The Life of Old Hollywood Star Mickey Rooney

Born into vaudeville and raised backstage, Mickey Rooney grew up to become one of the most recognizable entertainers of the twentieth century. From child star in the Mickey McGuire shorts to America’s top box-office draw during the Andy Hardy era, his life unfolded across eight decades of film, stage, and television. Along the way came hit movies, famous friendships, turbulent marriages, family drama, public controversies, and remarkable comebacks. Rooney’s story moves through Hollywood’s golden age and far beyond it, tracing the rise, fall, and endurance of a performer who seemed almost inseparable from the history of American entertainment itself.