01:29 AM EDT 10/15/2009
Mickey Rourke
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Mickey Rourke Scores a Knockout at Wrestlemania
Originally posted 04/06/2009 01:05PM
Mickey Rourke, who earned an Oscar nomination for his work in The Wrestler, stepped into the ring again on Sunday, this time to fight professional wrestler Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 25.
After watching Jericho knock out wrestling legends Ric Flair, Roddy Piper and Ricky Steamboat, Rourke, 56 climbed into the ring at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, to spar with the 38-year-old Jericho.
Rourke, who took a hiatus from acting in 1991 to resume a boxing career, seemed to remember his training inside the ring. It took a single left-handed punch to subdue Jericho, who laid on the mat in stunned silence.
For several weeks, Jericho and Rourke have taunted each other outside the ring. At one point, Rourke even backed out of the match before agreeing to appear. The crowd was clearly entertained, giving Rourke a standing ovation as he exited the ring.
– Steve Helling
Permalink | Filed Under: Mickey Rourke
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Mickey Rourke Wins, Gives Rambling Speech at Spirit Awards
Originally posted 02/21/2009 11:15PM
Comeback star Mickey Rourke got a standing ovation after giving a riotous, decidedly uncensored acceptance speech for winning the best actor award at the Spirit Awards on Saturday.
The Wrestler star, 56, dedicated the trophy to his beloved Chihuahua, Loki, who passed away last week. "I've just gotten thousands of letters from strangers and people that know me about my dog that died six days ago, Loki. This is for you, baby," said the actor, who has been riding a career resurgence thanks to his role as a washed-up prizefighter in the drama.
He gave an extended shout-out to his friend, actor Eric Roberts, calling Roberts "probably the best actor I have ever worked with. I don't know why in the last 15 years, no one has given him the chance to show his s--- again."
Roberts, the brother of Julia Roberts and father of Emma Roberts, has enjoyed a bit of a career resurgence with appearances in the The Dark Knight and Heroes. He was sitting in the audience and shouted to Rourke, "Accept your award!"
Rourke also thanked the film's director, Darren Aronofsky, and his costar, Marisa Tomei, whose name he momentarily forgot.
"Not many girls can climb the pole," said Rourke, referring to Tomei's role as a stripper in the movie. "She climbed the pole, and she did it well."
Permalink | Filed Under: Independent Spirit Awards 2009, Mickey Rourke
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How the Bets Are Falling on the Oscars
Originally posted 02/19/2009 03:20PM
Second to the Super Bowl, betting on the Oscars is a gambler's favorite pastime, according to Doc's Sports Service, an online handicapper.
While Las Vegas doesn't post odds on the Oscars, due to Nevada Gaming Commission rules, offline betting services do, according to Doc's.
As for those favored to end up holding Hollywood's most cherished golden boy on Sunday night – ABC broadcasts the Oscars from the Kodak Theater starting at 8 p.m. – the good doctor recommends putting your money on the following:
Permalink | Filed Under: Oscars 2009, Slumdog Millionaire, Kate Winslet, Mickey Rourke
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Mickey Rourke: My Dogs Saved My Life
Originally posted 02/17/2009 04:15PM
Mickey Rourke, who thanked his dogs during his Golden Globes best actor acceptance speech, says his pooches received a shout-out for one simple reason: They were there for him during his darkest hour more than a decade ago.
"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," Rourke, 56, reveals during the Oscar night edition of The Barbara Walters Special, of which PEOPLE has an exclusive preview. "The dogs were there when no one else was there."
But the star of The Wrestler says his split from ex-wife, actress-model Carre Otis, 40, further exacerbated his personal turmoil. "What happened was, I was not in a really good place in my head and my heart, and I think when the wife left, it all came down and I didn't want to be here."
Permalink | Filed Under: Oscars 2009Mickey Rourke
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Mickey Rourke Expects to Applaud Sean Penn Oscar Night
Originally posted 02/03/2009 11:20AM
Mickey Rourke's dogs may be left in the cold come Oscar night.
Rourke thanked "all his dogs" when he won the Golden Globe Award for best actor last month, saying, "Sometimes when a man's alone, that's all you got is your dog. And they've meant the world to me."
But on Feb. 22, the comeback king doesn't anticipate another shout-out to his beloved pooches.
"I'll probably be up there clapping for Sean Penn," Rourke told PEOPLE Monday at the 81st annual Oscar Nominees Luncheon, in Beverly Hills. "I don't think that far ahead."
Penn, who stars in Milk, is The Wrestler actor's main competition for the Best Actor Academy Award.
Permalink | Filed Under: Oscars 2009, Mickey Rourke, Sean Penn
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PHOTO: Mickey Rourke's New PETA Ad
Originally posted 01/14/2009 06:00PM
First, Mickey Rourke thanked his dogs after his Best Actor win at Sunday's Golden Globes ceremony for his role in The Wrestler.
Now, Rourke is posing with his pup in a new spay and neuter campaign.
Cradling his Chihuahua, Jaws, in PETA's new ad, the actor urges people to "have the cojones to fix your dog. When dogs get knocked up, puppies get put down because there aren't enough homes for them."
Permalink | Filed Under: Mickey Rourke
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Evan Rachel Wood Finds a New Love – A Cat!
Originally posted 12/17/2008 07:30AM
She broke up with Marilyn Manson last month, but Evan Rachel Wood insists she's not ready to wade back into the dating pool.
"I'm not really looking for any kind of guy now," she told PEOPLE Monday night at the premiere of her new film, The Wrestler. "I just got a new boy cat. He's the only man in my life right now."
What's his name? "Nicodemus, after the king of the rats in the Secret of NIMH," said the actress (who recently denied rumors linking her to costar Mickey Rourke). A cat named after the King of the Rats. He's all I need right now."
Permalink | Filed Under: Evan Rachel Wood, Marilyn Manson, Mickey Rourke
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Evan Rachel Wood Denies Dating Mickey Rourke
Originally posted 11/10/2008 08:00AM
Gossip Web sites are abuzz with sightings of the newly single Evan Rachel Wood and Mickey Rourke, her much older costar in The Wrestler. But the actress – who split from rocker Marilyn Manson last month – wants the world to know that they're just friends.
"Spread the word – I'm not dating Mickey Rourke," Wood told PEOPLE at Sunday's Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards presented by Hollywood Life. "Everybody thinks we're dating and we're not."
That's a sentiment the 21-year-old actress reiterated in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE: "Mickey and I bonded while shooting The Wrestler and we became friends, but nothing more. I guess, because of my recent break up, I will be linked to many people, but I am not interested in pursuing a relationship at this point in my life. Any such rumor should not be taken seriously."
Permalink | Filed Under: Evan Rachel Wood, Marilyn Manson, Mickey Rourke
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Mickey Rourke Pleads Guilty to Reckless Driving
Originally posted 03/21/2008 01:50PM
Mickey Rourke has plead guilty to reckless driving – a much lesser offense than the drunk driving charge he was arrested for in November, the Palm Beach Post reports.
"I did a left U-turn at a red light, but I wasn't drunk," the Angel Heart actor told the paper.
Rourke was sentenced to six months probation, ordered to pay $1,178.75 in fines and perform 50 hours of community service. He also had some harsh words for the officer who stopped him last year while driving a Vespa in Miami Beach.
"I'm friends with most cops in the city and they told me the guy who got me isn't even liked by his colleagues," Rourke, 51, told the paper. "He's a 400-pound f--- unfit for duty."
Permalink | Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Mickey Rourke
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Mickey Rourke Arrested for DUI – on a Vespa
Originally posted 11/08/2007 01:35PM
Actor Mickey Rourke was arrested on DUI charges in Miami Beach early Thursday morning on his Vespa, reports the Palm Beach Post.
"Mickey Rourke was arrested fro DUI at 4 a.m. this morning while riding a green Vespa," Sgt. Bobby Hernandez of the Miami Beach police department tells PEOPLE. "He made a U-turn on a red light. We stopped him and gave him a classic road sobriety test. He failed so we brought him in. He blew a .081, which was over the limit, and was locked up for 24 hours at the Miami Dade County jail."
Permalink | Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Mickey Rourke
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