Minstrels Mickey's Minstrels is a 1934 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Jesse Duffy, the two-reel short was released to theaters on January 11, 1934 by Columbia Pictures.-Synopsis:... |
| Mickey's Rescue Mickey's Rescue Mickey's Rescue is a 1934 talkie short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Jesse Duffy, the two-reel short was released to theaters on March 23, 1934 by Columbia Pictures.-Plot:... |
|
| Mickey's Medicine Man Mickey's Medicine Man Mickey's Medicine Man is a 1934 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Jesse Duffy, the two-reel short was released to theaters on May 18, 1934 by Columbia Pictures... |
|
| 1935 | Pirate Party on Catalina Isle |
| 1937 | Cinema Circus |
| 1938 | Andy Hardy's Dilemma |
| 1940 | Rodeo Dough |
| 1941 | Meet the Stars #4: Variety Reel #2 |
| 1943 | Show Business at War Show Business at War Show Business at War is a short film made in 1943 to tout the United States film industry's contribution to the war effort. Several studios collaborated on the production and approximately 70 stars, producers, directors and studio executives appeared in it.... |
| 1947 | Screen Snapshots: Out of This World Series |
| 1953 | Screen Snapshots: Mickey Rooney – Then and Now |
| 1958 | Screen Snapshots: Glamorous Hollywood |
| 1968 | Vienna |
| 1974 | Just One More Time |
| 1975 | The Lion Roars Again |
| 2008 | Wreck the Halls |
Television
Rooney has made countless appearances in TV sitcoms and television films. He has also lent his voice to many animation films. Only his most important work is listed in this section.| Year(s) | Title |
|---|---|
| 1954–1955 | The Mickey Rooney Show: Hey Mulligan |
| 1957 | The Comedian The Comedian (1957 TV drama) The Comedian is a 1957 live television drama written by Rod Serling from a novella by Ernest Lehman, directed by John Frankenheimer, and starring Mickey Rooney.... (on Playhouse 90 Playhouse 90 Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California... ) |
| 1964–1965 | Mickey Mickey (TV series) Mickey is an American situation comedy that aired on ABC from September 1964 to January 1965. Created and produced by Bob Fisher and Arthur Marx, the series stars Mickey Rooney.-Synopsis:... |
| 1981 | Bill (won Emmy, Golden Globe, and Peabody Award for role of Bill) |
| 1982 | One of the Boys (canceled after 13 episodes) |
| 1983 | Bill: On His Own (sequel to 1981's "Bill" nominated for Emmy) |
| 1990–1993 | The Adventures of the Black Stallion Adventures of the Black Stallion The Adventures of The Black Stallion is a television series that was loosely based on the movies The Black Stallion and The Black Stallion Returns , which starred Mickey Rooney and Richard Ian Cox, as a trainer and a teenaged horse racer. The series originally ran on The Family Channel from... |
Marriages
| Name | Years | Children |
|---|---|---|
| Ava Gardner Ava Gardner Ava Lavinia Gardner was an American actress.She was signed to a contract by MGM Studios in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew attention with her performance in The Killers . She became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, considered one of the most beautiful women of her day... |
1942–1943 | |
| Betty Jane Rase | 1944–1949 | Mickey Rooney, Jr. (born July 3, 1945) |
| Tim Rooney Tim Rooney Timothy Hayes Yule was an American actor and voice actor. He was the second son of actor Mickey Rooney and suffered from a muscle disease known as dermatomyositis.... (January 4, 1947 – September 23, 2006) |
||
| Martha Vickers Martha Vickers Martha Vickers was an American television and film actress.-Early life and career:Born Martha MacVicar in Ann Arbor, Michigan, she began her career as a model and cover girl... |
1949–1951 | Theodore Michael Rooney (born April 13, 1950) |
| Elaine Devry Elaine Devry Elaine Devry is an American actress. She appeared in a number of films including A Guide for the Married Man and was formerly married to actor Mickey Rooney.-Filmography:* The Atomic Kid * China Doll... |
1952–1958 | |
| Barbara Ann Thomason (akas: Tara Thomas, Carolyn Mitchell) | 1958–1966 | Kelly Ann Rooney (born September 13, 1959) |
| Kerry Rooney (born December 30, 1960) | ||
| Michael Joseph Rooney Michael Rooney Michael Joseph Rooney is an American choreographer, best known for his work on a number of music videos. He has won MTV Video Music Awards for best choreography for the videos to both Bjork's "It's Oh So Quiet" and Fat Boy Slim's "Praise You".-Biography:Rooney is the son of actors Mickey Rooney... (born April 2, 1962) |
||
| Kimmy Sue Rooney (born September 13, 1963) | ||
| Marge Lane | 1966–1967 | |
| Carolyn Hockett | 1969–1975 | Jimmy Rooney (adopted from Carolyn's previous marriage) (born 1966) |
| Jonelle Rooney (born January 11, 1970) | ||
| Jan Chamberlin | 1978–present |
Further reading
- Rooney, Mickey (1991). Life Is Too Short. (New York: Random House)
- Marx, Arthur (1988/reprint). The Nine Lives Of Mickey Rooney. (New York: Berkley Publishing Group)
External links
- mickeyrooney.com, Official Site Of Mickey Rooney
- Mickey Rooney on the Phil Silvers Show
- "Mickey Rooney on America, Christ and Judy Garland: The Hollywood Legend Speaks Out." Montreal MirrorMontreal MirrorMontreal Mirror is a free English language alternative newsweekly based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with a circulation of 70,000, and reaches a quarter of a million readers per week. It is published by Communications Gratte-Ciel Ltée....
interview 1998