Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney, the teen sensation and box office star of the 1930's and '40's, whose career in film, stage and television spanned nearly eight decades, has passed away at the age of 93. One of the last surviving stars who worked in the silent era, he started out as a child actor in silent and early sound films, before becoming hugely famous as a teenager in Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938) and its many sequels, along with other classics like A Midsummer NIght's Dream (1935) and Babes in Arms (1939) with Judy Garland, for which he was nominated for Best Actor. He made several musicals with Judy Garland, his fellow teen star at the time, and went on to star in National Velvet (1944) with Elizabeth Taylor, one of my favorite movies of that era. As an adult he continued to act in movies throughout his life, with several notable roles including The Black Stallion (1979) for which he was nominated again in the supporting actor category. As one of the great stars of Hollywood's golden age, throughout his career he amounted four Oscar nominations, five Emmy nods and one win, two Golden Globes and an Honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in 1983.
Here's the trailer for National Velvet, one of his best movies:
