From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor, vaudevillian, comedian, producer, and radio personality. In a career spanning nine decades and continuing until shortly before his death, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the silent film era.
At the height of a career that was marked by declines and comebacks, Rooney performed the role of Andy Hardy in a series of 16 films in the 1930s and 1940s that epitomized American family values. A versatile performer, he became a celebrated character actor later in his career. Laurence Olivier once said he considered Rooney "the best there has ever been". Clarence Brown, who directed him in two of his earliest dramatic roles, National Velvet and The Human Comedy, said he was "the closest thing to a genius I ever worked with".
Rooney first performed in vaudeville as a child and made his film debut at the age of six. At 14, he played Puck in the play and later the 1935 film adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Critic David Thomson hailed his performance as "one of the cinema's most arresting pieces of magic". In 1938, he co-starred in Boys Town. At 19, he was the first teenager to be nominated for an Oscar for his leading role in Babes in Arms, and he was awarded a special Academy Juvenile Award in 1939. At the peak of his career between the ages of 15 and 25, he made 43 films, which made him one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's most consistently successful actors and a favorite of MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer.
Rooney was the top box-office attraction from 1939 to 1941 and one of the best-paid actors of that era, but his career would never again rise to such heights. Drafted into the Army during World War II, he served nearly two years entertaining over two million troops on stage and radio and was awarded a Bronze Star for performing in combat zones. Returning from the war in 1945, he was too old for juvenile roles but too short to be an adult movie star, and was unable to get as many starring roles. Nevertheless, Rooney's popularity was renewed with well-received supporting roles in films such as Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), and The Black Stallion (1979). In the early 1980s, he returned to Broadway in Sugar Babies and again became a celebrated star. Rooney made hundreds of appearances on TV, including dramas, variety programs, and talk shows, and won an Emmy in 1982 plus a Golden Globe for his role in Bill (1981).
Golden Globe Awards
Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
Known For
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
(2014)
Gus
The Fox and the Hound
(1981)
Tod (voice)
Breakfast at Tiffany's
(1961)
Mr. Yunioshi
Night at the Museum
(2006)
Gus
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure
(2001)
Sparky (voice)
Babe: Pig in the City
(1998)
Fugly Floom, the Speechless Man in Hotel
The Muppets
(2011)
Smalltown Resident
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
(1963)
Ding 'Dingy' Bell
Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland
(1989)
Flip (voice)
Pete's Dragon
(1977)
Lampie
Erik the Viking
(1989)
Erik's Grandfather
The Black Stallion
(1979)
Henry Dailey
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
(1970)
Kris Kringle aka Santa Claus (voice)
Captains Courageous
(1937)
Dan Troop
The Care Bears Movie
(1985)
Mr. Cherrywood (voice)
The Year Without a Santa Claus
(1974)
Santa Claus (voice)
Full Filmography
Acting
Mickey's Pals
(1927)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Eleven
(1927)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Circus
(1927)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Battle
(1927)
Mickey McGuire
Orchids and Ermine
(1927)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Big Game Hunt
(1928)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Movies
(1928)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey the Detective
(1928)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey in School
(1928)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Little Eva
(1928)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Wild West
(1928)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Rivals
(1928)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Great Idea
(1929)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Surprise
(1929)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Big Moment
(1929)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Mix-Up
(1929)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Northwest Mounted
(1929)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Explorers
(1929)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Brown Derby
(1929)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Midnite Follies
(1929)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Menagerie
(1929)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Luck
(1930)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Warriors
(1930)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Champs
(1930)
Mickey McGuire
The Voice of Hollywood No. 8
(1930)
Mickey's Whirlwinds
(1930)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Stampede
(1931)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Wildcats
(1931)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Thrill Hunters
(1931)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Rebellion
(1931)
Mickey McGuire
The Hare Mail
(1931)
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (voice)
The Fisherman
(1931)
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (voice)
Radio Rhythm
(1931)
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (voice)
Hot Feet
(1931)
Oswald (voice) (uncredited)
The Hunter
(1931)
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (voice) (uncredited)
Officer Thirteen
(1932)
Buddy Malone
Sin's Pay Day
(1932)
Chubby Dennis
My Pal, the King
(1932)
King Charles V
The Beast of the City
(1932)
Mickey Fitzpatrick (uncredited)
Fast Companions
(1932)
Midge
High Speed
(1932)
Buddy Whipple (uncredited)
Broadway to Hollywood
(1933)
Ted Hackett III as Child
The Big Chance
(1933)
Arthur Wilson
Mickey's Race
(1933)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Ape Man
(1933)
Mickey McGuire
The World Changes
(1933)
Otto Peterson as a Child
Mickey's Touchdown
(1933)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Covered Wagon
(1933)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Tent Show
(1933)
Mickey McGuire
The Chief
(1933)
Willie
The Big Cage
(1933)
Jimmy O'Hara
The Life of Jimmy Dolan
(1933)
Freckles (uncredited)
Manhattan Melodrama
(1934)
Blackie as a Boy
Hide-Out
(1934)
William 'Willie' Miller
Mickey's Minstrels
(1934)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Rescue
(1934)
Mickey McGuire
Mickey's Medicine Man
(1934)
Mickey McGuire
Blind Date
(1934)
Freddie Taylor
Death on the Diamond
(1934)
Mickey
Love Birds
(1934)
Gladwyn Tootle
Chained
(1934)
Boy Shipboard Swimmer (uncredited)
Half a Sinner
(1934)
Willie Clark
Beloved
(1934)
Tommy, a Violin Student
I Like it That Way
(1934)
Messenger Boy
Ah, Wilderness!
(1935)
Tommy Miller
The Healer
(1935)
Jimmy
A Midsummer Night's Dream
(1935)
Puck
Reckless
(1935)
Eddie
A Dream Comes True
(1935)
Puck (archive footage) (uncredited)
Pirate Party on Catalina Isle
(1935)
Mickey Rooney
The County Chairman
(1935)
Freckles
Rendezvous
(1935)
Country Boy (uncredited)
Little Lord Fauntleroy
(1936)
Dick Tipton
Riffraff
(1936)
Jimmy
Down the Stretch
(1936)
Snapper Sinclair
The Devil Is a Sissy
(1936)
'Gig' Stevens
Captains Courageous
(1937)
Dan Troop
Thoroughbreds Don't Cry
(1937)
Timmie Donovan
Cinema Circus
(1937)
Himself
A Family Affair
(1937)
Andy Hardy
You're Only Young Once
(1937)
Andy Hardy
Slave Ship
(1937)
Swifty
Live, Love and Learn
(1937)
Jerry Crump
Hoosier Schoolboy
(1937)
Shockey Carter
Boys Town
(1938)
Whitey Marsh
Love Finds Andy Hardy
(1938)
Andy Hardy
Hollywood Handicap
(1938)
Himself
Lord Jeff
(1938)
Terry O'Mulvaney
Out West with the Hardys
(1938)
Andy Hardy
Judge Hardy's Children
(1938)
Andy Hardy
Stablemates
(1938)
Mickey
Love Is a Headache
(1938)
Mike O'Toole
Hold That Kiss
(1938)
Chick Evans
Another Romance of Celluloid
(1938)
Self (uncredited)
March of Dimes
(1938)
Mickey
Babes in Arms
(1939)
Mickey Moran
Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever
(1939)
Andy Hardy
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
(1939)
Huckleberry Finn
Judge Hardy and Son
(1939)
Andy Hardy
The Hardys Ride High
(1939)
Andy Hardy
Loews Christmas Greeting (The Hardy Family)
(1939)
Andy Hardy
From the Ends of the Earth
(1939)
Self
Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 8
(1939)
Mickey Rooney
Andy Hardy Meets Debutante
(1940)
Andy Hardy
Strike Up the Band
(1940)
Jimmy Connors
Young Tom Edison
(1940)
Thomas Alva 'Tom' Edison
Rodeo Dough
(1940)
Mickey Rooney
Andy Hardy's Dilemma: A Lesson in Mathematics... and Other Things
(1940)
Andy Hardy
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
(1940)
Self
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
(1940)
Self
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
(1940)
Self
Trifles of Importance
(1940)
Self (archive footage)
Babes on Broadway
(1941)
Tommy Williams
Andy Hardy's Private Secretary
(1941)
Andy Hardy
Life Begins for Andy Hardy
(1941)
Andy Hardy
Men of Boys Town
(1941)
Whitey Marsh
Andy Hardy's Double Life
(1942)
Andy Hardy
The Courtship of Andy Hardy
(1942)
Andy Hardy
A Yank at Eton
(1942)
Timothy Dennis
Personalities
(1942)
Andy Hardy (screen test footage) (uncredited)
Girl Crazy
(1943)
Danny Churchill, Jr.
Thousands Cheer
(1943)
Himself - Emcee at the Show
The Human Comedy
(1943)
Homer Macauley
Show-Business at War
(1943)
Self
Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble
(1944)
Andy Hardy
National Velvet
(1945)
Michael 'Mi' Taylor
Mickey the Great
(1945)
Mickey McGuire
Love Laughs at Andy Hardy
(1946)
Andy Hardy
Killer McCoy
(1947)
Tommy McCoy / Killer McCoy
Words and Music
(1948)
Lorenz Hart
Summer Holiday
(1948)
Richard Miller
The Big Wheel
(1949)
Billy Coy
Quicksand
(1950)
Daniel 'Dan' Brady
The Fireball
(1950)
Johnny Casar
He's a Cockeyed Wonder
(1950)
Freddie Frisby
My Outlaw Brother
(1951)
J. Dennis 'Denny' O'Moore
The Strip
(1951)
Stanley Maxton
Sound Off
(1952)
Mike Donnelly
Off Limits
(1952)
Herbert Tuttle
All Ashore
(1953)
Francis 'Moby' Dickerson
A Slight Case of Larceny
(1953)
Augustus "Geechy" Cheevers
Screen Snapshots: Mickey Rooney, Then and Now
(1953)
Himself
Drive a Crooked Road
(1954)
Eddie Shannon
The Bridges at Toko-Ri
(1954)
Mike Forney
The Atomic Kid
(1954)
Barnaby 'Blix' Waterberry
The Twinkle In God's Eye
(1955)
Rev. William Macklin II
Francis in the Haunted House
(1956)
David Prescott
The Bold and the Brave
(1956)
Willie Dooley
Magnificent Roughnecks
(1956)
Frank Sommers
Baby Face Nelson
(1957)
Lester M. 'Baby Face Nelson' Gillis
Operation Mad Ball
(1957)
MSgt. Yancy Skibo
Pinocchio
(1957)
Pinocchio
The Comedian
(1957)
Sammy Hogarth
Mr. Broadway
(1957)
A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed
(1958)
Gus Harris
Andy Hardy Comes Home
(1958)
Andy Hardy
The Last Mile
(1959)
'Killer' John Mears
The Big Operator
(1959)
Little Joe Braun
Platinum High School
(1960)
Steven Conway
The Private Lives of Adam and Eve
(1960)
Nick Lewis / The Devil
Breakfast at Tiffany's
(1961)
Mr. Yunioshi
King of the Roaring 20's – The Story of Arnold Rothstein
(1961)
Johnny Burke
Everything's Ducky
(1961)
Kermit 'Beetle' McKay
Who Killed Julie Greer?
(1961)
Mike Zampini
Requiem for a Heavyweight
(1962)
Army
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
(1963)
Ding 'Dingy' Bell
The Secret Invasion
(1964)
Terence Scanlon
Twenty-Four Hours to Kill
(1965)
Norman Jones
How to Stuff a Wild Bikini
(1965)
Peachy Keane
The Devil in Love
(1966)
Adramelek
Ambush Bay
(1966)
Sgt. Ernest Wartell
Skidoo
(1968)
George 'Blue Chips' Packard
Vienna
(1968)
The Comic
(1969)
Cockeye
The Extraordinary Seaman
(1969)
Cook 3 / C W.J. Oglethorpe
80 Steps to Jonah
(1969)
Wilfred Bashford
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
(1970)
Kris Kringle aka Santa Claus (voice)
The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County
(1970)
Indian Tom
Hollywood Blue
(1970)
The Manipulator
(1971)
B.J. Lang
Mooch Goes to Hollywood
(1971)
Mickey Rooney (uncredited)
Evil Roy Slade
(1972)
Nelson L. Stool
Pulp
(1972)
Preston Gilbert
Richard
(1972)
Guardian Angel
Journey Back to Oz
(1972)
Scarecrow (voice)
Fol-de-Rol
(1972)
The Executioner / Noah
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
(1972)
Self (archive footage)
The Godmothers
(1973)
Rocky Mastrasso
The Year Without a Santa Claus
(1974)
Santa Claus (voice)
Thunder County
(1974)
Gas Station Attendant
That's Entertainment!
(1974)
Self - Host / Narrator
The Intruder
(1975)
Capt. Jenkins
Ace of Hearts
(1975)
Papa Joe
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
(1975)
Self (archive footage)
From Hong Kong with Love
(1975)
Marty
The Lion Roars Again
(1975)
Self (uncredited)
Find the Lady
(1976)
Trigger
That's Entertainment, Part II
(1976)
(archive footage)
It's Showtime
(1976)
Self (archive footage)
Rachel's Man
(1976)
Laban
Pete's Dragon
(1977)
Lampie
The Domino Principle
(1977)
Spiventa
The Magic of Lassie
(1978)
Gus
Mickey's 50
(1978)
Self
Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July
(1979)
Santa Claus (voice)
The Black Stallion
(1979)
Henry Dailey
Arabian Adventure
(1979)
Daad El Shur
Donovan's Kid
(1979)
Bailey
From Raquel with Love
(1980)
Paradise Cab Company cabbie
My Kidnapper, My Love
(1980)
The Maker
The Fox and the Hound
(1981)
Tod (voice)
Bill
(1981)
Bill Sackter
Leave 'Em Laughing
(1981)
Jack Thum
Senior Trip
(1981)
Self
Creole
(1981)
Narrator
The Emperor of Peru
(1982)
The Engineer
Hollywood’s Children
(1982)
Self (archive footage)
Night of 100 Stars
(1982)
Self
Showbiz Goes to War
(1982)
(archive footage)
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
(1982)
Self (archive footage)
Bill: On His Own
(1983)
Bill Sackter
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
(1983)
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Errol Flynn: Portrait of a Swashbuckler
(1983)
Self
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
(1984)
Mike Halligan
The Care Bears Movie
(1985)
Mr. Cherrywood (voice)
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
(1985)
Self (archive footage)
The Return of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer
(1986)
Jack Bergan
Lightning, the White Stallion
(1986)
Barney Ingram
Little Spies
(1986)
James Turner
There Must Be a Pony
(1986)
Himself (uncredited)
The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn
(1986)
Self
Bluegrass
(1988)
John Paul Jones
Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland
(1989)
Flip (voice)
Erik the Viking
(1989)
Erik's Grandfather
Home for Christmas
(1990)
Elmer
Adventures of the Black Stallion
(1990)
Henry Dailey
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic
(1990)
Self (archive footage)
Anthony Quinn: An Original
(1990)
Self (archive footage)
Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker
(1991)
Joe Petto
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
(1991)
Junion
Something a Little Less Serious: A Tribute to 'It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World'
(1991)
Self (archive footage)
The Legend of Wolf Mountain
(1992)
Pat Jensen
Maximum Force
(1992)
Chief of Police
The Magic Voyage
(1992)
Narrator (voice)
Sweet Justice
(1993)
Zeke
The Milky Life
(1993)
Barry Reilly
Revenge of the Red Baron
(1994)
Grandpa Spencer
Making Waves
(1994)
Gabriel
That's Entertainment! III
(1994)
Self - Co-Host / Narrator
Liberation
(1994)
Self (archive footage)
The Our Gang Story
(1994)
Self (archive footage)
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
(1995)
Self
Brothers' Destiny
(1995)
Father Flanagan
Outlaws: The Legend of O.B. Taggart
(1995)
O.B. Taggart
Killing Midnight
(1997)
Professor Mort Sang
Private Screenings: Mickey Rooney
(1997)
Self
Babe: Pig in the City
(1998)
Fugly Floom, the Speechless Man in Hotel
Michael Kael vs. the World News Company
(1998)
Griffith
Sinbad: The Battle of the Dark Knights
(1998)
Sage
Animals with the Tollkeeper
(1998)
Tollkeeper
Alone. Life Wastes Andy Hardy
(1998)
(archive footage)
Internet Love
(1998)
Self
The First of May
(1999)
Boss Ed
Boys Will Be Boys
(1999)
Wellington
Phantom of the Megaplex
(2000)
Movie Mason
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure
(2001)
Sparky (voice)
Broadway's Lost Treasures
(2003)
Mickey (segment "Sugar Babies")
To Kill a Mockumentary
(2004)
Max
Judy Garland: By Myself
(2004)
Self - Actor (voice)
Illusion Infinity
(2004)
Simon / Henry, Sr.
Hollywood Legenden
(2004)
Self
The Happy Elf
(2005)
Santa Claus
The Last Confederate: The Story of Robert Adams
(2005)
David McCord
Silent Hollywood: Cult, Stars, Scandals
(2005)
Self
Night at the Museum
(2006)
Gus
The Thirsting
(2006)
Savy
Hedy Lamarr: Secrets of a Hollywood Star
(2006)
A Christmas Too Many
(2007)
Grandpa
The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk
(2007)
Self
Empire State Building Murders
(2008)
Mickey Silver
Lost Stallions: The Journey Home
(2008)
Chief
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History
(2008)
Self
A Miser Brothers' Christmas
(2008)
Santa Claus (voice)
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
(2009)
Self (archive footage)
The Polio Crusade
(2009)
Archive Footage (from March of Dimes)
Mr. Yunioshi: An Asian Perspective
(2009)
Self (archive footage)
Marilyn Monroe: I Want to Be Loved
(2010)
Self
Marilyn Monroe: Death of an Icon
(2010)
Self
Night Club
(2011)
Jerry Sherman
The Muppets
(2011)
Smalltown Resident
Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon
(2011)
Self
Driving Me Crazy
(2012)
Mr. Cohen
The Voices from Beyond
(2012)
Johnny O'Hara
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
(2014)
Gus
The Outrageous Sophie Tucker
(2014)
Himself
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
(2017)
Mr. Louis
Hollywood, la vie rêvée de Lana Turner
(2019)
Self (archive footage)
Sid & Judy
(2019)
Self (archive footage)
Marilyn and I
(2019)
Self (archive footage)
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
(2019)
(archive footage)
Showbiz Kids
(2020)
Self (archive footage)
Production
Directing
Writing