Mickey Rooney: Net Worth, Marriages, and Career

Imagine being Hollywood’s top draw for three years running, earning what would be millions today, and then ending up with just $18,000 to your name. That’s the arc of Mickey Rooney—a performer who packed nine decades of work into one life, yet whose final chapter was defined as much by financial struggle as by artistic triumph.

Born: September 23, 1920, Brooklyn, New York ·
Died: April 6, 2014, Los Angeles, California ·
Films: Over 300 ·
Marriages: 8 ·
Net worth at death: Approximately $18,000 ·
Academy Awards: 2 Honorary Oscars, 1 Juvenile Award

Seven key facts about the man who was once Hollywood’s biggest draw, now remembered as much for his financial collapse as his talent. One pattern emerges from the numbers: extraordinary earning power did not translate into lasting wealth.

What is Mickey Rooney most famous for?

The Andy Hardy series

• Rooney is best known for playing Andy Hardy in a series of 16 films from 1937 to 1958 (Wikipedia).
• The character became an American institution—a wholesome teenager navigating small-town life, and the series made Rooney the top box-office attraction from 1939 to 1941 (Wikipedia).

Musical films with Judy Garland

• He starred in musicals like Babes in Arms (1939) and Strike Up the Band (1940) alongside Judy Garland (Wikipedia).
• Their on-screen chemistry was electric—two teenagers with immense talent, directed by MGM’s best, producing hits that defined the studio’s golden age (Wikipedia).

Broadway and television work

• He received an Academy Juvenile Award in 1939 and two Honorary Oscars (Wikipedia).
• Later in life, he earned $65,000 a week starring in the Broadway revue Sugar Babies (Wikipedia).
• Richard Quine, a director and friend, noted, “It wasn’t all that easy to find roles for a 5-foot-3 man who’d passed the age of Andy Hardy” (Wikipedia).

How much money did Mickey Rooney have when he died?

Net worth at death

• Rooney’s personal property was valued at only $18,000 when he died in 2014 (Wikipedia).
• A BreatheCast report estimated Rooney’s estate at approximately $10 million after his death (BreatheCast), a figure that appears to conflict with the probate valuation—the discrepancy likely reflects posthumous earnings and legal settlements.

Causes of financial decline

• He filed for bankruptcy in 1962 and again in 1996 (Wikipedia).
• By 1962, Rooney had earned $12 million—but debts and multiple divorces forced him into bankruptcy (Wikipedia).
• He described himself as “broke” in 2005 (Wikipedia).

The implication: Rooney’s earning power was immense—$12 million by 1962 alone, equivalent to over $100 million today—but his personal finances were in a state of perpetual crisis.

How did Mickey Rooney lose his fortune?

Divorce settlements

• Rooney was married eight times (BreatheCast).
• Multiple divorces, especially in old Hollywood’s pre-prenuptial era, stripped away enormous portions of his wealth (Wikipedia).

Tax issues and spending habits

• Rooney’s longtime gambling habit caused him to “gamble away his fortune again and again” (Wikipedia).
• He spent lavishly on cars and homes throughout his peak earnings years, with little long-term investment (Wikipedia).

Elder abuse allegations

• An October 2015 Hollywood Reporter article maintained that Rooney was frequently abused and financially depleted by his closest relatives in his last years (Wikipedia).
• Holland & Knight, a law firm that represented Rooney, said it obtained a $2.8 million stipulated judgment for Rooney in an elder abuse lawsuit against his stepson (Holland & Knight (law firm)).
• Holland & Knight further noted that Rooney was living in poverty near the end of his life while family members in charge of his affairs misappropriated his financial assets (Holland & Knight (law firm)).

What this means: Rooney’s financial collapse was the result of a perfect storm—multiple divorces, gambling, poor planning, and exploitation by those he trusted.

Was Judy Garland in love with Mickey Rooney?

Their friendship and on-screen chemistry

• Rooney and Garland were close friends and co-stars who made several hit musicals together at MGM (Wikipedia).
• Both were teenagers during their peak collaboration, and their natural chemistry translated into box-office gold (Wikipedia).

Garland’s later comments

• Garland said she had a crush on Rooney as a teenager (Wikipedia).
• Rooney said they never had a romantic relationship (Wikipedia).

The ambiguity: Whether Garland was romantically in love with Rooney remains speculative. Both spoke fondly of each other publicly, but no documented romance ever existed.

Why did Ava Gardner leave Mickey Rooney?

Rooney’s infidelity

• Gardner cited Rooney’s infidelity as a reason for divorce (Wikipedia).
• She felt he was controlling, and the marriage—which lasted less than a year in 1942—collapsed under mutual frustration (Wikipedia).

Gardner’s career ambitions

• Gardner was an emerging star at MGM, and Rooney’s possessiveness reportedly clashed with her career trajectory (Wikipedia).

The trade-off: Rooney’s relentless drive for fame and work made him a superstar but left his closest relationships strained.

What did Ava Gardner and Laurence Olivier say about Mickey Rooney?

Gardner’s memoirs and public statements

• Gardner called Rooney a “great entertainer” but a difficult husband (Wikipedia).
• She said he was “the most talented man I ever knew” (Wikipedia).
• She also described him as “a little boy who never grew up” (Wikipedia).

Olivier’s admiration

• Laurence Olivier reportedly said Rooney was “the greatest actor of them all” (Wikipedia).
• The quote is often cited but its exact origin is debated—some attribute it to a private conversation, others to a public interview (Wikipedia).
• Olivier praised Rooney’s versatility and energy, calling him an actor who could do anything on stage or screen (Wikipedia).

“He was the most talented man I ever knew.”

— Ava Gardner, on Mickey Rooney (Wikipedia)

“Mickey Rooney was the greatest actor of them all.”

— Laurence Olivier, reportedly (Wikipedia)

Rooney’s story carries a stark lesson for anyone in the entertainment industry: fame and fortune are not the same thing. For performers who earn millions in their prime only to lose it to divorce, taxes, and exploitation, the choice is clear: build a financial firewall, or risk ending up with $18,000 after a lifetime of work.

Frequently asked questions

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• MC Hammer: Net Worth, Downfall, and What He Is Doing Now — Another entertainer who earned a fortune and lost it.
• David Gest: Life, Death, Marriage & Big Brother — A figure from the same show business world.