Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Little Man - BIG Impact

Mickey Rooney, the diminutive entertainer who was a major film and TV star from the time he was a teen — and whose showbiz career spanned every decade of his long life going back to the 1920s — died last Sunday. He was 93.
Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jnr.) packed more talent into his 5'2" frame than most of his contemporaries, even at a time when singing and dancing were a regular part of the acting life.
He began performing when just 17 months, in a stage show with his parents. He went on to star in over 100 films, including National Velvet, Breakfast At Tiffany’s and Night At The Museum.
He also played instruments, switched seamlessly between comedy and drama and was nominated for four Academy Awards. He took home two honorary Oscars - a 'Juvenile' Academy Award in 1939 and another for his body of work in 1983. He also received two Golden Globes and an Emmy Award.
Despite being a highly successful child actor, Rooney managed to avoid the kind of personal tragedy that comes along with it...mostly. He was married eight times (his first wife being actress Ava Gardner), filed for bankruptcy in 1962, and struggled to shake off his boyish persona after serving in the Army 1944-1946, a tour during which he mostly travelled the world, entertaining the troops abroad.
Rooney's final years saw their share of family strife, too. He accused stepson Chris Aber of elder abuse and stealing money, winning a $2.8m judgment against him just last year.
Mickey Rooney had one of the longest careers of any actor, spanning 92 years actively making films in ten decades, from the 1920s to the 2010s.
He once quipped: "There'll never be another you. It has nothing to do with ego; it happens to be the truth. There will never be another person the same. There'll never be another you. There'll never be another me..."
How right he was.

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