Iconic Hollywood actor dies

Mickey Rooney, the pint-size, precocious actor and all-around talent whose more than 80-year career spanned silent comedies, Shakespeare, Judy Garland musicals, Andy Hardy stardom, television and the Broadway theatre, dies at age 93

Mickey Rooney (93), an award-winning actor and Hollywood legend who appeared in nearly 300 films and television programs, died on Sunday in Los Angeles. Rooney was a teenager when he played Andy Hardy in the 1937 film ‘A Family Affair’. The popular character, as played by Rooney, appeared in 14 more films and made him a top star at the box office.

During the golden years of Hollywood, Rooney – at a five-foot-three height - worked with many renowned leading ladies, including Elizabeth Taylor in ‘National Velvet’, Judy Garland in ‘Thoroughbreds Don't Cry’ and ‘Babes In Arms’ and Audrey Hepburn in ‘Breakfast At Tiffany's’.

Rooney was the first teenager to be nominated for an Oscar in a leading role and received a special juvenile Academy Award in 1938 after appearing in ‘Boys Town’ with Spencer Tracy.

He appeared in dozens of programs from 1954 to 2009, received two Golden Globe Awards and won an Emmy for his tender performance as a mentally challenged man in the 1981 TV movie ‘Bill’.

Rooney's autobiography ‘Life Is Too Short’ was published in 1993. He has 12 children.