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Date of Birth

16 September 1952, Schenectady, New York, USA

Birth Name

Philip Andre Rourke Jr.

Height

5' 11" (1.80 m)

Mini Biography

Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. (born September 16, 1952) is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films.

During the 1980s, Rourke starred in Diner, Rumble Fish, and the erotic drama 9½ Weeks, and received critical praise for his work in Barfly and Angel Heart. In 1991, Rourke, who had trained as a boxer in his early years, left acting and became a professional boxer for a period. He had supporting roles in several later films, including The Rainmaker, Buffalo '66, The Pledge, Get Carter, Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Man on Fire.

In 2005, Rourke made his comeback in mainstream Hollywood circles with a lead role in Sin City, for which he won awards from the Chicago Film Critics Association, the Irish Film and Television Awards and the Online Film Critics Society. In the 2008 film The Wrestler, Rourke portrayed a past-his-prime wrestler, and garnered a 2009 Golden Globe award, a BAFTA award, and a nomination for an Academy Award.

In 2010, he appeared in the blockbusters Iron Man 2 and The Expendables.

Early life

Rourke was born Philip Andre Rourke, Jr., in Schenectady, New York, to a family of Irish and French descent. He was raised Roman Catholic and still practices his faith. His father, Philip Andre Rourke, Sr., an amateur body builder, left the family when Mickey was six years old. After his parents divorced, his mother, Ann, married Eugene Addis, a Miami Beach police officer with five sons, and moved Rourke, his younger brother, and their sister to southern Florida. There, he graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School in 1971.

During his teenage years, Rourke focused his attention mainly on sports. He took up self-defense training at the Boys Club of Miami. It was there that he learned boxing skills and decided on an amateur career. At age 12, Rourke won his first boxing match as a 118-pound bantamweight (53.5 kg), fighting some of his early matches under the name Andre Rourke. He continued his boxing training at the famed 5th Street Gym, in Miami Beach, Florida, where Muhammad Ali began his career. In 1969, Rourke, then weighing 140 lbs. (63.5 kg), sparred with former World Welterweight Champion Luis Rodríguez. Rodriguez was the number one-rated middleweight boxer in the world and was training for his match with world champion Conor Scullion. Rourke boxed Scullion and claims to have received a concussion in this sparring match.

At the 1971 Florida Golden Gloves, Rourke suffered another concussion in a boxing match. After being told by doctors to take a year off and rest, Rourke temporarily retired from the ring. From 1964 to 1972, he compiled an amateur record of 20 wins (17 by knockout) and 6 defeats, which included wins over Ron Carter, Charles Gathers and Joe Riles.

Career

Early acting roles

In 1971, as a senior at Miami Beach Senior High School, Rourke had a small acting role in the Jay W. Jensen-directed school play, The Serpent. However, Rourke's interests were geared to boxing, and he never appeared in any other school productions. Soon after he temporarily gave up boxing, a friend at the University of Miami told Rourke about a play he was directing, Deathwatch, and how the man playing the role of Green Eyes had quit. Rourke got the part and immediately became enamored with acting. Borrowing 400 dollars from his sister, he went to New York in order to take private lessons with an acting teacher from the Actors Studio, Sandra Seacat.

Rourke's film debut was a small role in Steven Spielberg's film 1941. However, it was his portrayal of an arson in Body Heat that garnered significant attention, despite his modest time onscreen. He mostly appeared in television films in his early career. During the early 1980s, Rourke starred in Diner, alongside Paul Reiser, Daniel Stern, Steve Guttenberg, Tim Daly and Kevin Bacon, and yet again drew further critical notices for his portrayal as the suave compulsive gambler "Boogie" Sheftell; The National Society of Film Critics named him "Best Supporting Actor" that year. Soon thereafter, Rourke starred in Rumble Fish, Francis Ford Coppola's follow-up to The Outsiders.

Rourke's performance in the film The Pope of Greenwich Village alongside Daryl Hannah and Eric Roberts also caught the attention of critics, although the film was not financially successful. In the mid-1980s, Rourke earned himself additional leading roles. His role alongside Kim Basinger in the erotic drama 9½ Weeks helped him gain "sex symbol" status. He received critical praise for his work in Barfly as the alcoholic writer Henry Chinaski (the literary alter ego of Charles Bukowski) and in Year of the Dragon. In 1987, Rourke appeared in Angel Heart. The film was nominated for several awards. It was seen as controversial by some owing to a sex scene involving Cosby Show cast member Lisa Bonet, who won an award for her part in the film. Although some of Rourke's work was viewed as controversial in the U.S., he was well-received by Europe, and especially French, audiences, who loved the "rumpled, slightly dirty, sordid ... rebel persona" that he projected in Year of the Dragon, 9½ Weeks, Angel Heart, and Desperate Hours.

In the late 1980s, Rourke performed with David Bowie on the Never Let Me Down album. Around the same time he also wrote his first screenplay, Homeboy, a boxing tale in which he starred. In 1989, Rourke starred in the docu-drama Francesco, portraying St. Francis of Assisi. This was followed by Wild Orchid, another critically panned film, which gained him a nomination for a Razzie award (also for Desperate Hours). In 1991, he starred in the box office bomb Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man as Harley Davidson, a biker whose best friend, Marlboro, was played by Don Johnson. In his last role before departing for the boxing ring, Rourke played an arms dealer chased by Willem Dafoe and Samuel Jackson in White Sands, a film noir which reviewers found to be stylish but incoherent.

Rourke's acting career eventually became overshadowed by his personal life and career decisions. Directors such as Alan Parker found it difficult to work with him. Parker stated that "working with Mickey is a nightmare. He is very dangerous on the set because you never know what he is going to do." In a documentary on the special edition DVD of Tombstone, actor Michael Biehn, who plays the part of Johnny Ringo, mentions that his role was first offered to Rourke.

Boxing career

In 1991, Rourke decided that he "had to go back to boxing" because he felt that he "was self-destructing … (and) had no respect for (himself as) an actor." Rourke was undefeated in eight fights, with six wins (four by knockout) and two draws. He fought internationally in countries including Spain, Japan and Germany.

During his boxing career, Rourke suffered a number of injuries, including a broken nose, toe, ribs, a split tongue, and a compressed cheekbone. He also suffered from short term memory loss.

His trainer during most of his boxing career was Hells Angels member, actor and celebrity bodyguard Chuck Zito. Freddie Roach also trained Rourke for seven fights. Rourke's entrance song into the ring was often Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child o' Mine."

Boxing promoters said that Rourke was too old to succeed against top-level fighters. Indeed, Rourke himself admits that entering the ring was a sort of personal test: "[I] just wanted to give it a shot, test myself that way physically, while I still had time." In 1995, Rourke retired from boxing and returned to acting.

Rourke's boxing career resulted in a notable physical change in the 1990s, as his face needed reconstructive surgery in order to mend his injuries. His face was later called "appallingly disfigured." In 2009, the actor told The Daily Mail that he had gone to "the wrong guy" for his surgery, and that his plastic surgeon had left his features "a mess."

1990s: return to acting

In the early 1990s, Rourke was offered and declined the role of Butch Coolidge, which later became Bruce Willis' role in Pulp Fiction. After his retirement from boxing, Rourke did accept supporting roles in several 1990s films, including Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of John Grisham's The Rainmaker, Vincent Gallo's Buffalo '66, Steve Buscemi's Animal Factory, Sean Penn's The Pledge and Sylvester Stallone's remake of Get Carter. Rourke also has written several films under the name "Sir Eddie Cook", including Bullet, in which he co-starred with close friend Tupac Shakur.

While Rourke was also selected for a significant role in Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line; his part ended up on the editing room floor. Rourke also played a small part in the film Thursday, in which he plays a crooked cop. He also had a lead role in 1997's Double Team, which co-starred martial arts actor Jean-Claude Van Damme. It was Rourke's first over-the-top action film role, in which he played the lead villain. During that same year, he filmed Another 9½ Weeks, a sequel to 9½ Weeks, which only received limited distribution. He ended the 1990s with the direct-to-video films Out in Fifty, Shades and television film Shergar, about the kidnapping of Epsom Derby-winning thoroughbred racehorse Shergar. Rourke has expressed his bitterness over that period of his career, stating that he came to consider himself a "has-been" and lived for a time in "a state of shame."

2000s

In 2001, he appeared as the villain in Enrique Iglesias's music video for "Hero," which also featured Jennifer Love Hewitt. In 2002, Rourke took the role of The Cook in Jonas Åkerlund's Spun, teaming up once again with Eric Roberts. His first collaborations with directors Robert Rodriguez and Tony Scott in Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Man on Fire, were for smaller roles. Nonetheless, these directors subsequently decided to cast Rourke in lead roles in their next films.

In 2005, Rourke made his comeback in mainstream Hollywood circles with a lead role (Marv) in Robert Rodriguez's adaptation of Frank Miller's Sin City. Rourke received awards from the Chicago Film Critics Association, the IFTA and the Online Film Critics Society, as well as "Man of the Year" from Total Film magazine that year. Rourke followed Sin City with a supporting role in Tony Scott's Domino alongside Keira Knightley, in which he played a bounty hunter.

Rourke played the role of "The Blackbird" in an adaptation of Elmore Leonard's Killshot, and appeared as Darrius Sayle in the adaptation of the Alex Rider novel Stormbreaker.

In addition, in 2004, Rourke provided the voice for "Jericho" in the third installment of the Driver video game series. Rourke also recently appeared in a 40-page story by photographer Bryan Adams for Berlin's Zoo Magazine. In an article about Rourke's return to steady acting roles, entitled "Mickey Rourke Rising", Christopher Heard stated that actors/musicians Tupac Shakur, Johnny Depp, Sean Penn and Brad Pitt have "…animated praise for Rourke and his work." During a roundtable session of Oscar nominated actors held by Newsweek, Brad Pitt cited Rourke as one of his early acting heroes along with Sean Penn and Gary Oldman.

Despite having withdrawn from acting at various points, and having made films that he now sees as a creative "sell-out" (the action film Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man), Rourke has stated that "…all that I have been through…[has] made me a better, more interesting actor." Rourke's renewed interest in pursuing acting can be seen in his statement that "… my best work is still ahead of me."

Rourke had a role in the film version of The Informers, playing Peter, an amoral former studio security guard who plots to kidnap a small child.

In 2008, Rourke played the lead in The Wrestler, winner of the Golden Lion Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival, about washed-up professional wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson. In regards to first reading the screenplay, he stated that he originally "didn't care for it."

He also spoke on personal concern and hesitance of being in a film about wrestling, for he perceived it as being "prearranged and prechoreographed." However, as he trained for the film, he developed an appreciation and respect for what real-life pro wrestlers do to prepare for the ring:

He trained under former WWE wrestler Afa the Wild Samoan for the part, and has received a British Academy (BAFTA) award, a Golden Globe award, an Independent Spirit Award, and an Oscar nomination as Best Actor. Rourke was pessimistic about his chances to win the Oscar as he had been, in the past, very vocal against Hollywood's establishment. Rourke lost the Oscar to Sean Penn, while Penn did acknowledge Rourke in his acceptance speech.

Rourke has written or co-written six scripts: Homeboy, The Last Ride, Bullet, Killer Moon, Penance and the latest, Pain. Of these, the first three were produced as films between 1988 and 1996.

In early 2009, Rourke developed a small feud with WWE Superstar Chris Jericho, as part of a storyline. The storyline climaxed at WrestleMania XXV, when Rourke knocked out Jericho with a left hook after Jericho won his match against Jimmy Snuka, Ricky Steamboat, and Roddy Piper, with Ric Flair in their corner.

In 2009, Rourke starred in John Rich's music video for Shuttin' Detroit Down alongside Kris Kristofferson.

In 2009, Rourke voiced protagonist US Navy SEAL Dick Marcinko in the video game Rogue Warrior. The game received very poor reviews from critics.

In 2010, Rourke played the role of the main villain Whiplash in the film Iron Man 2, in an interview with Rip It Up Magazine he revealed that he prepared for the role by visiting Russian jail inmates. He also had a supporting role playing 'Tool' in Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables.

Just before the end of the year, he confirmed on a British TV talk show that he would play Gareth Thomas in an upcoming film about the Welsh rugby star who came out as gay the previous year. As of February 2011, he had begun research on the film, but noted, "We're not going to make this movie until we've done all the proper research. We need to do our homework and I need to train for from nine to 11 months."

Political views

Rourke's political views came under fire when he claimed to have donated part of his salary from the 1989 film Francesco to the Provisional Irish Republican Army. He later retracted the statement, although he has an IRA symbol tattoo.

Personal life

Rourke has dated several celebrities, including Terry Farrell and Sasha Volkova. He has been married twice. In 1981, he married Debra Feuer, whom he met on the set of Hardcase (1981) and who co-starred with him in Homeboy (1990) as his love interest. The marriage ended in 1989, with Rourke subsequently commenting that making the film 9½ Weeks "was not particularly considerate to my wife's needs." The two have remained good friends, according to an interview Feuer gave in 2009. Wild Orchid co-star Carré Otis was briefly a cause célèbre following the release of the film owing to rumours that she and then-lover Rourke filmed an unsimulated sex scene. Otis married Rourke on June 26, 1992. In 1994, Rourke was arrested for spousal abuse. The charges were later dropped. The couple reconciled and also starred together in Exit in Red, but their marriage ended in December 1998. In November 2007, Rourke was arrested again, this time on DUI charges in Miami Beach.

In numerous TV and print interviews, he attributes his comeback after fourteen years to weekly meetings with a psychiatrist, "Steve," and to a Catholic priest he identified as "Father Pete."

Rourke is also a motorcycle enthusiast and uses motorcycles in some of his films.

Dogs

In addition to his faith and his psychiatric treatment, Rourke has publicly attributed his comeback to his dogs. He is well-known as a pet fancier, particularly fond of small-breed dogs. A spay/neuter advocate, Rourke participated in a protest outside of a pet shop in 2007 and has done a public service announcement for PETA.

His first little dog was reportedly a gift from his second wife. Though Rourke's dogs are generally referred to as "chihuahua," some are not pure-bred. Loki, his most-publicized dog whom he described as "the love of my life," was a chihuahua-terrier mix. So reliant was Rourke on Loki's companionship, he spent US$5,400 to have her flown to England while he was on the set of the film Stormbreaker.

Rourke gave his dogs credit during his Golden Globe Best Actor acceptance speech January 11, 2009: "I'd like to thank all my dogs. The ones that are here, the ones that aren't here anymore because sometimes when a man's alone, that's all you got is your dog. And they've meant the world to me." The day of the 2009 Golden Globes show, he told Barbara Walters that "I sort of self-destructed and everything came out about fourteen years ago or so ... the wife had left, the career was over, the money was not an ounce. The dogs were there when no one else was there." Asked by Walters if he had considered suicide, he responded:

Despite being identified as "Lowjack" in the transcription above, the dog in the anecdote was apparently Beau Jack, who sired two of Rourke's later pets, Loki and her littermate Chocolate. Beau Jack died in 2002, though Rourke gave him 45 minutes of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Chocolate was the subject of a children's book, Chocolate at the Four Seasons, about his temporary stay with producer Bonnie Timmerman. Chocolate returned to Rourke and died in 2006. In addition to those dogs and several other past pets, Rourke currently owns a chihuahua named Jaws who appeared with him in his 2009 PETA ad, as well as in the film "Man on Fire." He has had as many as seven dogs at one time, back in 2005. At the time of his Golden Globes tribute to his pets, Rourke owned five chihuahuas: Loki, Jaws, Ruby Baby, La Negra and Bella Loca. About a month later, on February 18, 2009, Loki died in Rourke's arms at the age of 18.

Source

The Mini Biography is from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Rourke. IMDb is not affiliated with, and neither endorses, nor is endorsed by Wikipedia or any of the authors who contributed to this article. The Wikipedia content may be available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, version 3.0 or any later version, available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/. Additional or other terms may apply. See Wikipedia Terms of Use for details. This webpage may use the Freebase schema, licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/.

Spouse

Carré Otis	(26 June 1992 - December 1998) (divorced)
Debra Feuer	(31 January 1981 - 1989) (divorced)

Trade Mark

His deep voice

His 1950s style pompadour

Trivia

Has at least seven tatoos including a tiger head with Chinese symbolson his left shoulder, a bulls skull on his right bicep, and a shamrock on his left forearm.

Became a professional boxer in 1991 but retired in 1995.

Is a motorcycle enthusiast.

Kim Basinger once called him "The Human Ashtray".

Filmed a role in The Thin Red Line (1998), that eventually got cut. He gets thanked in the credits.

Arrested by the LAPD and charged with spousal abuse. [July 1994]

Used to own a gym in West Hollywood called Shapiro.

Has an younger sister named Patty, a younger half-brother named Joey Rourke, and six step-siblings.

Walked off the set of Luck of the Draw (2000) when the producers refused to let him include his pet chihuahua in the movie. [August 1999]

Was rushed to Cedars Sinai Medical Center in L.A. His reps said it was for an allergic reaction to cough syrup he was taking to battle the flu. Rourke was released a few hours later. [19 April 1999]

Grew up in the tough Miami area known as Liberty City.

Was first offered the role of Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop (1984). It was eventually passed on to Sylvester Stallone, and, after many script revisions, Eddie Murphy.

Was trained by Sandra Seacat.

Made his professional boxing debut on May 23, 1991 in Florida by winning a 4 round decision over Steve Powell.

Retired from boxing undefeated after boxing a draw with "Irish" Sean Gibbons in Davie, Florida in 1994.

As an amateur boxer, put together a knockout streak of 12 straight.

Sparred with world champions James Toney and Carlos Monzón.

On June 3, 1992 he knocked-out Darrell Miller in one round in Japan.

On Nov. 20, 1993, he knocked-out Thomas McCoy in 3 rounds in Germany.

On Dec. 12, 1993 he knocked-out Terry Jesmer in Spain in 4 rounds.

Used to co-own a very tiny soda fountain/ice cream/magazine stand in Beverly Hills with his hairdresser pal Giuseppe Franco called Mickey & Joey's.

As a boxer, his nickname was "El Marielito".

Visited former World Middleweight Boxing Champion Carlos Monzón while Monzón was in prison for murder in Argentina. The two reportedly boxed an exhibition.

Was considered for the role of Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs (1991).

Has admitted in interviews that he only did Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991) for the money.

Was originally cast as "Stuntman Mike" in Death Proof (2007).

Turned down Bruce Willis' role in Pulp Fiction (1994) to write and star in F.T.W. (1994).

Was considered for a role in Inglourious Basterds (2009).

Is a good friend of French singer and painter Tristan, who designed, among other things, the "tiger jacket" Rourke wears in Homeboy (1988).

In its obituary of poet Charles Bukowski, the screenwriter of Barfly (1987), "The New York Post" used a photo of Rourke as Henry Chinaski in the film instead of a photo of the poet himself.

Was offered a role in Revolver (2005/I), but turned it down to do Domino (2005).

Was great friends with Bullet (1996) co-star and rapper Tupac Shakur.

Has turned down lead roles in Highlander (1986), The Untouchables (1987) and Rain Man (1988).

Irish American.

On the Waterfront (1954) director Elia Kazan said that Rourke's student audition was the best audition piece he'd seen in 30 years.

Injuries he received as a boxer include a split tongue and a compressed cheekbone. Surgeons rebuilt his nose with cartilage from his ear. His balance also suffers to this day if he is tired or drinks alcohol.

Other movies he is alleged to have turned down include 48 Hrs. (1982), Platoon (1986), Top Gun (1986) and Tombstone (1993).

In October 2001, he paid half a million pounds for a house in County Wicklow in Ireland.

On October 16, 2004, his younger brother, Joey Rourke (born June 25, 1954) died of lung cancer. He was 50 years old. Mickey credited his brother Joey with preventing him from committing suicide in 1998.

In a 2008 interview with rottentomatoes.com, Rourke said his five favorite films were The Deer Hunter (1978), The Godfather (1972) & The Godfather: Part II (1974), Lonely Are the Brave (1962), On the Waterfront (1954) and Gilda (1946).

Ex-brother-in-law of Ian Feuer and Jordan Otis.

Engaged to Russian model Anastasiya Makarenko [December 8, 2009].

Himself from Miami, turned down the role of Det. Sonny Crockett on "Miami Vice" (1984), which went to his co-star in "Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man" Don Johnson. The role was also offered to Nick Nolte, Jeff Bridges and Tom Berenger.

Personal Quotes

[on what he wants in a woman] It's like when I buy a horse. I don't want a thick neck and short legs.

[1994] I thought my talent would transcend my outspokenness. I was wrong. I'm willing to give them 100 per cent this time. I just want a second chance at Hollywood.

I lost the house, the wife, the credibility, the entourage. I lost my soul. I was alone ... I'm sort of OK with it now, but the first time I'm in there, pushing a f***ing cart, getting my supper. I used to go to the 24-hour place in gay town, so no one would recognize me. The only thing I could afford was a shrink, so that's where my money went. Three times a week for the first two years. The year after that, twice a week and now I'm down to once a week. I've only missed two appointments in six years.

You get desensitized to pain and for three and a half years I developed these symptoms of brain damage - you forget what you did the night before. You have to get out when the doctors tell you to, otherwise you're on queer street for the rest of your life. One doctor said to me before a big fight, "our neurological report doesn't look too good" I was like four fights away from a big, big fight and he said, "Mickey, how much are they paying you? Look at your tests - you won't be able to count the money".

I've talked to my priest a lot. I used to have to call him or the shrink when there was an explosion, because I was really good at not talking to anybody until there was an explosion. My priest is this cool Italian from New York. We go down to his basement and he opens the wine. We smoke a cigarette and I have my confession. He sends me upstairs to do my Hail Marys. I mean, I'm no Holy Joe, but I have a strong belief. If I wasn't Catholic I would have blown my brains out. I would pray to God. I would say, "Please, can you send me just a little bit of daylight?" He talked me out of it and we started meeting. His name is Father Pete and he lives in New York. Father Pete put me back on the right track.

[on President George W. Bush] George is doing a hell of a job during very difficult times, more power to him. Screw all them people who don't like him.

[on his earlier success] I didn't have a childhood, really, because I worked my whole life and . . . other reasons. So when I had some success, I went ballistic. That was my childhood, and the party kept going on. I didn't get off my motorcycle for 10 years.

(on his film Spun (2002)) I didn't care for the material and I wasn't real interested in the cast. But two years ago I put myself in the hands of an agent, David Unger at ICM, and he said, "Do the movie". So I did.

[in 2003, on The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984)] It was the most fun I've ever had on a movie. It was one of the happiest times in my life. I was living in New York, and I really enjoyed acting at the time. [pauses] Also, it's funny because that was also the time when I went downhill.

I always thought I'd accomplish something special. Like robbing a bank.

[on Nicole Kidman's refusal to work with him] If I was Nicole Kidman, I wouldn't want to work with me, either. She'd have to stand up to the plate and get exposed. She wouldn't have known what hit her. I was flat broke at the time. In the Cut (2003) would have been my first big part in a comeback. But it was my fault to put myself in a position where someone like her could dictate whether I worked or not.

[on his boxing career] I was fighting guys 15 years younger than me. . . . But I won 10 of 12 fights and had two draws.

Who do I share the good things happening to me with? My dogs, I guess.

For 12 years I was alone, I had lost everything. The three people closest to me - my brother, my grandmother and my ex-wife - were no longer there. I had no real friends. I saw a few girls, Russian strippers mostly, but I wasn't looking for a girlfriend. My wife's name [Carré Otis] was tattooed on my arm. She was the love of my life.

[on Sean Penn and his performance in Milk (2008/I)] Thought he did an average pretend acting like he was gay. Besides, he's one of the most homophobic people I know.

You know the song, "I Fought the Law and the Law Won"? Well, I fought the system and it kicked the living shit out of me!

[on his acting comeback with The Wrestler (2008)] I didn't think I'd come back to this level ever again. I hoped I would but I thought too much time had gone by.

I heard someone say Hollywood's a celebration of mediocrity, which rings pretty true to me.

[on making Spun (2002)] I couldn't stand making that movie. I hated every second of it.

I really only want to work with material that has integrity, and with actors and directors that I respect. You know, people like Tony Scott, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino - there's a shortlist.

[on fears he may miss out on an Oscar for The Wrestler (2008)] It's voted for by people from the movie business and in the past I've hacked them all off. I was good at that. It came easy to me. I stupidly said acting wasn't a job for a real man. I threatened producers, raged at directors, forgot my agent's name. I really burned my bridges. And a lot of people have long memories.

I'll never be mellow, OK? I'd rather be dead than mellow. You might as well take me out the back and shoot me in the back of the head before I'm going to be mellow.

Hollywood's a town built on envy.

[on his lean years] I called up a guy who used to hang with me and asked where I might get me some construction work. He brushed me off and said he didn't have time for my sh*t.

[on his early days in Hollywood] I was bouncing at a transvestite nightclub... and back then all the transvestites were on this sh*t called Angel Dust, so you'd hit them over the head with a baseball bat but they'd keep on coming.

[Receiving his Best Actor Bafta for The Wrestler (2008)] I want to thank my publicist, Paula Woods, for having the hardest job in showbiz - telling me ... what to eat, how to dress, what to f***.

Actors should shut up about politics, because they tend to be ill-informed finger-pointers who just cozy up to some flavor-of-the-month liberal, you know?

[on Wrestling] It was a sport I looked down on as fake and theatrical. My half brothers used to go and watch it all the time and think it was real, but I couldn't stand the f..king sport. I had a terrible disdain for it.

[how doing The Wrestler (2008) changed his attitude to wrestling] I have a lot of respect for a sport I was ignorant about. I take my hat off to those guys, I really do.

[on his training regime for The Wrestler (2008)] In six months I went from 195lbs to 230. This was solid muscle. I hired a trainer from the Israeli army and he was very strict. We trained twice a day with heavy weights, and my eating habits became super-high protein, low carbs and, let's say, a lot of vitamins.

[on the death of his beloved 17-year-old dog Loki] Loki is deeply missed but with me in spirit. I feel very blessed that she fell asleep peacefully in my arms.

[on his wild 80s partying] My mansion in Beverly Hills was like something from Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) - Elvis on acid. The neighbors were moving in and out almost monthly.

[on his decision to do The Wrestler (2008)] When I read the story and then met Darren Aronofsky I knew he was going to make me go to some dark places and it would be painful emotionally and physically. But I'm so glad I did it because it is the best work I've done in the best film of my career.

[on working with Anthony Hopkins in Desperate Hours (1990)] I learned a lot watching Tony in action. I mean, here's a guy who's been one of the great actors for years and he's still got the enthusiasm of a kid. He keeps trying to sustain a higher and higher level. You can't tell from looking at him, but try moving him. The guy's strong, he's built like a fire hydrant.

[on hanging out with real-life gangster John Gotti] We were watching a soccer game one time during the World Cup, and Italy and Ireland were playing. I said, "John" - because he, you know, liked to gamble - I said, "I'll take Ireland." And Italy was favored up the *ss, right? But Ireland ended up winning the f**king game. And before that I said to John, "What do you want to bet? Ten grand? Whatever? Whatever you want to do." He says, "No, no. I'm never going to take your money. Let's bet watches." Right? I'll tell you something. His friends came over three weeks later and brought me the most beautiful f**king watch I've ever seen. Autographed, "To Mick, All the best. JG."

I'm Irish and French.

[on Killshot (2008)] I think that movie is the best work I've done for 15 years.

[on making Barfly (1987)] The director [Barbet Schroeder] was kind of an a**hole, but the project was very interesting. 'Charles Bukowski' was on the set. I liked Charlie. Charlie was cool with me. I was never a Bukowski fanatic or anything. I did enjoy reading a few of his books, but, you know, it wasn't like he was Tennessee Williams to me.

[on losing the Best Actor Oscar to Sean Penn] It's bittersweet. I said to myself I'd rather have Loki [his pet dog who died] another two years than an Oscar and I told her that.

[on Marisa Tomei] She's a hell of a talent and was very brave for taking her clothes off all the time. I enjoyed looking at her!

[after losing the Best Actor Oscar to Sean Penn] I expect to be back at the Oscars in about two years time. I expect my script 'Wild Horses' to be picked up soon, I'll star in it, and then win the Oscar.

[on making The Wrestler (2008)] I got hurt more in the three months of wrestling than I did in 16 years of boxing.

[on making Body Heat (1981)] I remember doing the scenes with William Hurt, who was a pretty big movie star at the time. And I'm thinking: 'Well, if that's a movie star, I'm not going to have no problem in this town.' So, you know, the attitude. It was there from the start.

I remember looking at myself in the mirror and thinking - look at what happened to you. I had blown everything, you know? I lost my credibility, my marriage, my money, my soul. I said to myself, you've got to change. And I realised that the acting was the only thing I had left.

[on meeting wrestling legend Roddy Piper at a screening of The Wrestler (2008)] He went on to pay us like highest compliments that we could wish for. And actually he got a little emotional about it. And it was kind of like, it was hard holding this guy and hearing him and talking back to him and understanding where he's been - the journey that he's been on and all the others that were like him. Because when your time has come and gone and that's the only thing you know, you can't go and be a goddamn bus boy somewhere. You just can't do it. And the options aren't a lot. And it's not very pretty.

[on Keira Knightley] She's a real lady.

[on his comeback with The Wrestler (2008)] The old me wasn't accountable or responsible for anything. There were no rules, and I didn't fear any consequences or repercussions of any kind. I don't want to go back to that dark place because this is my last chance, and I'm not going to get another.

[on his determination to make the most of his comeback] I'll never lose it all again. It was too much hard work to get it back and too lonely and too dark. I've worked too hard for it. It would be too hard to take.

If I wasn't Catholic, I probably would have blown my brains out.

Cate Blanchett is an actress. Paris Hilton is not.

[on his losing his brother Joe to cancer] The bravest person I ever met in my life was my brother. And I miss him terribly. I wonder where he is right now. I think about that a lot. I think about if I'm gonna see him again. I think about if he's with me...I think of him every night. He suffered. He didn't want to go.

My mother gave me away to somebody else - who abused my brother and me for years. And if it goes on for years and years, you're better to take that person outside and put a bullet in the back of their head. Because you don't get over it. You don't get over the Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) that goes on for a decade-plus.

[on the last moments of his brother Joe's life] I was shaking. I went back in the bedroom and I put my arms around him and said, 'Hey, bro. I know how painful it is.' I told him how much I loved him and everything. And I said, 'If you gotta go somewhere right now,' I said, 'you go ahead and go there and I'll meet you there later on sometime.' I said, 'But if you gotta go now, that's okay, 'cause I'll be okay, you understand?' And he took these weird kind of breaths and died in my arms.

As long as I can work with people I'm excited about working with, it will be okay. I just can't work for the paycheck.

[on the Israeli trainer he worked with for The Wrestler (2008)] He was this Jewish kinda dude who couldn't work on Fridays. And I couldn't wait for that day to come along.

I wasn't in the {19)90s, I was sitting on the bench.

I read a lot of biographies from Montgomery Clift to Errol Flynn. And it's the same thing, where you take people who are tremendously famous, and over time the power or money doesn't fill the gaps, and the emptiness that comes along with the ride.

My grandmother always said: 'God has a plan for all of us.' I should have went along with his, not mine, my plan sucked!

[on his Oscar nomination for The Wrestler (2008)] In the end, the Oscar should be about the acting. But there is a lot of grey, a lot of politics involved and a lot of interests. I did all I could do. Whatever happens, happens. I want to keep moving forward. There are always things that happen as the years go by, but I can't complain. I'm still standing.

[on training for The Wrestler (2008)] It was physically brutal. I had to do seven and a half months of extensive weightlifting, and eating six or seven meals a day, to put on 27 pounds of muscle.

Hollywood is a very unforgiving place.

[During his acceptance speech at the 2009 Film Independent Spirit Awards] Eric Roberts is probably the best actor I ever worked with, and I don't know why in the last 15 years, ain't nobody give him a chance to show his s*** again, because whatever he did 15, 20 years ago should be forgiven, and I'm g**d*** serious about that. Eric Roberts is the f***in' man. And, like I got, he deserves a second chance. And I wish there would be one g**d*** filmmaker in this room that would let him fly because the man, he is something else.

[on losing the Best Actor Oscar to Sean Penn] I didn't think I was gonna win, because of Proposition 8 and the whole gay marriage thing that was going on in California. But it wasn't just that. Sean did a hell of a job with his character.

[on Hollywood reaction to The Wrestler (2008)] I got the most touching letters and communiques from everywhere. From Emma Thompson, who I've never met, to Al Pacino, Robert Duvall and Jon Voight. I got a letter from Kim Basinger, who I hadn't heard from in 20 years. I just thought, 'Wow.' I mean, for me, I don't think I could've had a better compliment than a few words from Al Pacino.

[on Sylvester Stallone] Stallone, when I was flat broke and I could hardly pay for a bowl of spaghetti in a restaurant, gave me a couple of weeks on Get Carter (2000), and that paid my f***in' rent for eight months.

Monogamy? I can't wait. I don't practice it, because I haven't met the one I'd practice it with, but I believe in it absolutely. I'd join that club in a heartbeat.

I'm looking for an English wife. I'm looking for a house over here (in England). I need a boxing ring though and a full-sized gym. London's like my second home.

The first act of my life was crazy, but I've learned from it. If you've got the guts and the desire and the talent, the first time around is easy. The second time around, it's murder. How many guys make it round the second bend?

(1987 Playboy Interview) Success has changed me in one way, exposed me to a certain level of independence-a kind of selfishness that I'm ashamed of. I got ants in my pants. But the fact is, when I'm working with people I want to, on a project that I respect, I really do love acting. And that's all that matters. It's almost as good as catching somebody with a good left hook.

[on his Passion Play (2010) co-star Megan Fox] She is the best young actress I've ever worked with. I don't know if a lot of her films have showcased her acting ability more than, say, being action-oriented, but she really stepped up to the plate with this one and was very consistent and professional, beyond her years. At 23, I couldn't do half of what she's doing.

People say, 'You're so aggressive, you're so competitive.' So what? What the f**k is wrong with that? I'll be less aggressive and competitive when they put me in the ground, OK?

[on Michael Cimino] Hollywood hung him by his heels and that little prick Robert Downey? He's gotten like a million chances. And you know, the rumors have taken their toll on him. He needs to humble himself like I've had to do. He needs to make a film less than 10 million and show them he can do that. I'd work for scale for him.

Alec Baldwin, Daniel Day-Lewis, Kevin Costner... you put me in a room with any of these actors, I'll eat their asshole. (1994 Interview)

I met Warren Beatty one time and I thought... "What a creepy puke ass". (1994 Interview)

[on ex-wife Carré Otis] I waited 10 years for her to come back... I won't compromise. Carre was thunder and lightning. If I can't have thunder and lighting then I won't have anything. It'll be a one-night stand here and there, but I'm not going to compromise. I can't.

Salary

Iron Man 2 (2010)	$400,000
Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991)	$2,750,000

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