Mickey Rooney

Originally from Brooklyn (New York), where he came into the world on September 23, 1920, Joe Yule, Jr. was the son of Joe and Nellie, a married couple of vaudeville comedians. They say that at fifteen months – and although he hadn’t been able to walk for many months – he got on stage, when no one noticed him, while his parents were performing, and he went to where the orchestra was. . There he began to beat the drum, which was so applauded by the public that his parents decided to incorporate that unexpected stellar appearance into the show every day. When his parents separated, his mother took him to Hollywood to audition for children. He made his film debut at the tender age of six, with Not to be Trusted , a 1926 silent comedy. The following year he became the lead in the seriesMickey McGuire , which spanned fifty shorts, and in which he played an urchin.

Although he never achieved the popularity of other child prodigies, such as Jackie Coogan and Shirley Temple , who were the kings of the time, unlike them Rooney continued to be active later. When he was already a teenager, David O. Selznick signed him for MGM, a contract that he was able to combine with his studies at Mrs. Lawlor’s School for Professional Children. He debuted with his new production company in Public Enemy No. 1 (1934) , with Clark Gable , Myrna Loy and William Powell , where his role was very minor. With titles like Ayer como hoy , Flor de arrabal and El pequeño lord, he gains the trust of the studio bosses, who in the end assign him a leading role, with Lionel Barrymore , one of the great stars of the time, in Family Honor , which in principle was a filler comedy for the MGM double bills. Against all odds, it was so successful that it was the beginning of a lengthy series, in which Rooney returned to play Andy Harvey, the son of a small-town judge. Although Barrymore was not present in the sequels, they were so popular that Rooney became very popular, so much so that in 1938 he received an Oscar jointly with Deana Durbin, for embodying the youthful spirit in the cinema. He also received a nomination for Hijos de la farándula., a musical about two talented young men trying to make their way in show business, co-starring his co-star from the Harvey series: Judy Garland . Both repeated in roles traced to tapes such as Rookies on Broadway , Youth Harmonies and Girl Crazy , which established them as one of the highest grossing couples of the moment. The films in which she worked with Spencer Tracy ( Fearless Captains , Flor de arrabal , Forja de hombres , La ciudad de los muchachos and much later The world is crazy, crazy, crazy) were also successful.). Tracy also made a cameo in Young Edison , one of Rooney’s best works, in which he played the famous inventor, a role that the aforementioned Tracy would assume in the sequel, Edison the Man , where he was the same character as Rooney, grown up. . Despite being on top, he always tried not to let it go to his head. “It is essential to lead a normal life. The most important thing is to go to university, like me, and do things. For example, a lot of sports”, comments the actor, a fan of golf and tennis.

Mickey Rooney stayed on top throughout the 1940s with films like The Human Comedy , Fire of Youth and My Life Is a Song . A decade later he was trying to run his own production company, Mickey Rooney Productions, with which he launched The Atomic Kid , and some other titles that had no commercial repercussions. Despite the disappointment, Rooney lavished himself on television, theater and cinema, with titles such as The Bridges of Toko-Ri , Bloody Dawn , Breakfast at Tiffany ‘s , etc. Rooney had a risky sentimental life, as he has been married eight times, four of them with actresses, the aforementioned Ava Gardner, Carolyn Mitchell, Martha Vickers and Jan Rooney, who stands by her side. As a result of all his relationships, he had nine children.

Rooney never gave up until his death, as he remained very active over time. Remembering the 1970s is his portrayal of his grandfather in Peter and Elliot the Dragon and his work in The Black Steed , for which he was nominated for an Oscar for the fourth time. He was given a second honorary Oscar – he had the junior honorary Oscar – in 1983 for the whole of his career. In the later years of his career, he was a veteran vigilante on Night at the Museum .