My only real recollection of Mickey Rooney is him as the highly offensive neighbor Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Today, following the actor’s death on Sunday at the age of 93, many are remembering roles of his from the ’50s, ’60s and even earlier.
Rooney was the recipient of two Honorary Oscars in 1939 and again in 1983 and starred in films including The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954), It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), The Black Stallion (1979) and National Velvet (1944) and it wasn’t as if he hadn’t been working recently, though the roles weren’t starring roles.
He had a small role in 2011’s The Muppets, played one of the security guards opposite Bill Cobbs in Night at the Museum and, according to IMDB, he was at work on a couple films up to his passing.
There’s no immediate information on the cause of death, but it seems as if Rooney died of natural causes. Los Angeles Police Commander Andrew Smith said that Rooney, via NPR, was with his family when he died at his North Hollywood home.
