Mickey Rourke

Mickey Rourke, born Phillip Andre Rourke, Jr. in 1952, started life in Schenectady, New York, but after his parents split, he wound up in Miami Shores, Florida. His stepdad was a cop, which probably made things interesting at home. Early on, Mickey was way more into sports than acting, especially boxing. He picked up the gloves at the Boys Club, started fighting as a bantamweight, and racked up wins—even sparring with world champs as a teenager. The guy was no joke in the ring, but he got banged up pretty bad, concussions and all, so doctors made him lay low for a while. He still managed 27 wins as an amateur, knocking out opponents in seconds sometimes. After graduating from Miami Beach Senior High, he did the busboy thing for a bit and then made his way back to New York, chasing an acting career. Acting wasn’t some childhood dream, but he did dabble in school plays, thanks to a legendary drama teacher. Fast forward to the ‘90s and Rourke couldn’t stay away from boxing—he went pro, even got trained by Freddie Roach and fought under lights, making serious cash compared to his earlier days. His face took a beating though, surgeries and all that jazz, so he ended up returning to acting. He flew under the radar for a while until his knockout role in The Wrestler, which finally got him the recognition he deserved.