Hollywood star and entertainer best known for National Velvet, Boys Town and his turbulent private life
In 1938, the extraordinary, multi-talented 18-year-old Mickey Rooney was Americas No 1 box-office star, earning more than $300,000 annually. In 1939, he was awarded a special Oscar for his spirit and personification of youth.
In 1962, Rooney declared himself bankrupt, revealing that he had nothing left of the $12m he had earned over the years. After being an MGM luminary for a decade, he was forced to appear in dozens of B movies to pay off his debts and alimony payments (by then he had been married seven times). But Rooney, who has died aged 93, always lived by the creed of his profession: the show must go on.
Continue reading...