The leading man in Hollywood action and thriller, Mickey Rourke, finds himself in desperate times and so opts for desperate measures.
According to The Guardian, Rourke launches a fundraiser to pay the US$59,100 (£44,000, A$89,000) he allegedly owes in rent, after he was sued by his landlord and was threatened with eviction from his Los Angeles home.
The Academy Award nominee has reportedly approved a GoFundMe page launched by Liya-Joelle Jones, who is a friend and a member of Rourke’s management team. The Guardian reported an accumulation of US$33,000 of its US$100,000 goal at the time of writing. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter on Sunday, Jones shared, “Mickey is going through a very difficult time right now, and it’s been incredibly touching to see how many people care about him and want to help.”
Talking about the fundraiser, Jones wrote on GoFundMe that it was sanctioned with “Mickey’s full permission to help cover immediate housing-related expenses and prevent that from happening.”
As per the page, the 73-year-old actor “is currently facing a very difficult and urgent situation: he is at risk of being evicted from his home. Life doesn’t always move in a straight line, and despite everything Mickey has given through his work and his life, he is now dealing with a challenging financial moment that has put his housing at risk.”
“Mickey Rourke is an icon – but his trajectory, as painful as it is, is also a deeply human one. It is the story of someone who gave everything to his work, took real risks, and paid real costs. Fame does not protect against hardship, and talent does not guarantee stability.
“What remains is a person who deserves dignity, housing, and the chance to regain his footing. The goal is simple: to give Mickey stability and peace of mind during an extremely stressful time – so he can stay in his home and have the space to get back on his feet”, it continued.
The Golden Globe award winner also received a lot of support from his fans, with one of them writing, “I can cross off a bucket list item now, helping out my boy Mickey Rourke. Who would have ever thought he would ask me to help him not get evicted!?”
As per the Los Angeles Times, Rourke received a three-day eviction notice in late December, along with court documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court that reflected his failure to comply. Consequently, his landlord is now suing him for damages and legal fees.
The documents reveal that The Wrestler star had signed the lease for the Los Angeles home, which was inhabited by The Big Sleep author Raymond Chandler. In March, an agreement was reached between Rourke and the landlord, wherein the former would pay $5,200 a month. It was later raised to $7,000 a month.
Mickey Rourke was a cinema icon in the 1980s, having played roles in films including The Pope of Greenwich Village, Diner, Rumble Fish, and 9½ Weeks. Per The Guardian, he became disillusioned with the industry and abandoned acting to pursue a career in professional boxing. He made his return to the entertainment industry with films such as Sin City, The Wrestler, and Iron Man 2.
In 2025, Rourke was ejected from Celebrity Big Brother UK owing to instances of inappropriate language and behaviour that he later admitted, including passing comments on the sexuality of his fellow contestant JoJo Siwa. He confessed at the time, “I’m ashamed of myself.”
Be that as it may, his manager announced that he would take a legal step against the reality show, claiming the show’s producers “were fully aware of both his public persona and how it aligned with his Hollywood rebel image”, but had later refused to pay his full agreed fee after his exit.