Hollywood Legend Mickey Rooney Dead at 93

A legend is gone! An end of an era! Those kind of expressions seem to get thrown around any time a movie star passes away but it really holds true for the one and only Mickey Rooney. From a series of ‘Mickey McGuire’ shorts in the late ‘20s through A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM, the little guy never stopped working. Rooney played Andy Hardy in 20 films and co-starred with Judy Garland in 10. He married eight times, his first wife being Ava Gardner – who was 6 inches taller than he! Rooney was nominated for five Oscars and held the distinction of being the first male teenager to be nominated (BABES IN ARMS – 1939). His last nomination was over 40 years later for THE BLACK STALLION (1980). Rooney was best known for his musical and comedy skills but could get serious when he needed to. Check out his superb gangster turn in Don Siegel’s BABY FACE NELSON (1957), the prison drama THE LAST MILE (1959), or the Twilight Zone episode ‘Last Night of a Jockey’. Rooney was 93 and had been in ill health recently. 93 years is a good run but a legend is gone and it’s the end of an era indeed.