Mickey Rourke
Birthday:
Birthplace:
Liberty City in Miami
Mickey Rourke originally aspired to careers as a pro baseball player and - later - a championship boxer, but did a 180 away from the ring and cut his chops as an actor instead. Rourke launched his career with small roles in 1941 (1979) and Heaven's Gate (1981) before gaining broader notice as a pyro expert in Body Heat (1981) and one of the raunchier leads in Barry Levinson's Diner (1982). He followed with admirable work in Rumble Fish (1983) and The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), and gave a bravura performance as fanatically determined police captain Stanley White in Year of the Dragon (1985). When the film was slammed by critics, Rourke defended director Michael Cimino and snubbed all interview requests. He immediately gained a reputation as a perfectionist, agreeing only to work with directors and on projects that met with his high standards. His 1987 performances in Angel Heart, A Prayer for the Dying, and Barfly attest to this, but starring roles in Adrian Lyne's infamous 9 1/2 Weeks (1986) and Zalman King's Wild Orchid (1990) gave him a "Eurotrash" taint, only enhanced by his hot temper and maverick nature. These qualities, however, while career poison in the U.S., did nothing to hurt Rourke's reputation in France, where filmgoers adored him.From the late '80s through the early '90s, the career of this disillusioned actor with the potential of Robert De Niro spiraled down, down, down, with his co-starring appearance in Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991) just one nadir. He wrote, produced, and starred in Homeboy (1988), a film about a near brain-dead prize fighter. It skipped theatrical release and went straight to home video. The masochistic connection between this film and Rourke's subsequent resumption of his boxing career (from 1991-1994) was undeniable, though he continued to appear sporadically in small films and supporting roles. In 1997, Rourke reprised his role as an s&m fetishist in Another 9 1/2 Weeks, a virtual remake of the original, only sans the redeeming presence of Kim Basinger. Although Rourke's career consisted primarily of direct-to-video titles for several years, he had enough friends and respect among his contemporaries that he hung on to his rebound potential, and his small role in Francis Ford Coppola's 1997 adaptation of John Grisham's The Rainmaker marked something of a comeback. The following year, Vincent Gallo, an unapologetic fan of Rourke's, cast him as the antagonist in Gallo's directorial debut, Buffalo '66; the long-dormant Terrence Malick also cast Rourke in his critically-worshipped Thin Red Line (1998), but Malick excised the actor's scenes from the final cut, probably to reduce the film's whopping length. Rourke showed flashes of his former brilliance in Steve Buscemi's Animal Factory (2000), joined the cast of the Sly Stallone-headlined Get Carter remake that same year, and gave an impressive supporting performance in Sean Penn's police procedural-cum-harrowing study of obsession, The Pledge (2001). Rourke also signed on with director Robert Rodriguez for the third of that helmer's Mariachi films, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, in 2003. As a harbinger of things to come, a powerful creative bond formed between the weathered, iconic Rourke and the tireless director on the Mexico set. In 2005 the duo again teamed for Rodriguez's and Frank Miller's eagerly anticipated big screen adaptation of Miller's Sin City comics. Cast as lovelorn brute Marv, Rourke delivered an impressive performance as an imposing beast of a fellow bent on avenging the death of an angelic prostitute in this stylish noir comic book come to life, which gave him cult status among a new generation of fans. In 2004, Rourke delivered a memorable supporting performance in Tony Scott's Man on Fire alongside Denzel Washington; it marked the first film in a two-picture creative partnership between Scott and Rourke, the second half of which came to fruition with 2005's Domino.2006 saw Rourke appearing in Stormbreaker
Photos
Highest Rated Movies
Filmography
MOVIES
RATING | TITLE | CREDIT | BOX OFFICE | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|---|
83% | Adverse |
|
— | 2021 |
61% | Girl |
|
— | 2020 |
0% | The Legion |
|
— | 2020 |
No Score Yet | Legionnaire's Trail |
|
— | 2020 |
77% | Nightmare Cinema |
|
— | 2019 |
11% | Berlin, I Love You |
|
— | 2019 |
38% | Tiger |
|
— | 2018 |
20% | Bob Lazar: Area 51 & Flying Saucers |
|
— | 2018 |
No Score Yet | Weaponized |
|
— | 2016 |
52% | Ashby |
|
$5.1k | 2015 |
No Score Yet | War Pigs |
|
— | 2015 |
23% | Black November |
|
— | 2015 |
No Score Yet | Blunt Force Trauma |
|
— | 2015 |
No Score Yet | Skin Traffik (A Hitman in London) |
|
— | 2015 |
No Score Yet | The Effects of Blunt Force Trauma |
|
— | 2015 |
43% | Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For |
|
$11.1M | 2014 |
81% | Generation Iron |
|
— | 2013 |
82% | The Good Son: The Life of Ray Boom Boom Mancini |
|
— | 2013 |
7% | Java Heat |
|
— | 2013 |
No Score Yet | Dead in Tombstone |
|
— | 2013 |
No Score Yet | The Courier |
|
— | 2012 |
75% | I Am Bruce Lee |
|
— | 2012 |
No Score Yet | Sunset Strip |
|
— | 2012 |
46% | Immortals |
|
$83.5M | 2011 |
8% | 13 |
|
— | 2011 |
3% | Passion Play |
|
$2.6k | 2011 |
42% | The Expendables |
|
$103M | 2010 |
72% | Iron Man 2 |
|
$312.1M | 2010 |
12% | The Informers |
|
— | 2009 |
No Score Yet | 42nd Street: River To River |
|
— | 2009 |
29% | Killshot |
|
— | 2008 |
98% | The Wrestler |
|
$26.2M | 2008 |
No Score Yet | Shergar |
|
— | 2008 |
35% | Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker |
|
$0.6M | 2006 |
18% | Domino |
|
$10.2M | 2005 |
77% | Sin City |
|
— | 2005 |
38% | Man on Fire |
|
$77.7M | 2004 |
66% | Once upon a Time in Mexico |
|
$56M | 2003 |
24% | Masked and Anonymous |
|
$0.2M | 2003 |
37% | Spun |
|
$0.3M | 2003 |
No Score Yet | They Crawl |
|
— | 2002 |
No Score Yet | The Follow |
|
— | 2001 |
78% | The Pledge |
|
$18.9M | 2001 |
No Score Yet | Picture Claire |
|
— | 2001 |
83% | Animal Factory |
|
— | 2000 |
11% | Get Carter |
|
$14.6M | 2000 |
No Score Yet | Out in Fifty |
|
— | 1999 |
No Score Yet | Shades |
|
— | 1999 |
No Score Yet | Shergar: Discover the Heart of a Champion |
|
— | 1999 |
No Score Yet | Point Blank |
|
— | 1998 |
43% | Thursday |
|
— | 1998 |
77% | Buffalo '66 |
|
$2.4M | 1998 |
No Score Yet | John Grisham's The Rainmaker |
|
— | 1997 |
82% | The Rainmaker |
|
— | 1997 |
No Score Yet | Another 9 1/2 Weeks |
|
— | 1997 |
11% | Double Team |
|
— | 1997 |
No Score Yet | Thicker Than Blood |
|
— | 1997 |
No Score Yet | Bullet |
|
— | 1996 |
No Score Yet | Exit in Red |
|
— | 1996 |
No Score Yet | The Last Outlaw |
|
— | 1994 |
No Score Yet | F.T.W. (The Last Ride) |
|
— | 1994 |
No Score Yet | Fall Time |
|
— | 1993 |
44% | White Sands |
|
— | 1992 |
21% | Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man |
|
— | 1991 |
36% | Desperate Hours |
|
— | 1990 |
7% | Wild Orchid |
|
— | 1990 |
62% | Johnny Handsome |
|
— | 1989 |
No Score Yet | Francesco |
|
— | 1989 |
No Score Yet | Homeboy |
|
— | 1988 |
77% | Barfly |
|
— | 1987 |
55% | A Prayer for the Dying |
|
— | 1987 |
79% | Angel Heart |
|
— | 1987 |
61% | 9 1/2 Weeks |
|
— | 1986 |
56% | Year of the Dragon |
|
— | 1985 |
33% | Eureka |
|
— | 1984 |
90% | The Pope of Greenwich Village |
|
— | 1984 |
74% | Rumble Fish |
|
— | 1983 |
93% | Diner |
|
— | 1982 |
98% | Body Heat |
|
— | 1981 |
59% | Heaven's Gate |
|
— | 1980 |
No Score Yet | Rape And Marriage: The Rideout Case |
|
— | 1980 |
45% | Fade to Black |
|
— | 1980 |
No Score Yet | Act of Love |
|
— | 1980 |
No Score Yet | City in Fear |
|
— | 1980 |
42% | 1941 |
|
— | 1979 |
TV
RATING | TITLE | CREDIT | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet |
20/20
1978-2019
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Late Night With Seth Meyers
2014
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Jimmy Kimmel Live
2003
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Ultimate Fighter
2005-2018
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
1992-2014
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
2009-2014
|
|
|
100% |
Losers
2019
|
|
|
Quotes from Mickey Rourke's Characters
Ashby Holt: | Hey kid, you drive? |
Ashby Holt: | You shouldn't be scared of the world.You gotta see that the world is scared of you. |
Ashby Holt: | What are we going to go see Jersey Boys together? |
Major A.J. Redding: | I need you back in the fight. |
Marv: | That right there is a dame to kill for. |
Marv: | I love hitmen. No matter what you do to them, you don't feel bad. |
James Wheeler: | How come you're always following her around? I mean, don't you have anything better to do with your time? Hey, you better stay away from that one. Otherwise, she's gonna break your heart. |
Emily Reed: | Why this? Why all the trouble? |
James Wheeler: | Because I'm interested in you. |
Robert "Boogie" Sheftell: | Nobody bets 2,000 dollars and doesn't remember. |
Bagel: | Nobody bets 2,000 dollars and doesn't remember. |
Robert "Boogie" Sheftell: | Look, the game's a lock. |
Robert 'Boogie' Sheftell: | Look, the game's a lock. |
Bagel: | Nothing's lock, Boog. Nothing's a lock. |
Nate: | I've been around the block, but I've never seen anything like this. |
Marv: | [Narrating] I've been having so much fun I forgot to take my medicine. |
Marv: | I've been having so much fun, I forgot to take my medicine. |
Marv: | [shows up at Lucille's apartment heavily bandaged] It's okay, Lucille. I was just grazed. |
Marv: | It's okay, Lucille. I was just grazed. |
Marv: | The night's as hot as hell. It's a lousy room in a lousy part of a lousy town - I'm staring at a goddess. She's telling me she wants me. I'm not going to waste one more minute wondering how I've gotten this lucky. She smells like angels ought to smell, the perfect woman... the Goddess. Goldie. She says her name is Goldie. |
Marv: | So, you were scared, weren't you Goldie? Somebody wanted you dead and you knew it. Well, I'm gonna find that son of a bitch that killed you, and I'm gonna give him the hard goodbye. Walk down the right back alley in Sin City, and you can find anything. |
Marv: | Modern cars - they all look like electric shavers. |
Robert "Boogie" Sheftell: | If you don't have good dreams, Bagel, you have nightmares. |
Robert "Boogie" Sheftell: | If you don't have good dreams Bagel, you'll have nightmares. |
Marv: | Is that the best you can do, you pansies? |
Charlie: | Diane, Italians outgrown clothes not people. |
Charlie: | Diane, Italians outgrow clothes not people. |
Marv: | I love hitmen. No matter what you do to them, you don't feel bad. |
Henry Chinaski: | Your mother's cunt stinks like carpet cleaner. |
Henry Chinaski: | Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead. |
Harry Angel: | Some maid, some governess...Everything you tell me is a crock of shit. |
Marv: | Hell's waking up every goddamn day and not even knowing why you're here. |
Marv: | Hell's waking up every goddamn day and not even knowing why you're here. |
Ivan Vanko/Whiplash: | Hey, I want my bird. |
Justin Hammer: | Uh, a bird? You want a bird? |
Ivan Vanko/Whiplash: | I want my bird. |
Justin Hammer: | I can get you a bird, I can get you ten birds. |
Ivan Vanko/Whiplash: | I want MY bird! |
Justin Hammer: | Well, nothing's impossible. Are we talkin--is this a bird, uh, back in Russia? |
Marv: | You're Mother Teresa. You're Elvis. You're God |
Marv: | You're Mother Teresa. You're Elvis. You're God. |
Ivan Vanko/Whiplash: | If you could make God bleed, people would cease to believe in Him. There will be blood in the water, the sharks will come. All I have to do is sit back and watch as the world consumes you. |
Henry Chinaski: | Don't worry, nobody's loved me yet. |
Harry Angel: | "I know who I am." |
Harry Angel: | I know who I am. |
Randy "The Ram" Robinson: | I used to try to pretend that you didn't exist, but I can't. You're my girl. You're my little girl. And now, I'm an old broken down piece of meat... and I'm alone. And I deserve to be all alone. I just don't want you to hate me. |
Randy "The Ram" Robinson: | Bet'chr ass man, Guns N' Roses! Rules |
Randy "The Ram" Robinson: | Then that Cobain pussy had to come around & ruin it all. |
Randy "The Ram" Robinson: | As times goes by, as times goes by, they say "he's washed up", "he's finished" , "he's a loser", "he's all through". You know what? The only one that's going to tell me when I'm through doing my thing is you people here. |
Randy "The Ram" Robinson: | As times goes by, as times goes by, they say 'he's washed up', 'he's finished', 'he's a loser', 'he's all through'. You know what? The only one that's going to tell me when I'm through doing my thing is you people here. |
Randy "The Ram" Robinson: | Hey lady - you want some fucking cheese? Get your own fucking cheese! |
Randy "The Ram" Robinson: | The only place I get hurt is out there. [Randy points away from the ring] |
Randy "The Ram" Robinson: | Fresh? Fresh as monkey's breath, brother! |
Marv: | Is that all you got, you pansies? |
King Hyperion: | Witness Hell! |
King Hyperion: | His pain has just begun. |
King Hyperion: | Traitor: My Lord, they say that the gate was built to be impenetrable. King Hyperion: Have you ever heard of a gate that was built to be anything but? |
King Hyperion: | Have you ever heard of a gate that was built to be anything but? |
Patrick Jefferson: | Happy trails partner. |
Marv: | This is blood for blood, and by the gallons!, This is the old days, the bad days, the all-or-nothing days!, their back, there's no choices left, and I'm ready for war |
Marv: | This is blood for blood and by the gallon. These are the old days, the bad days, the all-or-nothing days. They're back! There's no choice left. And I'm ready for war. |
Gorman Lennox: | [ending a business discussion] Foreplay's over, Lane. It's time to fuck |
Gorman Lennox: | [ending a business discussion] Foreplay's over, Lane. It's time to fuck. |
Marv: | Modern cars... they all look like electric shavers |
Marv: | Modern cars... they all look like electric shavers. |
Ivan Vanko/Whiplash: | If you could make God bleed, people would cease to believe in him, there will be blood in the water, the sharks will come. All I have to do is sit back and watch as the world consumes you. |
Ivan Vanko/Whiplash: | [laughs] If you could make God bleed, people would cease to believe in him, there will. All I have to do is sit back and watch as the world consumes you. |
Ivan Vanko/Whiplash: | I vant my bird. |
Ivan Vanko/Whiplash: | I want *my* bird. |
Randy "The Ram" Robinson: | What can I get for you spring chicken? |
Randy "The Ram" Robinson: | Hey, spring chicken, what can I get for you? |
Marv: | Walk down the right back alley of Sin City, and you can find anything. |
Marv: | Walk down the right back alley in Sin City, and you can find anything. |
Ivan Vanko/Whiplash: | There will be blood in the water and the sharks will come. |
Marv: | Modern cars - they all look like electric shavers. |
Marv: | I love hitmen. No matter what you do to them, you don't feel bad. |
Randy "The Ram" Robinson: | When you live hard and you play hard and burn the candle at both ends... in this life, you can lose everything you love, everything that loves you. Alot of people told me that I'd never wrestle again, they said "he's washed up", "he's finished" , "he's a loser", "he's all through". You know what? The only ones gonna tell me when I'm through doing my thing, is you people here. You people here... you people here. You're my family. |
Randy "The Ram" Robinson: | I just want to tell you, I'm the one who was supposed to take care of everything. I'm the one who was supposed to make everything okay for everybody. It just didn't work out like that. And I left. I left you. You never did anything wrong. I used to try to forget about you. I used to try to pretend that you didn't exist, but I can't. You're my girl. You're my little girl. And now, I'm an old broken down piece of meat... and I'm alone. And I deserve to be all alone. I just don't want you to hate me. |
Marv: | "That there is one dam fine coat your wearin'" |
Marv: | That there is one damn fine coat your wearin'. |
Tool: | I promised myself, I'm gonna die for something that counts. |