Ninian Joseph Yule Jr.
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Mickey Rooney, born Ninian Joseph Yule Jr. in 1920, started his showbiz career at 17 months in his parents’ vaudeville act. He rose to fame as Andy Hardy and starred opposite Judy Garland in Babes in Arms 1939, becoming the first teenager nominated for Best Actor. Rooney holds the Guinness World Record for the longest film career spanning 86 years 1926-2011, and he died on April 6, 2014 at age 93.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Mickey Rooney — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Mickey Rooney by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Mickey Rooney — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
At 17 months old, Mickey Rooney first took the stage in a specially tailored tuxedo as part of his parents’ vaudeville act. Born Ninian Joseph Yule Jr. on September 23, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York, to performers Nellie W. Carter and Joe Yule, his parents divorced when he was three. His mother moved him to Hollywood in 1925. He attended Hollywood Professional School and Fairfax High School, alongside future stars like Lana Turner and Ann Miller.
Rooney made his film debut in 1926 at age four. In 1927 he starred in the first Mickey McGuire short, adopting the stage name Mickey Rooney. His breakthrough came in 1937 with A Family Affair, introducing the Andy Hardy character, which made him the top box office star from 1939 to 1941. He and Judy Garland starred in musicals like Babes in Arms 1939, earning the first Academy Juvenile Award and an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. He also gave dramatic performances in Boys Town 1938 with Spencer Tracy and National Velvet 1944 with Elizabeth Taylor. After serving 22 months in World War II, he returned to films and later delivered acclaimed roles in Breakfast at Tiffany’s 1961, Requiem for a Heavyweight 1962, and The Black Stallion 1979, which earned him a second Oscar nomination. He won an Emmy for Bill 1981 and received an Honorary Academy Award in 1983 for his six decades of versatility.
Rooney married eight times, first to actress Ava Gardner in 1942 annulled 1943. His longest marriage was to Jan Rooney from 1978 until his death, but they separated legally in 2012. He had nine children, including Teddy Rooney, who appeared with him in Andy Hardy Comes Home 1958. In 2011 he filed elder abuse charges against a stepson and testified before the U.S. Senate about elder abuse. He spent his final years living with his son Mark Rooney in the Hollywood Hills.
Mickey Rooney holds the Guinness World Record for the longest film career, spanning 86 years from 1926 to 2011, and appeared in films across ten consecutive decades. He was the first teenager nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. His portrayal of Andy Hardy defined American adolescence. Posthumously, his four stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame honor his contributions to motion pictures, television, radio, and live theater.
The complete filmography of Mickey Rooney — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Mickey Rooney — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
A wall of memorable lines from Mickey Rooney — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
My Partners Weren’t What We Call in Horse Racing Parlance Routers. They Were Sprinters; They Went Out of the Gate, but Then They Stopped. They Couldn’t Go the Distance.
People Say, How Can You Be Married Eight Times? but I Played the Hand Dealt Me the Way I Was Supposed To. I Was Friendly with Most of My Ex Wives. My God, There’s a Mickey Rooney’s Former Wives Marching Band!
You’ve Got to Recognize, There Will Never Be Another You. It Has Nothing to Do with Ego; It Happens to Be the Truth. There Will Never Be Another Person the Same. There’ll Never Be Another You. There’ll Never Be Another Me . . . and There’ll Never Be Another Show Like This!
The Audience and I Are Friends. They Allowed Me to Grow up with Them. I’ve Let Them Down Several Times. They’ve Let Me Down Several Times. but We’re All Family.
Love Wears off Too Quickly.
I Don’t Regret Anything I’ve Ever Done. I Only Wish I Could Have Done More.
I Was a 14 Year Old Boy for 30 Years.
I Didn’t Ask to Be Short. I Didn’t Want to Be Short. I’ve Tried to Pretend That Being a Short Guy Didn’t Matter.
The Guys with the Power in Hollywood Today, the Guys with Their Names Above the Title, Are Thieves. They Don’t Make Movies, They Make Deals. Their Major Function Is to Cut Themselves in for 10% of the Gross off the Top, of Course Which Is Why They Make Movies That Cost $50 Million.
I Just Want to Be a Professional. I Couldn’t Live Without Acting.
There May Be a Little Snow on the Mountain, but There’s a Lot of Fire in the Furnace.
All the Muddy Waters of My Life Cleared up When I Gave Myself to Christ.
I’ve Been Through Four Publics. I’ve Been Coming Back Like a Rubber Ball for Years.
I Don’t Get Caught Between Lesbians and Gays. If You Can’t Say Something Nice About Someone, Just Shut Your Mouth.
I Never Knew Anything About Anyone Being Gay in Hollywood When I Was Working in the Studios. Did You Know That? They Weren’t in Closets, They Were in Safes.
I Lost $2 at Santa Anita and I’ve Spent $3 Million Trying to Get It Back.
Sure, I Love the Chicks. I Love ‘Em All. but When You’re Nuts About Too Many, How Can a Guy Settle Down to One?
Hollywood Has Unfortunately Become a Memory. It’s Nothing but a Sign on the Side of a Hill.
When I Was 19 Years Old I Was the #1 Star for Two Years. When I Was 40, Nobody Wanted Me. I Couldn’t Get a Job.
There Was, in Fact, a Standard Studio Recipe. Take One Young Actress, Pluck Her Eyebrows, Cap Her Teeth, Shape Her Hairline, Pad as Required and Throw Her into the Ring with Andy Hardy. Then Wait and See. If the Public Responded, the Starlet Became a Star.
I Was Aware, Even at Age Three, That My Father Had a Penchant for Going Out by Himself After a Show, Then Returning at Dawn with a Nervous Grin on His Face. I Could Only Guess, from My Mother’s Angry Reactions That He Was Doing Something That Hurt Her Very Much. She Kept Talking About My Dad’s Floozies Which I Took to Be Another Name for Bartender. You See, I Thought My Dad Had a Problem with Punch, Not with Judy.
When Sugar Babies Opened, I Was the Most Famous Has Been in Show Business.
Little-known facts about Mickey Rooney — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
Liza Minnelli considered Rooney to deliver the eulogy at Judy Garland’s funeral in June 1969, but she worried he would be too emotional given their long friendship.
During World War II, Rooney served 22 months in the U.S. Army, five months with General George S. Patton’s Third Army, achieving the rank of sergeant and earning a Bronze Star.
Rooney may have been the only actor in history to appear in at least one film in ten consecutive decades.
The Guinness Book of World Records lists Rooney with the longest movie career: 86 years from 1925 to 2011.
In 1938, MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer severely reprimanded Rooney for an affair with Norma Shearer, which caused disruption on the set of Marie Antoinette 1938. Rooney was 18, Shearer 36, and her husband Irving Thalberg had recently died.
Rooney reunited with Judy Garland as her singing and dancing partner on an episode of The Judy Garland Show 1963, where he performed a drum solo.
At the time of his death at age 93, Rooney had at least three future projects in development.
Rooney has four stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: for Motion Pictures at 1718 Vine St., Television at 6541 Hollywood Blvd., Radio at 6372 Hollywood Blvd., and Live Theater at 6801 Hollywood Blvd. shared with wife Jan Rooney.
Rooney overcame drug addiction in the 1970s.
As of 2007, Rooney was the only surviving actor to have appeared in silent films and still act in the 21st century. His film debut was Not to Be Trusted 1926 at age four.
Rooney originally came to Hollywood to audition for Our Gang The Little Rascals, but his mother declined over a salary dispute.
Along with actors like Norman Lloyd and Betty White, Rooney was one of few Hollywood stars who lived into their 80s and 90s without ever retiring from acting.
Rooney’s first marriage was to Ava Gardner, but his marriage to Jan Rooney lasted longer than all his other seven marriages combined.
Rooney chose to reside permanently with stepson Mark Rooney and Mark’s wife Charlene Rooney, moving to the Hollywood Hills in June 2012 after legally separating from his eighth wife.
When Rooney died, his eight surviving children stated they were barred from seeing him during his final years.
After James Stewart died in 1997, Rooney became the last surviving entertainer caricatured in Hollywood Steps Out 1941.
At age 19, Rooney became the first teenager to be Oscar-nominated in a leading role for Babes in Arms 1939.
Rooney was considered for the role of Archie Bunker on All in the Family 1971.
Rooney received a Broadway Tony Award nomination in 1980 for Best Actor in a Musical for Sugar Babies.
Rooney was former roommate of Blake Edwards.
Rooney began performing at 17 months old, wearing a specially tailored tuxedo as part of his parents’ routine.
Rooney was an animal rights activist.
Rooney was a childhood movie hero to The New Adventures of the Black Stallion 1990 co-star Richard Ian Cox; their friendship lasted 24 years until Rooney’s death.
Rooney’s hobbies included listening to music, football, golfing, dancing, horse racing, painting, getting together with old friends, and watching classic movies.
Rooney underwent double heart bypass surgery in 2000.
Rooney’s acting career lasted 89 years, with his first film released in 1926 and his final one set for distribution in 2015.
Rooney first appeared in films in 1926 and began as a contract player for MGM in 1934.
Rooney attended the same high school as Jason Robards, Ann Miller, Nanette Fabray, Lana Turner, Alan Hale Jr., Marge Champion, Alexis Smith, and Joseph Wapner.
Rooney’s stunt double was Jesse Wayne for 27 years beginning in 1959.
With a film career from 1926 to 2015, Rooney has the longest career in cinema history, surpassing Lillian Gish’s 75 years. He has 339 film credits spanning ten consecutive decades.
While filming A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1935, Rooney broke his leg and was doubled in many scenes by George P. Breakston.
Rooney served as a pallbearer at Errol Flynn’s funeral on October 19, 1959, alongside Raoul Walsh and others.
Rooney was co-owner for many years of the Mickey Rooney Tabas Hotel in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.
On news of Rooney’s passing, many television newscasters mistakenly mixed his name with Andrew Rooney Andy Rooney, who had died 2½ years earlier.
Rooney was a compulsive gambler on horse racing.
Rooney appeared in over 100 films, ranking first among actors like Barbara Stanwyck and Bette Davis in number of movies.
Rooney was the son and only child of Scottish-born vaudevillian Joe Yule and Nell Ruth Carter of English descent. His parents divorced in 1923 when he was three. In 1925, he and his mother moved to Hollywood.
Rooney’s son Teddy Rooney appeared with him in Andy Hardy Comes Home 1958, portraying Andy Hardy Jr.
Rooney played George M. Cohan three times: twice in TV specials and in the touring stage musical George M!.
A story claims Mickey Mouse was named for Rooney, but it was later proven false.
Rooney released his autobiography Life is Too Short.
Together with his wife Jan Rooney, he toured the UK performing songs and stories about his career.
Rooney released a novel, The Search for Sonny Skies: A Novel.
Tony Bennett and Regis Philbin attended Rooney’s 90th birthday party.
On his 85th birthday, Rooney and wife Jan appeared in the variety show Let’s Put On A Show.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Rooney performed a nightclub comedy act with comic Joey Forman.
Rooney was #7 on the World Poker Tour Invitational, despite never having played Texas Hold ‘Em before.
On November 26, 1999, Rooney underwent surgery in Sydney, Australia for a perforated colon.
Rooney met a young comedienne Joan Rivers in the play Luv in 1967, and they became lifelong friends for over 45 years until Rooney’s death.
Rooney attended the state funeral of former President Ronald Reagan on June 11, 2004.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Mickey Rooney.
Celebrities similar to Mickey Rooney — same craft, ranked by reach.
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