Mickey Rooney– ‘small but terrible’

ROONEY. Ava Gardner’s first husband.

MICKEY Rooney, one of the biggest stars of Hollywood, is a shortie: Not much taller than Judy Garland, who was only 4’11”!

Indeed, Rooney may be small, but he’s also terribly talented. He is the recipient of various awards for a career that spanned nine decades. In fact, Spencer Tracy once stated that Mickey was Tinseltown’s best actor ever.

In “National Velvet,” he starred with Liz Taylor. He also appeared in an all-star production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” with Olivia de Havilland.

Series

At MGM, Rooney costarred with Garland in quickie musicals. He led the cast of the successful Andy Hardy series.

Because he was a box-office attraction, the diminutive actor was spoiled and protected by a studio that watched his back as he drank, gambled and flirted shamelessly with a bevy of ambitious starlets. In time, his abusive lifestyle took a toll on his lucrative career. He was considered passé, and was dropped like a hot potato!

Rooney is also remembered as the first husband of Ava Gardner. In the ’60s, his career was resurrected in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” where he was cast as the Japanese neighbor of Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn)!