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Creator / Mickey Rourke

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"I spent a lot of years trying to beat the system and, in the end, the system kicked my behind good."

Philip Andre Rourke Jr. (born September 16, 1952 in Schenectady, New York), known professionally as Mickey Rourke, is an American actor, screenwriter, and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in drama, action, and thriller films.


His filmography includes:


Tropes associated with the actor:

  • Canine Companion: Is famous for this. He even thanked his dogs in his 2009 Golden Globes speech.
  • Career Resurrection: invoked With The Wrestler. His career started with high critical praise and success for roles in Diner, 9½ Weeks and Angel Heart. However, his substance abuse problems (and a bizarre decision to get into boxing) would drag him down. He made a series of small, low-budget films for 20 years, until Robert Rodriguez dusted him off to play Billy in Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Marv in Sin City. Rourke then had a supporting role in box office bomb Domino before being cast in a "very close to home" role as a washed up former pro wrestler in The Wrestler, which netted him an Oscar nomination and a part oppposite Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man 2. However, after the failure of Immortals, he has fallen back out of stardom, now mainly appearing in Direct to Video films.
  • I Was Quite a Looker: He was considered a sex symbol back in the '80s and '90s, but substance abuse and attempts to fix facial injuries from his boxing career destroyed his looks.
  • Old Shame: invoked He hated the movie Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, claiming that the negative reception to the film was the starting of his downfall in Hollywood and drug abuse issues.
    • In another example, he does NOT look back at his work on Iron Man 2 fondly, and probably will never forget how the now-disbanded Marvel Creative Committee's executive meddling on the film caused scenes fleshing out his character "Whiplash" to end up on the cutting room floor and become a flat character in the process, and will possibly never be forgiven as a result.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: His very brief tenure on The Masked Singer's fourth season as "Gremlin" ended with him deciding he didn't like his costume, unmasking himself and just leaving.


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