Claim: Mickey Rooney was one of MGM's most consistently successful actors in the 20th century.

Mickey Rooney -LRB- born Joseph Yule , Jr. ; September 23 , 1920 -- April 6 , 2014 -RRB- was an American actor , vaudevillian , producer , and radio personality . In a career spanning nine decades and continuing until shortly before his death , he appeared in more than 300 films and was one of the last surviving stars of the silent film era .   At the height of a career that was marked by precipitous declines and raging comebacks , Rooney performed the role of Andy Hardy in a series of 15 films in the 1930s and 1940s that epitomized American family values . A versatile performer , he became a celebrated character actor later in his career . Laurence Olivier once said he considered Rooney `` the best there has ever been . '' Clarence Brown , who directed him in two of his earliest dramatic roles , National Velvet and The Human Comedy , said he was `` the closest thing to a genius I ever worked with . ''   Rooney first performed in vaudeville as a child and made his film debut at the age of six . At 14 he played Puck in the play and later the 1935 film adaptation of A Midsummer Night 's Dream . Critic David Thomson hailed his performance as `` one of cinema 's most arresting pieces of magic '' . In 1938 , he co-starred in Boys Town . At nineteen he was the first teenager to be nominated for an Oscar for his leading role in Babes in Arms , and he was awarded a special Academy Juvenile Award in 1939 . At the peak of his career between the ages of 15 and 25 , he made forty-three films , which made him one of MGM 's most consistently successful actors and a favorite of studio head Louis B. Mayer .   Rooney was the top box office attraction from 1939 to 1941 , and one of the best-paid actors of that era , but his career never rose to such heights again . Drafted into the Army during World War II , he served nearly two years entertaining over two million troops on stage and radio and was awarded a Bronze Star for performing in combat zones . Returning from the war in 1945 , he was too old for juvenile roles but too short to be an adult movie star , and was unable to get as many starring roles . Nevertheless , Rooney 's popularity was renewed with well-received supporting roles in films such as Requiem for a Heavyweight -LRB- 1962 -RRB- , It 's a Mad , Mad , Mad , Mad World -LRB- 1963 -RRB- , and The Black Stallion -LRB- 1979 -RRB- . In the early 1980s , he returned to Broadway in Sugar Babies and again became a celebrated star . Rooney made hundreds of appearances on TV , including dramas , variety programs , and talk shows , and won an Emmy in 1964 , with another Emmy plus a Golden Globe for his role in Bill -LRB- 1981 -RRB- .   At his death , Vanity Fair called him `` the original Hollywood train wreck . '' He struggled with alcohol and pill addiction and married eight times , the first time to Ava Gardner . Despite earning millions during his career , he had to file for bankruptcy in 1962 due to mismanagement of his finances . Shortly before his death in 2014 at age 93 , he alleged mistreatment by some family members and testified before Congress about what he alleged was physical abuse and exploitation by family members . By the end of his life , his millions in earnings had dwindled to an estate that was valued at only $ 18,000 . He died owing medical bills and back taxes , and contributions were solicited from the public .