Legendary American actor and entertainer Mickey Rooney has passed away aged 93, it has been reported. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1920, the former child star began his career in the entertainment industry aged just one year old and went on to enjoy a career spanning ten decades, which saw him receive multiple awards including a Juvenile Oscar, an Honorary Academy Award, two Golden Globes and an Emmy.
After appearing in his family’s vaudeville act Yule and Carter, Rooney secured his first film role in the 1926 silent short Not to Be Trusted, before getting his big break the following year as the lead character of Mickey McGuire in a series of shorts produced between 1927 and 1936. He then went on to appear as Andy Hardy in 1937’s A Family Affair, reprising the role a further 14 times, and also earned acclaimed for his dramatic role alongside Spencer Tracy in Boys Town, which saw him receiving a special Juvenile Academy Award in 1939. He also co-starred with Judy Garland in a number of well-received films, including the Oscar-nominated Babes in Arms.
Following a stint in the United States Army during World War II, Rooney’s career suffered a slump as he struggled to make the transition from child star, and after filing for bankruptcy in the early 1960s he went on to appear in films such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Requiem for a Heavyweight and It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. In later years, he would receive his fourth an final Oscar nomination for The Black Stallion, as well as a Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy for the 1981 TV movie Bill. However, he would continue to work through until his death, with recent appearances in the likes of Night at the Museum and The Muppets.
Originally published April 7, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
