Mickey Rourke!
Mickey Rourke
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Trained as a boxer in his early years, Rourke had a short stint as a pro fighter in the 1990s. He won a 2009 Golden Globe award and a BAFTA award, was nominated for a SAG award, and is nominated for an Academy Award for his work in the film The Wrestler.
Mickey Rourke Biography
Mickey Rourke Early life
Rourke was born in Schenectady, New York to a family of Irish and French descent. His father, Philip Andre Rourke, Sr., an amateur body builder, left the family when Mickey was six years old. After his parents divorced, his mother, Ann, married a police officer with five sons and moved Rourke, his younger brother and their sister to southern Florida, where he attended Miami Beach Senior High School.During his teenage years, Rourke focused his attention mainly on sports. He took up self-defense training at the Boys Club of Miami. It was there that he learned boxing skills and decided on an amateur career. At the age of 12, Rourke won his first boxing match as a 118-pound bantamweight, fighting some of his early matches under the name Andre Rourke. He continued his boxing training at the famed 5th Street Gym in Miami Beach, Florida, where Muhammad Ali began his career. In 1969, Rourke, then weighing 140 lbs., sparred with former World Welterweight Champion Luis Rodríguez. Rodriguez was the number one-rated middleweight boxer in the world, and was training for his match with world champion Nino Benvenuti. Rourke claims to have received a concussion in this sparring match.
At the 1971 Florida Golden Gloves, he received another concussion in a boxing match. After being told by doctors to take a year off and rest, Rourke temporarily retired from the ring. From 1968 to 1973, he compiled an amateur record of 20-7 (17 knockouts), which included wins over Ron Carter, Charles Gathers, Floyd Mayweather Snr. and Joe Riles.
Mickey Rourke Early acting roles
Soon after he temporarily gave up boxing, a friend at the University of Miami told Rourke about a play he was directing, Deathwatch, and how the man playing the role of Green Eyes had quit. Rourke got the part and immediately became enamored of acting. Borrowing $400 from his sister, he went to New York in order to take private lessons with an acting teacher from the Actors Studio, Sandra Seacat.Rourke's film debut was a small role in Steven Spielberg's film 1941. However, it was his portrayal of an arsonist in Body Heat that garnered significant attention, despite his modest time onscreen. He mostly appeared in television movies in his early career. During the early 1980s, Rourke starred in the cult classic Diner, which also starred Paul Reiser, Daniel Stern, Steve Guttenberg, Tim Daly and Kevin Bacon. Soon thereafter, Rourke starred in Francis Ford Coppola's follow-up to The Outsiders, the coming-of-age tale, Rumble Fish. Playing the enigmatic older brother of Matt Dillon's character, he was praised as a standout in a film that also featured such talents as Dennis Hopper, Vincent Spano, Diane Lane, Nicolas Cage, Chris Penn, Laurence Fishburne and Tom Waits.
Rourke's performance in the film The Pope of Greenwich Village alongside Daryl Hannah and Eric Roberts also caught the attention of critics. While the film was a box office flop during its initial release, it has become something of a minor cult hit.
In the mid-1980s, Rourke earned himself additional leading roles. His role alongside Kim Basinger in the controversial, sexually themed box-office hit 9½ Weeks helped him gain "sex symbol" status. He received critical praise for his work in Barfly as the alcoholic writer Henry Chinaski (the literary alter ego of Charles Bukowski) and in Year of the Dragon. In 1987, Rourke appeared in Angel Heart. The film, which also stars Robert De Niro, was directed by Alan Parker and nominated for several awards. It was seen as controversial by some due to a sex scene involving Cosby Show cast member Lisa Bonet, who won an award for her part in the film. Although some of Rourke's work was viewed as controversial in the U.S., he was well-received by European, and especially French, audiences, who loved the "rumpled, slightly dirty, sordid ... rebel persona" that he projected in Year of the Dragon, 9½ Weeks, Angel Heart, and Desperate Hours.
In the late 1980s, Rourke performed with musician David Bowie on the Never Let Me Down album. Around the same time he also wrote his first screenplay, Homeboy, a boxing tale in which he starred. In 1989, Rourke starred in the docu-drama Francesco, portraying St. Francis of Assisi. In 1991, he starred in the box office bomb Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man as Harley Davidson, a biker whose best friend, Marlboro, was played by Miami Vice star Don Johnson. This was followed by Wild Orchid, another critically panned film, which gained him a nomination for a Razzie award (also for Desperate Hours).
Rourke's acting career eventually became overshadowed by his personal life and seemingly eccentric career decisions. Directors such as Alan Parker found it difficult to work with him. Parker stated that "working with Mickey is a nightmare. He is very dangerous on the set because you never know what he is going to do". He is alleged to have turned down a number of high-profile acting roles, including Eliot Ness in The Untouchables, Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop, Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs, Tom Cruise's role in Rain Man, Nick Nolte's part in 48 Hrs., Christopher Lambert's part in Highlander and a part in Platoon. In a documentary on the special edition DVD of Tombstone, actor Michael Biehn, who plays the part of Johnny Ringo, mentions that his role was first offered to Rourke.
Mickey Rourke From actor to boxer
In 1991, Rourke decided that he "…had to go back to boxing" because he felt that he "… was self-destructing … (and) had no respect for myself being an actor." Rourke was undefeated in 8 fights, with six wins (4 by knock-out) and two draws. He fought as far afield as Spain, Japan and Germany. He never achieved national prominence and he suffered a number of injuries, including a broken nose, toe, ribs, a split tongue, and a compressed cheekbone. His trainer during his boxing career was Hells Angels member Chuck Zito, and his entrance song was Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child o' Mine."Boxing promoters stated that Rourke was too old to do well against top-level fighters. Indeed, Rourke himself admits that entering the ring was a sort of personal test: "(I) just wanted to give it a shot, test myself that way physically, while I still had time (interview in The Gate with Christopher Heard)." In 1995, Rourke retired from boxing and returned to acting.
Mickey Rourke Boxing record
6 Wins (4 knockouts, 2 decisions), 0 Losses, 2 DrawsRes. Record Opponent Type Rd., Time Date Location
Notes
Draw 6-0-2 Sean Gibbons Majority draw 4 September 8, 1994 Davie, Florida, USA Scoring was 37-39 for
Gibbons, 38-38 and 38-38.
Win 6-0-1 Thomas McCoy TKO 3
(4) November 20, 1993 Hamburg, Germany
Win 5-0-1 Bubba Stotts TKO 3
(4) July 24, 1993 Joplin, Missouri, USA
Win 4-0-1 Tom Bentley KO 1
(4) March 30, 1993 Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Win 3-0-1 Terry Jesmer Decision 4 December 12, 1992 Asturias, Spain
Win 2-0-1 Darrell Miller KO 1
(4), 2:14 June 23, 1991 Tokyo, Japan
Draw 1-0-1 Francisco Harris Majority draw 4 April 25, 1992 Miami Beach, Florida, USA Scoring was 38-39 for
Harris, 38-38 and 38-38.
Win 1-0 Steve Powell Unanimous decision 4 May 23, 1991 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA Scoring was 38-37, 38-37 and 39-37.
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Mickey Rourke 1990s return to acting
In the early 1990s, Rourke was offered and declined the role of Butch Coolidge in Pulp Fiction. After his retirement from boxing, Rourke did accept supporting roles in several 1990s films, including Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of John Grisham's The Rainmaker, Vincent Gallo's Buffalo '66, Steve Buscemi's Animal Factory, Sean Penn's The Pledge and Sylvester Stallone's remake of Get Carter. Rourke also has written several films under the name "'Sir' Eddie Cook," including Bullet, in which he co-starred with Tupac Shakur.While Rourke was also selected for a significant role in Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line, Rourke's part ended up on the editing room floor. Rourke also played a small part in the film Thursday, in which he plays a crooked cop. He also had a lead role in 1997's Double Team, which co-starred martial arts actor Jean-Claude Van Damme. It was Rourke's first over-the-top action film role, in which he played the lead villain. During that same year, he filmed Another 9½ Weeks, a sequel to 9½ Weeks, which only received limited distribution. He ended the 1990s with the direct-to-video films Out in Fifty, Shades and television movie Shergar, which is about kidnapping of Epsom Derby winning thoroughbred racehorse Shergar.
Mickey Rourke 2000s
In 2001, he appeared as the villain in Enrique Iglesias's music video for "Hero," which also featured Jennifer Love Hewitt. In 2002, Rourke took the role of The Cook in Jonas Åkerlund's Spun, teaming up once again with Eric Roberts. His first collaborations with directors Robert Rodriguez and Tony Scott in Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Man on Fire, were for smaller roles. Nonetheless, these directors subsequently decided to cast Rourke in lead roles in their next films.In 2005, Rourke made his comeback in mainstream Hollywood circles with a lead role (Marv) in Robert Rodriguez's adaptation of Frank Miller's Sin City. Rourke received awards from the Chicago Film Critics Association, the IFTA and the Online Film Critics Society, as well as "Man of the Year" from Total Film magazine that year. Rourke followed Sin City with a supporting role in Tony Scott's Domino alongside Keira Knightley, in which he played a bounty hunter.
Rourke played the role of "The Blackbird" in an adaptation of Elmore Leonard's Killshot, the role of "Darrius Sayle" in an adaptation of the Alex Rider novel Stormbreaker. He will also appear alongside Ray Liotta in John McNaughton's The Night Job, as well as reprising the role of "Marv" in the Dame to Kill For segment of Sin City 2.
In addition, in 2003, Rourke provided the voice for "Jericho" in the third installment of the Driver video game series. Rourke also recently appeared in a 40-page story by photographer Bryan Adams for Berlin's Zoo Magazine. In an article about Rourke's return to steady acting roles, entitled "Mickey Rourke Rising" (from The Gate), Christopher Heard stated that actors/musicians Tupac Shakur, Johnny Depp, Sean Penn and Brad Pitt have "…animated praise for Rourke and his work."
Despite having withdrawn from acting at various points, and having made movies that he now sees as a creative "sell-out" (the action film Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man), Rourke has stated that "…all that I have been through…has made me a better, more interesting actor." Rourke's renewed interest in pursuing acting can be seen in his statement that "… my best work is still ahead of me" (article in The Gate).
In February 2007 he was in South Beach, Florida, protesting against a puppy store he claims sells dogs infected with parvo. He wanted the store to shut down, claiming a puppy he bought for his friend at the store died. He was supported by other activists.
Mickey signed up to act in the movie version of the The Informers in the role of Peter, an amoral former studio security guard who plots to kidnap a small child.
Mickey plays the lead in The Wrestler, winner of the Golden Lion Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival, about washed-up professional wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson. Mickey trained under former WWE wrestler Afa the Wild Samoan for the part, and has received a British Academy (BAFTA) award, a Golden Globe award, an Oscar nomination and an Independent Spirit Awards nomination as Best Actor.
During a roundtable session of Oscar nominated actors held by Newsweek, Brad Pitt cited Rourke as one of his early acting heroes along with Sean Penn and Gary Oldman.
Mickey Rourke Political views
Rourke's political views came under fire when he claimed to have donated part of his salary from the 1989 film Francesco to the Provisional Irish Republican Army. He later retracted the statement, although he has an IRA symbol tattoo.Regarding his views on President George W. Bush and the September 11 Attacks, Rourke stated in an interview, "President Bush was in the wrong place at the wrong time, I don't know how anyone could have handled this situation." He went on to say, "I don't give a fuck who's in office, Bush or whoever; there is no simple solution to this problem . . . I'm not one of those who blames Bush for everything. This shit between Christians and Muslims goes back to the Crusades, doesn't it?"
Mickey Rourke Personal life
Rourke has dated several celebrities, including Terry Farrell and Sasha Volkova. He has been married twice. In 1981 he married Debra Feuer, whom he met on the set of Hardcase (1981) and who co-starred with him in Homeboy (1988) as his love interest. The marriage ended in 1989, with Rourke subsequently commenting that making the film 9½ Weeks "was not particularly considerate to my wife's needs. Wild Orchid co-star Carré Otis was briefly a cause célèbre following the release of the film due to rumors she and then-lover Rourke filmed an unsimulated sex scene. Otis married Rourke on June 26, 1992. In 1994 Rourke was arrested for spousal abuse. The charges were dropped after the couple reconciled. They gave their relationship another chance and also starred together in Exit in Red, but their marriage ended in December 1998. In November 2007, Rourke was arrested again, this time on DUI charges in Miami Beach.He is a practicing Roman Catholic. In numerous TV and print interviews, he attributes his comeback after fourteen years to weekly meetings with a psychiatrist, "Steve," and to a Catholic priest he identified as "Father Pete." In addition to his faith and his psychiatric treatment, Rourke has publicly attributed his comeback to his dogs.
He is well-known as a pet fancier, particularly fond of small-breed dogs. A spay/neuter advocate, Rourke participated in a protest outside of a pet shop in 2007 and has done a public service announcement for PETA.
His first little dog was reportedly a gift from his second wife. Though Rourke's dogs are generally referred to as "chihuahuas," some are not pure-bred. Loki, his most-publicized dog whom he described as "the love of my life," was a chihuahua-terrier mix. So reliant was Rourke on Loki's companionship, he spent US$5,400 to have her flown to England while he was on the set of the film Stormbreaker.
Rourke gave his dogs credit during his Golden Globes Best Actor acceptance speech January 11, 2009: "I'd like to thank all my dogs. The ones that are here, the ones that aren't here anymore because sometimes when a man's alone, that's all you got is your dog. And they've meant the world to me." The day of the 2009 Golden Globes show, he told Barbara Walters that "I sort of self-destructed and everything came out about fourteen years ago or so ... the wife had left, the career was over, the money was not an ounce. The dogs were there when no one else was there." Asked by Walters if he had considered suicide, he responded:
“Yeah, I didn't want to be here, but I didn't want to kill myself. I just wanted to push a button and disappear....I think I hadn't left the house for four or five months, and I was sitting in the closet, sleeping in the closet for some reason, and I was in a bad place, and I just remember I was thinking, 'Oh, man, if I do this,' and then I looked at my dog, Lowjack, and he made a sound, like a little almost human sound. I don't have kids, the dogs became everything to me. The dog was looking at me going, 'Who's going to take care of me?'”
Mickey Rourke
Despite being identified as "Lowjack" in the transcription above, the dog in the anecdote was apparently Beau Jack, who sired two of Rourke's later pets, Loki and her littermate Chocolate. Beau Jack died in 2002, though Rourke gave him 45 minutes of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Chocolate was the subject of a children's book, Chocolate at the Four Seasons, about his temporary stay with producer Bonnie Timmerman. Chocolate returned to Rourke and died in 2006. In addition to those dogs and several other past pets, Rourke presently owns a chihuahua named Jaws who appeared with him in his 2009 PETA ad. He has had as many as seven dogs at one time, back in 2005. At the time of his Golden Globes tribute to his pets, Rourke owned five chihuahuas: Loki, Jaws, Ruby Baby, La Negra and Bella Loca. About a month later, on February 18, 2009, Loki died in Rourke's arms at the age of 18.
Aside from his passion for dogs, Rourke is also a motorcycle enthusiast and uses motorcycles in some of his films. He has written or co-written six scripts: Homeboy, The Last Ride, Bullet, Killer Moon, Penance and the latest, Pain. Of these, the first three have been produced as movies.
This is a complete filmography of Mickey Rourke. This list includes information about films starring Mickey Rourke, notes, awards, his television works, trivia, highest-grossing films, critical acclaim of Mickey's films, shows where Mickey Rourke appeared, roles he turned down, etc. You can also find information about his other work and previous collaborations.
Mickey Rourke began his career in the film 1941, directed by Steven Spielberg. Later, Rourke starred in television movies and made brief appearances in feature films. He made his breakthrough performance in the film Diner. Later, his career continued with popular films such as 9½ Weeks, The Pope of Greenwich Village, Rumble Fish, Year of the Dragon, Barfly, Angel Heart and many more. Rourke also starred in a film about Francis of Assisi called Francesco. In the early 1990s, he returned to boxing and didn't star in many films. He also turned down many roles that proved to be fortuitous for other actors. In the 2000s, he returned to prominance and won a Saturn Award for his performance in Sin City. Rourke has worked with well-known actors including Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken.
Mickey starred in theater films, direct-to-video films and television works. He also wrote some of his films under the name "Sir" Eddie Cook. Rourke also made cameo appearances in some of his films like The Pledge or They Crawl. You also can find upcoming films of Rourke.
Mickey Rourke Filmography
Films
Year Title Role Director(s)1979 1941 Pvt. Reese Steven Spielberg
1980 Heaven's Gate Nick Ray Michael Cimino
Fade to Black Richie Vernon Zimmerman
1981 Body Heat Teddy Lewis Lawrence Kasdan
1982 Diner Robert 'Boogie' Sheftell Barry Levinson
1983 Rumble Fish The Motorcycle Boy Francis Ford Coppola
1984 The Pope of Greenwich Village Charlie Moran Stuart Rosenberg
Eureka Aurelio D'Amato Nicolas Roeg
1985 Year of the Dragon Capt. Stanley White Michael Cimino
1986 9½ Weeks John Gray Adrian Lyne
1987 Angel Heart Harold R. "Harry" Angel Alan Parker
Barfly Henry Chinaski Barbet Schroeder
A Prayer for the Dying Martin Fallon Mike Hodges
1988 Homeboy Johnny Walker Michael Seresin
1989 Francesco Francesco Lilianna Cavani
Johnny Handsome John Sedley a.k.a. Johnny Handsome/Johnny Mitchell Walter Hill
1990 Wild Orchid James Wheeler Zalman King
Desperate Hours Michael Bosworth Michael Cimino
1991 Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man Harley Davidson Simon Wincer
1992 White Sands Gorman Lennox Roger Donaldson
1994 F.T.W. Frank T. Wells Michael Karbelnikoff
1995 Fall Time Florence Paul W. Warner
1996 Bullet Butch 'Bullet' Stein Julien Temple
1997 Double Team Stavros Tsui Hark
The Rainmaker J. Lyman "Bruiser" Stone Francis Ford Coppola
1998 Buffalo ’66 The Bookie Vincent Gallo
Thursday Kasarov Skip Woods
1999 Cousin Joey One of the brothers Sante D'Orazio
Shades Paul S. Sullivan Erik Van Looy
2000 Animal Factory Jan the Actress Steve Buscemi
Get Carter Cyrus Paice Stephen Kay
2001 The Pledge Jim Olstad Sean Penn
The Hire: The Follow Husband (short film) Kar Wai Wong
Picture Claire Eddie Bruce McDonald
2002 Spun The Cook Jonas Åkerlund
2003 Masked and Anonymous Edmund Larry Charles
Once Upon a Time in Mexico Billy Chambers Robert Rodriguez
2004 Man on Fire Jordan Kalfus Tony Scott
2005 Sin City Marv Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller
Domino Ed Mosbey Tony Scott
2006 Stormbreaker Darrius Sayle Geoffrey Sax
2008 The Wrestler Randy "Ram" Robinson Darren Aronofsky
2009 Killshot Armand "The Blackbird" Degas John Madden
The Informers Peter Gregor Jordan
2010 13 Jefferson Géla Babluani
Television
Year Title Role Director1980 City in Fear Tony Pate Alan Smithee
Jud Taylor
Act of Love Joseph Cybulkowski Jud Taylor
Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case John Rideout Peter Levin
1981 Hardcase Perk Dawson Lee H. Katzin
1994 The Last Outlaw Graff Geoff Murphy
1998 Thicker Than Blood Father Frank Larkin Richard Pearce
Direct to video films
Year Title Role Director1996 Exit in Red Ed Altman Yurek Bogayevicz
1997 Love in Paris: Another 9 1/2 Weeks John Gray Anne Goursaud
1998 Point Blank Rudy Ray Matt Earl Beesley
1999 Out in Fifty Jack Bracken Scott Leet
Christopher Bojesse
Shergar Gavin O'Rourke Denis C. Lewiston
2001 They Crawl Tiny Frakes John Allardice
Other works in films
Year Title Credit Other work1988 Homeboy screenplay
1994 F.T.W. story
1995 Bullet screenplay music supervisor
Mickey Rourke Career Awards
Year Award Nomination Film Result1983 Boston Society of Film Critics Award Best Supporting Actor Diner Won
National Society of Film Critics Best Support Diner Won
1988 Independent Spirit Awards Best Actor Barfly Nominated
1991 Razzie Award Worst Actor Desperate Hours Nominated
Wild Orchid 2006 Saturn Award Best Supporting Actor Sin City Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor
Irish Film and Television Awards Best International Actor
Online Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actor
Satellite Award Best Supporting Actor Nominated
Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Best Ensemble Nominated
Critics' Choice Award Best Ensemble Nominated
Total Film magazine Man of the Year Voted
2008 Moviefone Sexiest Movie Couple 9½ Weeks Voted
Golden Orange Award Honorary Award Won
Satellite Awards Best Actor - Drama The Wrestler Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Best Actor Won
San Francisco Film Critics Best Actor Won
Broadcast Film Critics Best Actor Nominated
San Diego Film Critics Society Best Actor Won
Toronto Film Critics Association Best Actor Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Best Actor Won
Florida Film Critics Circle Best Actor Won
Detroit Film Critics Society Best Actor Won
2009 Golden Globe Award Best Actor - Drama Won
Independent Spirit Award Best Male Lead Nominated*
BAFTA Award Best Actor Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards Best Male Actor Nominated
Academy Awards Best Actor Nominated*
Santa Barbara International Film Festival Riviera Award Awarded
Mickey Rourke Highest grossing films
These are the highest-grossing films of Mickey Rourke's (according to BoxOfficeMojo) only in USA.Rank Title Gross (US)
1 Man on Fire 77 million
2 Sin City 74 million
3 Once Upon a Time in Mexico 56 million
4 The Rainmaker 45 million
5 1941 31 million
Mickey Rourke Critical Acclaim
Only two films of Mickey Rourke’s are in the IMDb Top 250. Sin City is #85 and The Wrestler is #78. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Mickey’s most “fresh” film is The Wrestler and most "rotten" film is Wild Orchid.Mickey Rourke Rotten Tomatoes
You can find below only films of Mickey Rourke which ranked as "fresh" in the site Rotten Tomatoes.Rank Title %
1 The Wrestler 98%
2 Body Heat 97%
3 Diner 96%
4 The Pope of Greenwich Village 89%
5 The Rainmaker 88%
6 Animal Factory 83%
7 Barfly 80%
8 Sin City 77%
Rank Title %
9 Buffalo '66 77%
10 The Pledge 77%
11 Angel Heart 76%
12 Once Upon a Time in Mexico 69%
13 Rumble Fish 68%
14 A Prayer for the Dying 63%
15 9 1/2 Weeks 62%
16 Year of the Dragon 60%
Mickey Rourke Metacritic
This list includes only fresh films of M. Rourke in Metacritic. Rank Title %1 Diner 86%
2 The Wrestler 81%
3 Body Heat 78%
4 The Rainmaker 72%
5 The Pledge 71%
6 Buffalo '66 68%
7 The Animal Factory 65%
8 Rumble Fish 63%
Mickey Rourke Television shows
Title EpisodeWetten, dass..? Wetten, dass..? aus Duisburg (1990)
The Word Episode #4.10 (1994)
V Graham Norton Episode #5.30 (2003)
The O'Reilly Factor Episode dated 11 April 2005
Late Show with David Letterman Episode dated 12 April 2005 and December 2008
On a tout essayé Episode dated 17 May 2005
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross Episode #8.10 (2005)
Tout le monde en parle Episode dated 28 May 2005
Jimmy Kimmel Live! Episode dated 12 October 2005
Corazon de Episode dated 13 October 2005
Magacine Episode dated 14 October 2005
Quelli che... il calcio Episode #14.13 (2006)
Mickey Rourke Not-starring films
This section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (January 2009)This list includes films which considered or turned down by Mickey Rourke. You can find information about these films and actor(s) who get the part.
Rourke turned down the several key roles in his career.
Film Character Actor who got the part Notes
48 Hrs. Jack Cates Nick Nolte Turned down the role
Beverly Hills Cop Axel Foley Eddie Murphy Axel Foley was originally going to be played by Sylvester Stallone or Mickey Rourke.
Grindhouse Stuntman Mike Kurt Russell Mickey Rourke, Sylvester Stallone and Ving Rhames were other actors said to be considered for the part of
"Stuntman Mike" before Kurt Russell stepped into the role.
Highlander Connor 'The Highlander' MacLeod/Russell Edwin Nash Christopher Lambert Considered
In the Cut Mickey was cast in one of the main roles but Nicole Kidman stated she wouldn't work with him, even though she hadn't meet him before. She later dropped out of the lead role herself.
Pulp Fiction Butch Coolidge Bruce Willis Role offered to Rourke, Rourke passed for his boxing career.
Inglourious Basterds Lt. Aldo Raine Brad Pitt Quentin Tarantino reportedly wrote the screenplay with Mickey Rourke in mind. Tarantino changed his mind when Robert Rodriguez used Rourke in Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Sin City.
Luck of the Draw Mickey Rourke was replaced after a complication about whether he could include his pet chihuahua in a scene.
The Outsiders Mickey Rourke made a good impression during the casting of "The Outsiders" but wasn't quite right for any of those parts.
Coppola then cast him for the follow-up "Rumble Fish."
Revolver Turned down the role for making Domino.
Platoon Sgt. Grodin Willem Dafoe. He passed on it
Rain Man Charlie Babbitt Tom Cruise Possibly due to schedule conflicts.
The Silence of the Lambs Jack Crawford Scott Glenn Considered
Top Gun Turned down the role
The Untouchables Elliot Ness Kevin Costner Turned it down
Tombstone Johnny Ringo Michael Biehn In a documentary on the special edition DVD of Tombstone, Michael Biehn mentions that the role of Ringo was first offered to Rourke.
Mickey Rourke Previous collaborations
During his career, Rourke worked with directors including Steven Spielberg, Lawrence Kasdan, Francis Ford Coppola, Barry Levinson, Stuart Rosenberg, Nicolas Roeg, Michael Cimino, Adrian Lyne, Alan Parker, Mike Hodges, Barbet Schroeder, Walter Hill, Tsui Hark, Terrence Malick, Jonas Åkerlund, Wong Kar Wai, Tony Scott, Robert Rodriguez and John Madden, as well as actors-turned-directors Sean Penn, Vincent Gallo and Steve Buscemi. Rourke also starred in the films which also stars popular actors including Kim Basinger, Jean Claude Van Damme, Helena Bonham Carter, Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Tupac Shakur, Bruce Willis, Benicio del Toro, Alicia Silverstone, Anthony Hopkins, Jack Nicholson, Willem Dafoe, Johnny Depp, Denzel Washington, Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Robert De Niro and so on. Rourke worked with actor Christopher Walken 5 times. They starred together in the films Heaven's Gate, Homeboy, Man on Fire, Domino and voice acting in video game True Crime: New York City (2005).Christopher Walken stated to the Film Comment on August, 1992 that destiny to make Homeboy with Mickey Rourke:
“Mickey Rourke and I were in Heaven's Gate together; he had this tiny part and I was playing whatsisname. We were sitting up there in the mountains talking about...dinosaurs. And I told him about this thing I had read in some science magazine, that there's a theory that dinosaurs really never disappeared at all. That in fact all they did was get smaller and smaller, their scales turned into feathers and they flew away-and that in fact dinosaurs are still with us, there just birds. And Mickey said, ‘That's interesting,’ and he started telling me about this movie that he was going to do someday about a boxer and it was called Homeboy. You know, I remember also he told me at the time, ‘There's this guy, the fighters manager, and your gonna play this part.’ I said, ‘Okay Mickey, lets go.’ So almost ten years went by and there we were making it. And I said to him, ‘Why don’t I tell that story about the birds and dinosaurs?’ He said. ‘Right.’ And there is that scene at the beach with all the seagulls, talking about dinosaurs. It's completely disconnected from anything going on in the movie, but I think it's one of the things in the movie...It's real. Here are these two guys who are really kind of victims, talking about the origin and destiny of dinosaurs.”
Mickey Rourke Other works
Mickey Rourke made stage debut in revival of Arthur Miller's "A View From the Bridge". Mickey Rourke also made voice acting in the video games Driv3r (2004) as Jericho and True Crime: New York City (2005) as Terrence "Terry" Higgins, which was the his fifth and last work with actor Christopher Walken. He also appeared in a Japanese TV commercial for Suntory Reserve (early 90s) and a commercial for Toyota.Rourke starred in a music video, Hero. He played a gangster in this Enrique Iglesias music video. Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt also made an appearance in this clip. Rourke also provided the mid-song rap on the David Bowie song "Shining Star (Makin' My Love)" on his album Never Let Me Down (1987).
