Mickey Rourke is a popular screenwriter and actor who has starred in many actions, thriller, and drama films, but what most people don’t know about him is that he was once a boxer who achieved an impressive number of victories in his boxing career. Here we will guide you through the events in Mickey’s life, focusing on the relatively unknown aspects of his boxing career, his plastic surgery, and what we all know him for – acting.
Mickey Rourke Biography
The American actor is an elderly citizen, born in 1952 in Schenectady, New York, on September 16th exactly. His full name is Philip Andre “Mickey” Rourke Jr., but he is popularly known as Mickey Rourke.
Although his parents are no longer alive, the American entertainment industry remains grateful to them for having given the world such priceless talent as Andre. He was born to Annette (née Cameron) and Philip Andre Rourke Sr., both of mixed ancestry and descent. Mickey’s mother was of Scottish, French, English, and German descent, while his father was of Irish and German descent. The family was Roman Catholic and raised him and his siblings (brother – Joey, and sister – Patricia) in the faith. However, their father divorced his mother when the legendary actor was just 6 years old.
As a child, Mickey Rourke went to school at Miami Beach Senior High School, where he spent a lot of time with many sports activities until he graduated in 1971. After graduating, he began self-defense training at the Boys Club of Miami, where he became interested in boxing.
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Boxing Career
His passion for martial arts grew so strong that Mickey Rourke was ready to embark on an amateur boxing career at the age of 12.
His first boxing match was his first victory as an amateur boxer in a duel in a flyweight of 51 kg (112 pounds) in 1964, in which he dedicated himself wholeheartedly to what he wanted to do. This victory was all he needed to advance to the class up to 140 pounds (63.5 kg), where he would compete against former welterweight world champion Luis Rodríguez.
Phil Rourke, as his ring name was, then announced that he had suffered a concussion during the fight. He suffered another concussion in 1971 at the Florida Golden Gloves, whereupon the doctors recommended that he leave the ring.
In 1991 he returned as a professional boxer and won 6 out of 8 fights, the other two fights ended in a draw for him. Mickey Rourke then fought in countries like Japan, Spain, and Germany, where he had several victories and made a name for himself as a professional boxer. However, the sport took a toll on his physical appearance as he suffered many injuries, some of which were badly treated.
In total Mickey recorded 27 victories (17 knockout victories) and 3 defeats in his amateur boxing career. His records in professional boxing are not currently available, but we do know that he fought Elliot Seymour in an exhibition fight in Moscow (Russia) on November 28, 2009. The fight ended in the second round when he knocked out his opponent. Elliot would later reveal that he was paid by Rourke’s team to go down in the second round, but Rourke did not know.
Acting Career
After taking a break from amateur boxing due to the severe concussions he suffered, Mickey Rourke moved to New York to study acting with Walter Lott and Sandra Seacat, who was then a teacher at the Actors Studio in New York.
Rourke made his first major appearance in 1980 in the film Fade to Black, while his appearance in Body Heat in 1981 made him famous for his raw looks and acting style. At this time he also wrote scripts for films such as Homeboy (1988), The Last Ride (1994), and Bullet (1996).
In the 1990s he took a temporary break from acting but made a comeback with Sin City (2005), where he played the leading role. His other major screen works include Iron Man 2 (2010), Java Heat (2013), and many others.
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Plastic Surgery
After his time in the ring with the many blows he endured as a boxer, Mickey had his fair share of injuries, which he often had to repair through surgery.
The retired boxer suffered short-term memory loss, a split tongue, a compressed cheekbone, a broken nose, a broken toe, and broken ribs. Of all his injuries, it was those related to his face that he suffered most for, even after healing.
His face needed reconstructive plastic surgery, which he decided to have because he knew he looked terrible. After his surgeries in the ’90s, Mickey Rourke was worse when he was operated on. He admitted that he had been operated on by the wrong person, who made him uglier in an attempt to improve his appearance. He has also gone under the knife several times lately, but he has never been better. As was to be expected, news of his latest bizarre appearance spread through the media and with memes on social networks when he was spotted walking with one of his friends.
Mickey Rourke Net Worth
Although the retired boxer, actor, and screenwriter is no longer active in the film industry, he was well rewarded for his heyday (including boxing). For this and many other things that provide him with income, Mickey Rourke has a Net Worth estimated at $10 million.
