What Happened to Mickey Rourke? Tragic Fate of Hollywood’s Ex-Heartthrob
He was once Hollywood's main sex symbol, but lost everything.
Mickey Rourke gained great popularity thanks to Francis Ford Coppola's movie Rumble Fish, which made him a worldwide star. Three years later, Adrian Lyne gave Mickey the lead role in the erotic melodrama 9½ Weeks which became a classic of the genre.
According to critics, Mickey's best role was as a private detective in Angel Heart, although another erotic melodrama, Wild Orchid, became more popular.
Zalman King's movie had a great influence on the actor's personal life: Rourke married his co-star Carre Otis. Unfortunately, in the 90s the actor lost both his wife and his popularity.
The celebration of the first big paycheck lasted for ten years – Mickey drank a lot and took illegal substances. All this led to the failure of his movies at the box office, the decline of his career and more frequent quarrels with his wife.
One day, Carre could no longer stand it and told Mickey that she was leaving him, but the actor begged her to stay. In a state of passion, he even cut off his little finger, but Otis still left him.
Mickey lost everything: his wife, his friends, and his life savings. To save the house, he had to sell 10 motorcycles that he adored. From then on, only Chihuahuas kept the actor company: Rourke got seven dogs right after Carre left.
Thanks to his pets, the Hollywood star did not commit suicide during a period of depression – the thought that there would be no one to feed the dogs saved him from the terrible step.
In the 90's, Rourke returned to boxing and began taking part in professional fights with boxers many years younger than himself, suffering several facial injuries.
To get his face back, Rourke turned to a plastic surgeon, which only made things worse. Due to unsuccessful operations, the actor lost his looks and became literally unrecognizable.
In the 2000s, Darren Aronofsky helped the actor. The director promised to revive Mickey's career on one condition – the actor had to fully obey him on the set. Rourke agreed and did not regret it: the role in The Wrestler brought the actor a Golden Globe and the opportunity to pay off all the debts he had incurred during the period of constant drunkenness and depression.