MICKEY ROURKE | I THOUGHT TALENT WOULD TRANSCEND MY OUTSPOKENESS

1983 — Mickey Rourke, Motorcycle Boy, Coppola’s “Rumble Fish”  — Image by © John Springer Collection/CORBIS

 

Mickey Rourke – the most raw, intense, riveting actor of the 1980s, who slowly self-destructed before our eyes. He gained a reputation for having a chip on his shoulder, and through his pride and bravado burned a lot of bridges in the biz. Rourke brashly looked down his nose at his peers, insisting that he wouldn’t sell-out – he was pure and uncompromising. Back when Rourke was coming up on the heels of of heroes- De Niro, Pacino, Keitel, Walken – he was too young, too full of himself, and too foolish to know that at the end of the day, it’s a business before anything else – and politics reigns supreme.

Rourke then made few questionable film choices with 9 1/2 Weeks and Wild Orchid and suddenly he was no longer Hollywood’s prized young lion – he was branded sleazy Euro-trash. Disillusioned with it all, Rourke walked away – choosing to fight the inner demons that had dogged him all his life in the boxing ring.  Ironically, it was in the ring again, that Rourke fought like hell for his esteem and redemption as “Randy the Ram”, a disfigured down-and-out wrestler – and came out on top. Hollywood couldn’t have written a better comeback – in a seemingly hopeless situation, hope and hard work can get you through.

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1983 — Mickey Rourke, Motorcycle Boy in “Rumble Fish” — Image by © Sunset Boulevard/Corbis

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1983 — Matt Dillon and Mickey Rourke in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Rumble Fish”

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1983 — Mickey Rourke as the Motorcycle Boy in Francis Ford Coppola’s epic flick, “Rumble Fish”

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September 1983– Director Francis Ford Coppola with Matt Dillon and Mickey Rourke on the set of “Rumble Fish” — Image by © Christian Simonpietri/Sygma/Corbis

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1983 — Mickey Rouke, the Motorcycle Boy  in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Rumble Fish”

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“The Motorcycle Boy Reigns” — Rumble Fish.  Image– Caroline Bonarde Ucci via

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1983 — Matt Dillon and Mickey Rourke in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Rumble Fish”

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1983 — Mickey Rourke, the Motorcycle Boy in “Rumble Fish” — Image by © Sunset Boulevard/Corbis

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1983 — Matt Dillon and Mickey Rourke in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Rumble Fish”

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September, 1983 — Director Francis Ford Coppola (and Mickey Rourke in the background) on the set of his 1983 movie “Rumble Fish”  — Image by © Christian Simonpietri/Sygma/Corbis

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1983 — Matt Dillon & Mickey Rourke in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Rumble Fish” — Universal Pictures still

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1981 — Mickey Rourke & William Hurt in “Body Heat”  — Image by © Sunset Boulevard/Corbis

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1984 — Mickey Rourke, Daryl Hannah, and Eric Roberts on the set of “The Pope of Greenwich Village” directed by Stuart Rosenberg. — Image by © John Bryson/Sygma/Corbis

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1986 — Mickey Rourke and director Barbet Schroeder on the set of Schroeder’s 1987 movie “Barfly”  — Image by © Albane Navizet/Sygma/Corbis

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1987 — Mickey Rourke on the set of “Homeboy” — Image by © Christophe d’Yvoire/Sygma/Corbis

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1982 — Publicity still for “Diner”,  the film that put the bad-boy Mickey Rourke on the map.  Also starring– Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Kevin Bacon and Timothy Daly. — Image by © CinemaPhoto/Corbis

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1982 — Publicity still for the film ,”Diner”, starring– Mickey Rourke, Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Kevin Bacon and Timothy Daly. — Image by © CinemaPhoto/Corbis

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1983 — Matt Dillon & Mickey Rourke in “Rumble Fish”, based on S.E. Hinton’s novel.  Rourke’s anti-hero “Motorcycle Boy” powers Rumble Fish– Copolla’s iconic art film for teens. — Image by © Sunset Boulevard/Corbis

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1983, Oklahoma  — Mickey Rourke on the set of “Rumble Fish”– written, directed, and produced by Francis Ford Coppola. — Image by © Sunset Boulevard/Corbis

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1984 — Mickey Rourke, riveting as Charlie– the badass, best-dressed maître d’ in “The Pope of Greenwich Village” — Image by © Sunset Boulevard/Corbis

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1984 — Eric Roberts and Mickey Rourke on th set of “The Pope of Greenwich Village”

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1984 — Mickey Rourke, Daryl Hannah, and Eric Roberts on the set of “The Pope of Greenwich Village” directed by Stuart Rosenberg. — Image by © Sunset Boulevard/Corbis

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1985 — Mickey Rourke as Capt. Stanley White in the much under-rated Michael Cimino crime flick, “Year of the Dragon”.  A Tarantino fave. — Image by © CORBIS

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1985 — Mickey Rourke, “Year of the Dragon” — Image by © Marianne Rosenstiehl/Sygma/Corbis

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1987 — Mickey Rourke as Harry Angel in “Angel Heart”

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Lisa Bonet and Mickey Rourke in Angel Heart

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1987 — Mickey Rourke & Faye Dunaway in “Barfly”. Rourke crushed it as drunkard Henry Chinaski, a semi-autobiographical portrayal of author & poet Charles Bukowski’s hard livin’ years in L.A.
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1987 — Mickey Rourke as Henry Chinaski in “Barfly”, directed by Barbet Schroeder.

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1987 — Mickey Rourke as Henry Chinaski in “Barfly”, directed by Barbet Schroeder.

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1987 — Mickey Rourke & Faye Dunaway in “Barfly”, directed by Barbet Schroeder.

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1987 — Mickey Rourke and director Barbet Schroeder on the set of his film, “Barfly” — Image by © Christophe d’Yvoire/Sygma/Corbis

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1986 — Mickey Rourke & Faye Dunaway on the set of Barbet Schroeder’s “Barfly”  — Image by © Albane Navizet/Kipa/Corbis

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1986 — Mickey Rourke & Debra Feuer — Image by © Catherine Cabrol/Kipa/Corbis

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1984 — Mickey Rourke in New York. — Image by © Catherine Cabrol/Kipa/Corbis

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1991 found Rourke disillusioned with the seedy & sordid life he’d fallen into, so he climbed back into the ring to battle his self-destructive demons and regain a little self-respect.  After going undefeated in 12 pro fights – 10 wins, and 2 draws, Rourke hung up his gloves in ’95 — but that’s not to say he didn’t take a beating in the ring.  Rourke suffered a broken nose, toe, & ribs, as well as a split tongue, and a busted cheekbone. All the pounding beat the stuffin’ outta Mickey’s mug, and the resulting reconstructive surgery fell short of making things right.  Now, not only was his acting career over, but he was also a freak show. Ironically, it would be his transformed looks and skills in the ring that resurrected his Hollywood career, when Rourke put on his big-boy tights and played Randy “The Ram” in The Wrestler. — Image by © Steve Starr/CORBIS

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Mickey Rourke

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“Comeback is a good word, man.”  — Mickey Rourke