Mickey Rooney refused to let personal setbacks or setbacks in his career win

A child of vaudeville, Rooney made his film debut at age 6 and appeared in more than 200 films during his long career. In his teens he was extremely popular in 15 Andy Hardy films, making him Hollywood’s most bankable star.

But those heady days didn’t last long: Rooney found himself struggling to find work after aging out of juvenile films. No one expected him to bounce back, but he did more than once. Along the way, Rooney also earned four Academy Award nominations.

The five-foot-tall artist could do it all: act, sing, dance and even play piano and drums. “Mickey was plastic; he could play any role,” says co-author William J. Birnes The life and times of Mickey Rooney. “He worked until the very end.”

In fact, in 1981, Rooney enjoyed one of his greatest career triumphs, playing a developmentally delayed man in the television film Bill.

“Mickey absorbed who Bill was and won an Emmy for that performance,” Birnes said. “It was incredible.”