Mickey Rourke Biography, Net Worth, Boxing Career and Plastic Surgery 

Quick Facts

Mickey Rourke is popular as a screenwriter and actor who has made appearances as a lead character in many action, thriller and drama films, but what most people don’t know about him is that he was once a boxer with an impressive number of victories in his boxing career. Here, we are going to take you through the events in the life of Mickey, bringing to fore the relatively unknown aspects of his boxing career, his plastic surgery and what we all know him for – acting.

Mickey Rourke’s Biography

The American actor is a senior citizen born in the year 1952 precisely on September 16 in Schenectady, New York. His full name is Philip Andre “Mickey” Rourke Jr. but he is popularly known and referred to as Mickey Rourke.

While his parents are no more, the American entertainment industry remains grateful to them for giving the world a talent as priceless as Andre. He was born to Annette (née Cameron) and Philip Andre Rourke Sr. who were both of mixed descent and ancestry. Mickey’s mom had Scottish, French, English, and German ancestry while his dad was of Irish and German descent. The family was a Roman Catholic one and raised him and his siblings (brother – Joey, and sister – Patricia) in the faith. Their dad, however, divorced his mom when the legendary actor was just 6 years old.

As a kid, Mickey Rourke schooled at Miami Beach Senior High School, where he spent ample time engaging in a lot of sporting activities up until his graduation in 1971. After his graduation, he started self-defense training at the Boys Club of Miami where he began to develop an interest in boxing.

Boxing Career

His passion for the combat sports intensified such that by the age of 12, Mickey Rourke was poised to pursue an amateur boxing career.

Being someone who commits his heart to whatever he wants to do, his first boxing match marked his first victory as an amateur pugilist in a 112-pound (51 kg) flyweight duel in 1964. This victory was all he needed to keep his steam running as he advanced to the 140 pounds (63.5 kg) category where he faced off with would be and now former World Welterweight Champion Luis Rodríguez.

Phil Rourke which was his ring name then disclosed he suffered a concussion in the match. He also suffered another concussion at the 1971 Florida Golden Gloves after which doctors advised him to take time off the ring.

He then returned as a professional boxer in the year 1991 with a win in 6 out of 8 fights, the other two fights ended in draws for him. Mickey Rourke then went on to fight in countries like Japan, Spain and Germany recording several victories and making his mark as a professional boxer. However, the sports took a toll on his physical appearance as he sustained many injuries some of which were badly treated.

In all, Mickey recorded a total of 27 wins (17 knockouts) with 3 losses in his amateur boxing career. His professional boxing records are not available at the moment but we know he fought in an exhibition match against Elliot Seymour in Moscow, Russia on November 28, 2009. The match ended in the second round as he knocked out his opponent. Elliot would, however, later reveal that he was paid by Rourke’s team to dive in the second round but Rourke didn’t know.

Acting Career

Following the break Mickey Rourke took from amateur boxing as a result of the severe concussions he suffered, he moved to New York to learn acting under the tutelage of Walter Lott and Sandra Seacat; the latter at the time was a teacher at the Actors Studio in New York.

Rourke’s first major appearance came in the 1980 film Fade to Black while his 1981 appearance in Body Heat made him famous with his rugged look and acting style. At this time, he also wrote scripts for films like Homeboy (1988), The Last Ride (1994) and Bullet (1996).

He took a temporary break from acting in the 90s but made a comeback with Sin City (2005) where he played the lead role. Other major screen works he did include Iron Man 2 (2010), Java Heat (2013) and many others.

Plastic Surgery 

Following his time in the ring with the many blows he withstood as a boxer, Mickey had his fair share of injuries for which he frequently had surgeries to fix.

The retired boxer suffered short-term memory loss, a split tongue, compressed cheekbone, broken nose, toe, and ribs. Of all his injuries, it was those that had to do with his face that he suffered most for even after they healed.

His face needed reconstructive plastic surgery which he opted for as he knew he looked terrible. After his surgeries in the 90s, Mickey Rourke came out worse than he went in. He admitted that he had his surgery done by the wrong person who in an attempt to better his looks, made him uglier. He has also gone under the knife several more times recently but never got better. As expected, the about his latest bizarre looks went viral in the media and with memes on social media as he was spotted strolling with one of his friends.

Net Worth

The retired boxer, actor and screenwriter though no longer active in the film industry has well been rewarded for his heydays (boxing inclusive). For this, and many other things that constitute income streams for him, Mickey Rourke has a net worth reported to be at $10 million.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.