Phillip Andre Rourke, later nicknamed Mickey, was born on July 16, 1956, in Schenectady, New York. His father left when he was young and his mother then married a police officer, so her grew up in a large family with his brother Joey, sister Patty, and six step-siblings. While studying at Miami Beach High School, he developed a passionate interest in boxing, regularly attending the 5th Street Boxing Gym and breaking amateur records. However, when sparring with former welterweight champion Luis Rodriguez, he suffered a severe concussion, and a year later, after another such blow, decided that it was in his best interests to retire. It wasn't until 1992 that he returned to the ring to make his début as a professional, fighting the likes of James Toney, John David Jackson, and Tommy Morrison, but he retired again after seven fights, having suffered severe facial injuries that required surgery. In the meantime, he had been developing another childhood interest - in acting.
Rourke's screen acting career began in 1979 with a small role in Steven Spielberg's war comedy 1941, alongside Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, and Christopher Lee. Two years later, after appearing in the ill-fated Heaven's Gate with Kris Kristofferson and Christopher Walken, his role in Lawrence Kasdan's Body Heat attracted attention from both critics and cinema audiences. It marked the start of a series of anti-hero roles in low budget films which made him something of a cult sensation. Diner, with Kevin Bacon and Ellen Barkin; Rumble Fish, with Matt Dillon and Dennis Hopper; and Year of the Dragon, with John Lone and Ariane were followed by Adrian Lyne's Nine 1/2 Weeks, which turned Rourke and co-star Kim Basinger into stars overnight. Rourke solidified his sex symbol status in Angel Hehart, in a controversial scene with Lisa Bonet, and offers of work came pouring in.
Unfortunately for Rourke, he didn't always make the best career decisions. Though he gained critical acclaim for his work opposite Faye Dunaway in Barfly and pleased his fans in Wild Orchid with Jacqueline Bisset, a series of unsuccessful films led to him giving up on acting to return to boxing. After ending his pro boxing career he looked for a chance to get back into acting, but his prolific appearances didn't result in any hits until longtime fan Robert Rodriguez chose him to be one of the gangsters threatening Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek in Once Upon a Time in Mexico. He followed this with Man on Fire, with Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning; and Frank Miller adaptation Sin City, with Jessica Alba and Devon Aoki, finally getting back into the public eye. His performance in Sin City won him several awards.
Besides acting, Rourke has contributed to the movies as a writer, creating the story for 1994's FTW and, two years later, the script for Bullet. He has also sung with David Bowie on the album Never Let Me Down.
Rourke has been married twice, to actresses Debra Feuer and Carré Otis. In 1994 he was arrested for beating Otis, resulting in their separation. Having suffered emotional losses as well as neurological damage caused by his experiences as a boxer, he regularly visits a psychiatrist as well as sharing bottles of wine with his priest.
YUDDY
