Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule, Jr.; September 23, 1920) is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television and stage appearances span his lifetime. During his career, he has won multiple awards, including an Oscar, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award. Best known for his work as the Andy Hardy character, Rooney has one of the longest movie careers of any actor, entering the Guinness Book of Records as the actor with longest career on both stage and screen.

Personal life

Rooney was born in Brooklyn, New York to a vaudeville family. His father, Joseph Yule, was from Scotland, and his mother, Nellie W. (née Carter), was from Kansas City, Missouri. Both parents were in vaudeville, and appearing in a Brooklyn production of A Gaiety Girl when Joseph, Jr. was born. He began performing at the age of fifteen months as part of his parents' routine, wearing a specially tailored tuxedo. , Rooney and his wife, Jan Chamberlin, live in Westlake Village, California. They met through his son, Mickey Jr., whom Jan had been dating at the time, and are both outspoken advocates for veterans and animal rights.

Career

Mickey McGuire

The Yules separated in 1924 during a slump in vaudeville, and in 1925, Nell Yule moved with her son to Hollywood, where she managed a tourist home. Fontaine Fox had placed a newspaper ad for a dark haired child to play the role of "Mickey McGuire" in a series of short films, and, 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 legally became Mickey McGuire to trump an attempted copyright lawsuit (as it was his legal name, the movie producers did not owe the comic strip writers royalties).

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" on the suggestion of his wife. Rooney also took credit for giving rising starlet Norma Jean Mortenson the stage name Marilyn Monroe, his co-star in the 1950 film 'The Fireball', although she had been so billed as early as 1947.

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 a less frivolous version. Rooney did other films, including a few more of the McGuire films, in his adolescence, 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.

Andy Hardy and Judy Garland

In 1937, Rooney was selected to portray Andy Hardy 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 then one final "Andy Hardy" film in 1958. Rooney received top-billing in a feature film as Shockey Carter in Hoosier Schoolboy (1937). The same year, he made his first film alongside Judy Garland with Thoroughbreds Don't Cry. His 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.

Garland and Rooney became 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, Garland appeared with Rooney in a string of successful musicals, including the Oscar nominated Babes in Arms (1939).

Unquestionably a well known entertainer by the early 1940s, Rooney was one of many celebrities caricatured in Tex Avery's 1941 Warner Bros. cartoon Hollywood Steps Out. , Rooney is the only surviving entertainer depicted in the cartoon.

Later career

In 1944, Rooney entered military service for 21 months during World War II, during which time he was a radio personality on the American Forces Network. 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). The Mickey Rooney Show, also known as Hey Mulligan, appeared on NBC television for 39 episodes during 1954 and 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, written by Rod Serling and directed by John Frankenheimer, on Playhouse 90 the evening of Valentine's Day in 1957.

In 1960, he 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 movies, but occasionally would appear in better works, such as Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) 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 of the main character, Holly Golightly. Producer Richard Shepherd apologized for this in the 45th anniversary DVD, though Director Blake Edwards and Rooney himself do not.

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 a film in the Philippines, his wife Barbara Ann Thomason (aka 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 accomplished with Rooney's own gun. Milos was also a bodyguard and was connected to Stevan Markovic, bodyguard of French star Alain Delon. Markovic was also found dead in mysterious circumstances in Paris two years later.

Grief-stricken and not in his right frame of mind, Rooney quickly married Barbara's friend, Marge Lane. The union lasted about one hundred days.

He 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. Laurence Olivier called Rooney "the single best film actor America ever produced", a sentiment echoed by actor James Mason. Judy Garland stated that Rooney was "the world's greatest talent." As a result of the Andy Hardy series, Rooney was the highest paid actor in Hollywood in the late 1930s.

Television and stage

Rooney made a successful transition to television and stage work. He won a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for his role in 1981's Bill. Playing opposite Dennis Quaid, Rooney 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 three Christmas TV animated/stop action specials: Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970), The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974), and Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July—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 project as too controversial. The role ultimately went to Carroll O'Connor.

Rooney 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 starred in the long-running TV series The Adventures of the Black Stallion, reprising his role as Henry Daily from The Black Stallion film and 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. 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 played 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.

Current work

Rooney appeared in television commercials for Garden State Life Insurance Company in 1999, alongside his wife Jan. In commercials shown in 2007, Rooney can be seen in the background washing imaginary dishes.

Rooney continues to work in film and tours with his wife in a multi-media live stage production called Let's Put On a Show! On 26 May 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. He appeared on BBC Points West dressed in a pair of shorts and socks.

Filmography

Feature films

Year	Title
1927	Orchids and Ermine
1932	The Beast of the City
	Sin's Pay Day
	High Speed
	Fast Companions
	My Pal, the King
	Officer Thirteen
1933	The Big Cage
	The Life of Jimmy Dolan
	The Big Chance
	Broadway to Hollywood
	The Chief
	The World Changes
1934	Beloved
	The Lost Jungle
	I Like It That Way
	Manhattan Melodrama
	Love Birds
	Half a Sinner
	Hide-Out
	Chained
	Blind Date
	Death on the Diamond
1935	The County Chairman
	Reckless
	The Healer
	A Midsummer Night's Dream
	Rendezvous
	Ah, Wilderness!
1936	Riffraff
	Little Lord Fauntleroy
	Down the Stretch
	The Devil is a Sissy
1937	A Family Affair
	Captains Courageous
	Slave Ship
	Hoosier Schoolboy
	Live, Love and Learn
	Thoroughbreds Don't Cry
	You're Only Young Once
1938	Love Is a Headache
	Judge Hardy's Children
	Hold That Kiss
	Lord Jeff
	Love Finds Andy Hardy
	Boys Town
	Stablemates
	Out West with the Hardys
1939	The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
	The Hardys Ride High
	Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever
	Babes in Arms
	Judge Hardy and Son
1940	Young Tom Edison
	Andy Hardy Meets Debutante
	Strike Up the Band

Year	Title
1941	Andy Hardy's Private Secretary
	Men of Boys Town
	Life Begins for Andy Hardy
	Babes on Broadway
1942	The Courtship of Andy Hardy
	A Yank at Eton
	Andy Hardy's Double Life
1943	The Human Comedy
	Thousands Cheer
	Girl Crazy
1944	Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble
	National Velvet
1946	Love Laughs at Andy Hardy
1947	Killer McCoy
1948	Summer Holiday
	Words and Music
1949	The Big Wheel
1950	Quicksand
	The Fireball
	He's a Cockeyed Wonder
1951	My Outlaw Brother
	The Strip
1952	Sound Off
1953	Off Limits
	All Ashore
	A Slight Case of Larceny
1954	Drive a Crooked Road
	The Atomic Kid
1955	The Bridges at Toko-Ri
	The Twinkle in God's Eye
1956	The Bold and the Brave
	Francis in the Haunted House
	Magnificent Roughnecks
1957	Operation Mad Ball
	Baby Face Nelson
1958	A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed
	Andy Hardy Comes Home
1959	The Big Operator
	The Last Mile
1960	Platinum High School
	The Private Lives of Adam and Eve
1961	King of the Roaring 20's - The Story of Arnold Rothstein
	Breakfast at Tiffany's
	Everything's Ducky
1962	Requiem for a Heavyweight
1963	It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
1964	The Secret Invasion
1965	Twenty-Four Hours to Kill
	How to Stuff a Wild Bikini
1966	The Devil In Love
	Ambush Bay
1968	Skidoo
1969	The Extraordinary Seaman
	The Comic
	80 Steps to Jonah

Year	Title
1970	Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County
1971	Mooch Goes to Hollywood
	The Manipulator
1972	Richard
	Pulp
1973	The Godmothers
1974	Thunder County
	Rachel's Man
1975	Ace of Hearts
	From Hong Kong with Love
1976	Find the Lady
1977	The Domino Principle
	Pete's Dragon
1979	The Black Stallion
	Arabian Adventure
1981	The Fox and the Hound (voice)
1982	The Emperor of Peru
1986	Lightning, the White Stallion
1988	Bluegrass
1989	Erik the Viking
1991	My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
1992	The Milky Life
	Sweet Justice
	Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker
	Little Nemo: Adventures In Slumberland
	Maximum Force
1993	The Legend of Wolf Mountain
1994	Revenge of the Red Baron
	The Outlaws: The Legend of O.B. Taggart
	Making Waves
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
1999	Holy Hollywood
	The First of May
2000	Internet Love
	Phantom of the Megaplex
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
2007	The Yesterday Pool
	Bamboo Shark
	Lost Stallions: The Journey Home
2008	Driving Me Crazy

Short subjects

Year	Title
1926	Not to Be Trusted
1927	Mickey's Circus
	Mickey's Pals
	Mickey's Eleven
	Mickey's Battles
1928	Mickey's Minstrels
	Mickey's Parade
	Mickey in School
	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's Athletes
	Mickey's Big Game Hunt
1929	Mickey's Great Idea
	Mickey's Explorers
	Mickey's Menagerie
	Mickey's Last Chance
	Mickey's Brown Derby
	Mickey's Northwest Mounted

Year	Title
1929	Mickey's Initiation
	Mickey's Midnite Follies
	Mickey's Surprise
	Mickey's Mix-Up
	Mickey's Big Moment
	Mickey's Strategy
1930	Mickey's Champs
	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 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 Touchdown
	Mickey's Tent Show
	Mickey's Covered Wagon
1934	Mickey's Medicine Man
1935	Pirate Party on Catalina Isle
1936	Mickey's Derby Day
1937	Cinema Circus
1938	Andy Hardy's Dilemma
1940	Rodeo Dough
1941	Meet the Stars #4: Variety Reel #2
1943	Show Business at War
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

Mickey Rooney has made countless appearances in TV sitcoms and TV movies. 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
1964-1965	Mickey
1982	One of the Boys (canceled after 13 episodes)
1990-1993	The Adventures of the Black Stallion

Honors

Mickey Rooney was dubbed the fifth greatest actor of all time by The Academy of Film Arts and Science, just above Henry Fonda and John Wayne.

Marriages

Name	Years	Children
Ava Gardner	1942-1943
Betty Jane Rase	1944-1949	Mickey Rooney, Jr.
		Tim Rooney
Martha Vickers	1949-1951	Teddy Rooney
Elaine Devry	1952-1958
Barbara Ann Thomason (Carolyn Mitchell)	1958-1966	Kyle Rooney
		Kimmy Rooney
		Kelly Rooney
		Kerry Rooney
Marge Lane	1966-1967
Carolyn Hockett	1969-1974	Jimmy Rooney
		Jonelle Rooney
Jan Chamberlin	1978-present

References

External links

• The official website of Mickey Rooney
• The Official Home of Mickey Rooney
• Mickey Rooney at the Internet Movie Database
• Mickey Rooney on the Phil Silvers Show