- Became a professional boxer in 1991 but retired in 1994.
- Injuries he received as a boxer include a split tongue and a compressed cheekbone. Surgeons rebuilt his nose with cartilage from his ear. His balance also suffers to this day if he is tired or drinks alcohol.
- On the Waterfront (1954) director Elia Kazan said that Rourke's student audition was the best audition piece he'd seen in 30 years.
- Studied the martial art of Hwa Rang Do for six years under Tae-joon Lee, the son of the art's founder. He credits Grandmaster Lee for turning his life around (after dealing with personal and professional problems) through the study of the art.
- On 10/16/04 his younger brother, Joey Rourke (b. 6/25/54) died of lung cancer. He was 50 years old. He credited Joey with preventing him from committing suicide in 1998.
- Other movies he is alleged to have turned down include 48 Hrs. (1982), Platoon (1986), Top Gun (1986) and Tombstone (1993).
- Was first offered the role of Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop (1984). It was eventually passed on to Sylvester Stallone, and, after many script revisions, Eddie Murphy.
- Used to own a gym in West Hollywood called Shapiro.
- Used to co-own a very tiny soda fountain/ice cream/magazine stand in Beverly Hills with his hairdresser pal Giuseppe Franco called Mickey & Joey's.
- Fighting under his birth name of Phillip Rourke, he reportedly compiled an amateur boxing record of 27 wins, 17 by knockout, and 3 defeats in South Florida Rourke's step-father disputed this record, claiming that his step-son had only one amateur match and that he was stopped in the first round.
- Was originally cast as "Stuntman Mike" in Death Proof (2007).
- He mentions his gratitude often to Sylvester Stallone for giving him a good opportunity when he was down and out Get Carter (2000). He also admires Stallone for being a good writer and knowing what he wants. He does a good impression of Stallone and stood up for him when allegations were made against him.
- Admitted in interviews that he only did Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991) for the money.
- Grew up in the tough Miami area known as Liberty City.
- He toured Moscow, Russia's overcrowded Butyrka jail to prepare for his new role as a Russian villain in Iron Man 2 (2010). (March 2009)
- Kim Basinger once called him "The Human Ashtray".
- Filmed a role in The Thin Red Line (1998), that eventually got cut. He gets thanked in the credits.
- In a 2008 interview with rottentomatoes.com, he said his five favorite films were The Deer Hunter (1978), The Godfather (1972) & The Godfather Part II (1974), Lonely Are the Brave (1962), On the Waterfront (1954) and Gilda (1946).
- In a 1994 interview at Cannes, Rourke said his favorite actors were Claude Rains, Basil Rathbone, Peter Lorre, Richard Harris, Errol Flynn, Terence Stamp and Al Pacino.
- In August 1999 walked off the set of Luck of the Draw (2000) when the producers refused to let him include his pet chihuahua in the movie.
- In its obituary of poet Charles Bukowski, the screenwriter of Barfly (1987), "The New York Post" used a photo of Rourke as Henry Chinaski in the film instead of a photo of the poet himself.
- Has at least seven tattoos including a tiger head with Chinese symbols on his left shoulder, a bull's skull on his right bicep, and a shamrock on his left forearm.
- Though he was from Miami, he turned down the role of Det. Sonny Crockett on Miami Vice (1984), which went to his co-star in Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991) Don Johnson. The role was also offered to Nick Nolte, Jeff Bridges and Tom Berenger.
- Retired from boxing undefeated after boxing a draw with "Irish" Sean Gibbons in Davie, FL, in 1994.
- When asked which of his works from the '80s he liked the most, he said that he enjoyed what he did for Francis Ford Coppola (Rumble Fish (1983)), Michael Cimino (Heaven's Gate (1980) and Year of the Dragon (1985)) and Walter Hill (Johnny Handsome (1989)).
- Was considered for the role of Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs (1991).
- Was considered for a role in Inglourious Basterds (2009).
- His new film The Wrestler (2008) has won the best picture award at the Venice Film Festival. (September 2008)
- Is a motorcycle enthusiast.
- Visited former World Middleweight Boxing Champion Carlos Monzón while Monzón was in prison for murder in Argentina. The two reportedly boxed an exhibition.
- In October 2001 he paid half a million pounds for a house in County Wicklow in Ireland.
- In July 1994 was arrested by Los Angeles (CA) police and charged with spousal abuse.
- Auditioned for the role of Cyrus Grissom in Con Air (1997), where he improvised by producing a razor sharp Bowie knife, both terrifying and impressing the director. Though suitably impressed they decided to cast Malkovich instead.
- As a boxer, his nickname was "El Marielito".
- Has a younger sister named Patty, a younger half-brother named Joey Rourke, and six step-siblings.
- On 4/19/99 was rushed to Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. His reps said it was for an allergic reaction to cough syrup he was taking to battle the flu. He was released a few hours later.
- Mickey is the son of Annette Elizabeth (Cameron) and Philip Andre Rourke. His father was born in Schenectady, Schenectady Co., New York, and was of half Irish and half German descent. His mother was born in Springfield, Windsor, Vermont, and was of mostly English and French-Canadian descent. Through her, Mickey has deep Colonial American roots in Vermont and New Hampshire in particular. His and his father's middle name, Andre, was the surname of his paternal grandmother Mary Suzan Andre.
- Was offered a role in Revolver (2005), but turned it down to do Domino (2005).
- Sparred with world champions James Toney and Carlos Monzón.
- Has voiced his support for George W. Bush, and, later, opposition to Donald Trump and support of the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris ticket.
- Made his professional boxing debut on 5/23/91 in Florida by winning a four-round decision over Steve Powell.
- In a 2014 boxing match in Moscow, Russia, Rourke knocked down California boxer, Elliot Seymour twice to win by a 2nd round knockout. The bout was billed as an exhibition and Seymour later claimed that he was paid $15,000 to lose the match. He said that Mickey Rourke had no knowledge of this.
- On 11/20/93 he knocked out Thomas McCoy in three rounds in Germany.
- On 12/12/93 he knocked out Terry Jesmer in Spain in four rounds.
- As of 2015, he has never guest-starred on a scripted television series.
- On 6/3/92 he knocked out Darrell Miller in one round in Japan.
- Was trained by Sandra Seacat.
- His father was a caretaker.
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