Rourke has allegedly turned down several roles in high-profile films, including 48 Hrs., Platoon, Highlander, Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, The Untouchables, Rain Man, The Silence of the Lambs, Pulp Fiction, and Death Proof.
Other movies he is alleged to have turned down include 48 Hrs. (1982), Platoon (1986), Top Gun (1986) and Tombstone (1993). Was first offered the role of Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop (1984). It was eventually passed on to Sylvester Stallone, and, after many script revisions, Eddie Murphy.
Did Mickey Rourke do his own stunts in The Wrestler?
Rourke – who was already 56 at the time of filming – trained for months, did his own stunts and immersed himself in a story about a wrestler in decline that reminded him too much of his own life. The film won him a Bafta, a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination.
While some sources claimed that he underwent countless operations, Rourke debunked these rumors, revealing that he only had six surgeries on his face. He recounted having a broken nose twice while boxing, which necessitated five surgeries. The sixth surgery was for his damaged cheekbone.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Mickey Rourke has an estimated net worth of around $10million. Rourke began boxing as a teenager. While a senior in high school, he starred in his first performance - The Serpent, a school play.
I have always stayed in the gym. I hit the iron for 20 years in Gold's in Venice and enjoyed the company of many athletes who participated in bodybuilding. I had great times in the old Gold's gym also when it was the Mecca of bodybuilding.
Rourke was trained by former pro-boxer Freddie Roach at Miami Beach's 5th Street Gym and the Outlaw Boxing Club Gym in Los Angeles. He made $250 for his pro debut, but by the end of his second year of boxing, he had earned a million dollars. In June 1994, Rourke appeared on the cover of World Boxing Magazine.
Marlon Brando is widely considered the greatest movie actor of all time, rivaled only by the more theatrically oriented Laurence Olivier in terms of esteem.
Mickey Rourke was offered the role of Butch Coolidge but turned it down. The part ended up going to Bruce Willis, who delivered a solid performance. Even so, I'm disappointed Rourke didn't take it, as I think he would have been perfect.
Rourke was undefeated in eight fights, with six wins (four by knockout) and two draws. He fought internationally in countries including Spain, Japan, and Germany.
Rourke's early films will live on forever, though, and if you seek them out, you just might find merit in my argument that, at least for the first decade of his career, Mickey Rourke was the most compelling actor who ever stood in front of a camera.
How long did Mickey Rourke train for The Wrestler?
Rourke: I got a really good Israeli trainer who made me pump iron and do the cardio for four months. Then we did two hours of weight training and cardio and two hours of wrestling practice. This is months before the film. By the time we shot the movie I was like, "This is the easy part." The other stuff was murder.
Mickey Rourke has revealed that it took him three weeks to learn two lines in Russian for his role in Iron Man 2. The Wrestler star said getting to grips with the language for his part as technology expert Ivan Vanko was extremely challenging.
With a name like his it’s no surprise that scraggy man-mountain Sin City and The Wrestler star Mickey Rourke has fairly extensive Irish roots. Before his took his Irish-sounding acting name, Mickey was named after his father PhillipAndre Rourke, Sr. an Irish-American amateur bodybuilder.
Mickey Rourke was once known as one of film's most handsome stars – before boxing injuries, plastic surgery and high-profile conflicts saw his career dwindle.
MICKEY ROURKE has been left with permanent damage to his right arm after surgery failed to repair a torn muscle which was ripped from the bone during an arm wrestling match.
However, Rourke's salary request was not: The “9 1/2” week star was offered only $250,000 for the role. Lead star Robert Downey Jr. reportedly offered a portion of his $10 million paycheck to help meet Rourke's quota. “It was a major sum to get Mickey close, and Mickey took the deal,” the insider continued.
For his breakout role as Michael Corleone in 1972's The Godfather, Al Pacino was reportedly paid $35,000. This relatively small salary was due to him being a relative unknown at the time he was cast, though the fact that the movie launched his career most likely more than made up for the lack of upfront payment.
