It is quite sad to hear that Mickey Rooney, one of the longest living Hollywood icons, has passed away yesterday at the age of 93. Born in 1920, Rooney has been acting for practically all his life, beginning with the Mickey McGuire short films from 1927 – 1934. In the late 1930s, he would continue as a teenage actor, starring in films with Judy Garland. Rooney received his first Oscar nomination in 1940 for his leading role in the film Babes in Arms (1939) and would receive subsequent nominations for The Human Comedy (1943), The Bold and the Brave (1956), and The Black Stallion (1979). Probably one of Rooney’s most infamous (and controversial) roles was in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, where he played the Asian stereotype I.Y. Yunioshi. It says a lot about the length of Rooney’s career, in how I’ve always known him as a, somewhat curmudgeonly, older man. Probably the earliest film of Rooney’s I’ve seen was the 1977 Disney family film Pete‘s Dragon, in which he was already in his late-50s. In fact, Pete’s Dragon is probably the film I most remember Rooney from, since it’s one I’ve watched many times as a kid. I also remember Rooney from The Black Stallion, the voice of Tod the Fox in The Fox and the Hound (1981), and Erik’s Grandfather in Erik the Viking (1981). Rooney’s career started to slow down as he got older, with probably his most notable roles from the last decade being Night at the Museum (2006) and a cameo in The Muppets (2011). I doubt there are many actors from the classic Hollywood era remaining, so Mickey Rooney will most definitely be missed.
R.I.P. Mickey Rooney
Affiliate Ad