Mickey Rooney dies aged 93

Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney has died aged 93, Los Angeles police say.

Mickey Rooney was with his family when he died at home on Sunday, April 6.

Born in Brooklyn on September 23, 1920, Mickey Rooney began his career aged 18 months in his parents’ vaudeville act, Yule and Carter, and never really retired.

By 1965, Mickey Rooney’s 200 films had earned more than $3 billion around the world.

Laurence Olivier once referred to Mickey Rooney as the greatest film actor America ever produced.

Mickey Rooney’s death was first reported by Variety magazine. The actor is said to have been ill for some time.

In a film and musical career spanning eight decades, Mickey Rooney was nominated for four Academy Awards and received two special Oscars, including one in 1983 for his body of work.

Mickey Rooney was married eight times, including actress Ava Gardner.

Asked once if he would marry all his wives again, the actor replied: “Absolutely. I loved every one of them.”

Initially named Joe Yule Junior, Mickey Rooney was barely 6 years old when he had his first film role as a cigar-smoking midget in Orchids and Ermine.

In 1937, he the part of Andy Hardy in A Family Affair. Playing the son of a small-town judge proved a huge box-office draw, and spawned a hit series lasting eight years.

At the same time, a series of barnyard musicals paired Mickey Rooney with another celebrated child star, Judy Garland.

By 1939, Mickey Rooney was established as the film industry’s top box office draw.

He enjoyed international triumph alongside Elizabeth Taylor in the 1944 movie National Velvet.

But despite his success, Mickey Rooney admitted his fame had forced him to grow up too quickly. By the time he was 30, the actor said he felt 100 years old.

The show business legend was declared bankrupt by the early 1960s, with much of his money going to alimony for his ex-wives and a reckless lifestyle.

However, Mickey Rooney’s career enjoyed a revival with the film Pete’s Dragon in 1977, and his hit show Sugar Babies which hit Broadway in the late 1970s.

True to his motto to “never retire but inspire”, Mickey Rooney continued to work in film, television and theatre well into his 80s.