Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke Jr. (/rʊərk/ ROORK; born September 16, 1952)[1] is an American actor and former professional boxer who has appeared primarily as a leading man in drama, action, and thriller films.

Since then he established himself as an acclaimed leading man in drama films such as Rumble Fish (1983), The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), Year of the Dragon (1985), 9½ Weeks (1986), Angel Heart (1987), Francesco (1989), and Johnny Handsome (1989).

[2] After retiring from boxing in 1994, Rourke returned to acting and had supporting roles in several films such as The Rainmaker (1997), Buffalo '66 (1998), Animal Factory, Get Carter (both 2000), The Pledge (2001), Spun (2002), Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), Man on Fire (2004) and Domino (2005).

After his parents divorced, his mother married Eugene Addis, a Miami Beach police officer with five sons, and moved Rourke and two younger siblings to South Florida.

Borrowing $400 from his sister, he moved to New York,[15] working an assortment of odd jobs while studying with Actors Studio alumni Walter Lott and Sandra Seacat.

The following year, he drew further critical accolades for his portrayal as the suave compulsive gambler "Boogie" Sheftell in Barry Levinson's Diner, in which Rourke co-starred, alongside Paul Reiser, Daniel Stern, Steve Guttenberg, Tim Daly and Kevin Bacon; the National Society of Film Critics named him Best Supporting Actor that year.

[19] He received critical praise for his work in Barbet Schroeder's Barfly as the alcoholic writer Henry Chinaski (the literary alter ego of Charles Bukowski), co-starring Faye Dunaway, and in Year of the Dragon, written by Oliver Stone.

It was seen as controversial by some, owing to a sex scene involving Cosby Show cast member Lisa Bonet, who won an award for her part in the film.

[20] Although some of Rourke's work was viewed as controversial in the US, he was well received by European, and especially French audiences, who loved the "rumpled, slightly dirty, sordid ... rebel persona"[21] that he projected in Year of the Dragon, 9½ Weeks, Angel Heart, and Desperate Hours.

In his last role before departing for the boxing ring, Rourke played an arms dealer chased by Willem Dafoe and Samuel L. Jackson in White Sands, a film noir that reviewers found stylish but incoherent.

"[21] 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.

[citation needed][24] Rourke has allegedly turned down several roles in high-profile films, including 48 Hrs., Platoon, Highlander, Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, The Untouchables, Rain Man, The Silence of the Lambs, Pulp Fiction,[25] and Death Proof.

[26] During his boxing career, Rourke suffered a number of injuries, including a broken nose, toe, and ribs, a split tongue, and a compressed cheekbone.

"[31] Rourke's boxing career resulted in a notable physical change in the 1990s, as his face needed reconstructive surgery to mend his injuries.

[34] 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.

While Rourke was also selected for a significant role in Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line, his part ended up on the cutting room floor.

He also had a lead role in 1997's Double Team, which co-starred martial arts actor Jean-Claude Van Damme and former NBA player Dennis Rodman.

In 2005, Rourke made his comeback in mainstream Hollywood circles with a lead role as Marv in Robert Rodriguez's adaptation of Frank Miller's Sin City.

Rourke followed Sin City with a supporting role in Tony Scott's Domino alongside Keira Knightley, in which he played a bounty hunter.

[31] 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.

[31] Rourke had a role in the film version of The Informers, playing Peter, an amoral former studio security guard who plots to kidnap a small child.

He lent his voice to the video games Driv3r (2004) as Charles Jericho and True Crime: New York City (2005) as Terrence "Terry" Higgins, which was his fifth and last work with actor Christopher Walken.

In 2014, Dutt announced he was producing and writing a novelization inspired by an undeveloped script for a movie that Rourke wrote titled Wild Horses which was eventually released in Fall 2015.

[51] In numerous TV and print interviews, he attributes his comeback after 14 years to his agent David A. Unger,[52][53] weekly meetings with a psychiatrist, "Steve", and a Catholic priest, Father Peter Colapietro.

[57] In May 1989, Rourke revealed that he donated most of his £1.5 million earnings from starring in Francesco to support Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) member Joe Doherty's campaign to receive political asylum in the United States.

[citation needed] In June 2006, Rourke publicly supported U.S. President George W. Bush and American involvement in the Iraq War.

[70] In August, he expressed support for Kamala Harris following her nomination for vice president in the 2020 United States presidential election following previous approval of her earlier in July.

"[77] The day of the 2009 Golden Globes, he told Barbara Walters that "I sort of self-destructed and everything came out about 14 years ago or so ... the wife had left, the career was over, the money was not an ounce.

[81] In addition to those dogs and several other past pets, Rourke currently owns a chihuahua named Jaws who appeared with him in his 2009 PETA ad, as well as in the film Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

[82] At the time of his Golden Globes tribute to his pets, Rourke owned five chihuahuas: Loki, Jaws, Ruby Baby, La Negra and Bella Loca.