Mickey Rourke was born on September 16, 1953 in Schenectady, New York. He is an American actor who has primarily appeared in drama, action, and thriller films. Trained as a boxer in his early years, he had a short stint as a professional boxer in the 1990s. Although his acting career has been uneven, he has carved out a niche over the last several decades in gritty, marginalized anti-hero roles.

Rourke's film debut was a small role in Steven Spielberg's film 1941. After this, Rourke starred in Francis Ford Coppola's follow-up to The Outsiders in 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, Diane Lane, Nicolas Cage, Chris Penn, Laurence Fishburne and Tom Waits.

He also starred in Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), Sin City (2005), Domino (2005) and Stormbreaker (2006).

Filmography

• The Night Job (2007)
• Sin City 2 (2008)
• Killshot (2007)
• Stormbreaker (2006)
• True Crime: New York City (2005)
• Domino (2005)
• Sin City (2005)
• Driv3r (2004)
• Man on Fire (2004)
• Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)
• Masked and Anonymous (2003)
• Spun (2002)
• Picture Claire (2001)
• The Follow (2001)
• The Pledge (2001)
• They Crawl (2001)
• Get Carter (2000)
• Animal Factory (2000)
• Shades (1999)
• Shergar (1999)
• Cousin Joey (1999)
• Out in Fifty (1999)
• Point Blank (1998)
• Thursday (1998)
• Thicker Than Blood (1998)
• Buffalo '66 (1998)
• The Rainmaker (1997)
• Love in Paris (1997)
• Double Team (1997)
• Bullet (1996)
• Exit in Red (1996)
• Fall Time (1995)
• The Last Outlaw (1994)
• F.T.W. (1994)
• White Sands (1992)
• Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991)
• Desperate Hours (1990)
• Wild Orchid (1990)
• Johnny Handsome (1989)
• Francesco (1989)
• Homeboy (1988)
• Barfly (1987)
• A Prayer for the Dying (1987)
• Angel Heart (1987)
• Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986)
• Year of the Dragon (1985)
• Eureka (1984)
• The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984)
• Rumble Fish (1983)
• Diner (1982)
• Body Heat (1981)
• Heaven's Gate (1980)
• Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case (1980)
• Fade to Black (1980)
• Act of Love (1980)
• City in Fear (1980)
• 1941 (1979)

Awards

• National Society of Film Critics Award Best Supporting Actor "Diner" 1982