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Mickey Rooney, Once One of the Biggest Box Office Draws in the World, Dies at 93. He Was in Hundreds of Movies and TV Shows

Apr 7, 2014  •  Post A Comment

"Mickey Rooney, the exuberant entertainer who led a roller-coaster life — the world’s top box-office star at 19 as the irrepressible Andy Hardy, a bankrupt has-been in his 40s, a comeback kid on Broadway as he neared 60 — died [yesterday, Sunday, April 6, 2014.] He was 93 and lived in Westlake Village, Calif," reports Aljean Harmetz in The New York Times.

The story says, "As Andy Hardy, growing up in the idealized fictional town of Carvel, Mr. Rooney was the most famous teenager in America from 1937 to 1944: everybody’s cheeky son or younger brother, energetic and feverishly in love with girls and cars. The 15 Hardy Family movies, in which all problems could be solved by Andy’s man-to-man talks with his father, Judge Hardy (played by Lewis Stone), earned more than $75 million — a huge sum during the Depression years, when movie tickets rarely cost more than 25 cents."

To read an appreciation of Rooney by TVWeek Open Mic blogger Chuck Ross, please click here.

The New York Times story adds,"Along with Deanna Durbin, Mr. Rooney was given a special Academy Award in 1939 “for bringing to the screen the spirit and personification of youth.”

Mickey Rooney as Andy Hardy.pngMickey Rooney as Andy Hardy, with Judy Garland

Variety's obituary of Rooney says, "In later years, Rooney continued to work hard and sometimes found notable success. He received an Oscar nomination for supporting actor in 1980 for 'The Black Stallion.' He won an Emmy for 'Bill' in 1982 and drew an Emmy nom for reprising the role in another CBS telepic two years later.

"In addition to his success in the musical 'Sugar Babies,' he made popular stage appearances in 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum' and on Broadway in 'The Will Rogers Follies.'

"In 1982 he starred in a short-lived sitcom, 'One of the Boys,' with Dana Carvey and Nathan Lane. He guested on 'The Golden Girls' in 1988, on 'Murder, She Wrote' in 1993 and on 'ER' in 1998; he starred in 'The New Adventures of the Black Stallion,' based on the film, for 57 episodes from 1990-93.

"As he approached and then surpassed his 90th birthday, he labored on, appearing in 2006 in 'Night at the Museum' and in 2011 in 'The Muppets' feature, among several other films."

Mickey Rooney in The Black Stallion.jpgRooney in his Oscar-nominated performance in "The Black Stallion"

 

 

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