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Mickey Rourke has always been a fighter, though his worst opponent was easily himself. In the early 1980s, Rourke was a respected actor in the Marlon Brando mode, but the late '80s and early '90s saw Rourke turn down roles in films such as Rain Man and Platoon, receive Razzie Awards (given for worst actor), and drop out of Hollywood to box. Battered but chihuahua-loving, he emerged from the depths, triumphant, in the 2008 film The Wrestler.

The birth date of Mickey Rourke is listed variously as September 16, 1950, 1952, or 1956. He was born in Schenedtady, New York. His father, a bodybuilder, exited when Rourke was 6. Rourke's mother then wed a policeman and the family relocated to Florida.

Rourke began boxing at the age of 12, training at Miami Beach's 5th Street Gym, where Muhammad Ali also began. In his early career, Rourke accumulated 20 victories, 7 losses, and 2 concussions. Doctors told him to take some time off.

First introduced to acting in a friend's play, Rourke subsequently studied Method acting in New York. Steven Spielberg's 1941 marked Rourke's film debut, and he was a strong presence in well-received movies such as Body Heat, Diner, The Pope of Greenwich Village, and Rumblefish. Never one to shy away from risky roles, Rourke portrayed the alcoholic writer Charles Bukowski in Barfly, a racist cop in Year of the Dragon, and in 9 1/2 Weeks, a sadist. The French loved Rourke's unkempt rebellion, even in less successful films like Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, and Wild Orchid. But fed up with Hollywood and his reputation as a difficult, unpredictable actor, Rourke returned to his first love-getting beat up.

Boxing was a test, Mickey Rourke believed, undertaken to stave off his own self-destruction. Unfortunately, Rourke ended by destroying one of his most precious gifts as an actor; his face. Fighting resulted in a broken nose, compressed cheekbone, and split tongue. Rourke only faced minor opponents, since promoters felt he was past his prime, while doctors worried he would suffer lasting brain damage. Four years later, Rourke hung up his gloves.

Rourke continued to make inexplicable choices upon his return to acting, turning down a role in the megahit Pulp Fiction to pursue parts in such gems as Another 9 1/2 Weeks and the straight-to-video Out in Fifty. Things were also going south in Rourke's personal life. He was accused of spousal abuse(the charges were dropped) and his wife, actress Carre Otis, left him. Because of his changed appearance, many considered Rourke disfigured, the casualty of a botched facelift. Rourke later said of the difficult time that he was "...living off fumes. I wasn't even living on dreams."

To fight his demons, Rourke underwent 14 years of therapy, which liberated him from the past. In 2005, with the role of Marv in the film Sin City, the embers of Rourke's career bagan to spark again, soon to burst into full flame with his next role.

Afa the Wild Samoan, formerly with the WWE, helped Rourke train for The Wrestler; Rourke's new film. Rourke ate 7 meals a day and took "heavy-duty" vitamin supplements. The movie character, Randy "The Ram" Robinson, parallels Rourke in many ways. The Ram is too old to fight; he becomes down but never out for the count.

The Wrestler received a Golden Lion Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival. Mickey Rourke was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award as Best Actor and won a Golden Globe Award. Rourke, in his acceptance speech, thanked his pet chihuahuas for standing by him when no one else did. He is currently in the running for an Academy Award.

Mickey Rourke doesn't like the word "comeback", preferring to call his opportunity a second chance. This time he has no plans to throw his good fortune away.

Learn more about this author, Andrea Kreidler.
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