Coordinates	23°33′″N46°38′″N
name	Rob Halford
background	solo_singer
birth name	Robert John Arthur Halford
alias	Metal God
born	August 25, 1951Walsall, England
genre	Heavy metal, speed metal
instrument	Vocals, harmonica, guitar
associated acts	Judas Priest, Fight, 2wo, Halford, Bullring Brummies, Black Sabbath, Hear 'n Aid
occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician
years active	1969–present
website	Official website }}

Robert John Arthur "Rob" Halford (born 25 August 1951) is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest. He is nicknamed the "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal, and after the Judas Priest song of the same name from 1980's ''British Steel''. He is considered one of the most consistently powerful singers in rock, having possessed a wide vocal range during his prime, and is particularly known for his high-pitched, operatic, soaring screams. In addition to his work with Judas Priest, he has been involved with several side projects, including Fight, 2wo and Halford. He is credited as the first openly gay mainstream heavy metal star, having come out in 1998.

Career

Early years

Halford was born in Sutton Coldfield, but raised in Walsall, which was then a part of Staffordshire [See Metal Hammer Issue 191, P. 55] a town to the northwest of Birmingham, in England's modern day West Midlands. He sang for numerous bands including Athens Wood, Lord Lucifer, Abraxas, Thark and Hiroshima.

Judas Priest

Halford was introduced to co-founding Judas Priest member Ian Hill by his sister who was dating Hill at the time. Halford, a former cinema manager, joined the band as singer, bringing with him drummer John Hinch from his previous band, Hiroshima. In August 1974, the band debuted with the single "Rocka Rolla", before releasing an album of the same name a month later. The next albums were ''Sad Wings of Destiny'' (1976), which included a variety of old material; 1977's ''Sin After Sin''; and 1978's ''Stained Class'' and ''Killing Machine'' (released in America as ''Hell Bent for Leather''), and 1979's live ''Unleashed in the East''.

In 1980, the band released ''British Steel''. The songs were shorter and more concisely structured, but retained the heavy metal feel. They released ''Point of Entry'' in 1981, featuring the song "Heading Out to the Highway". The 1982 album ''Screaming for Vengeance'' had a song, "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", which garnered strong US radio airplay, and the popular follow-up ''Defenders of the Faith'' was released in 1984. ''Turbo'' was released in April 1986, during the glam metal era. In May 1988, ''Ram It Down'' was released, showcasing re-recorded material that was scrapped from the ''Turbo'' years.

In September 1990, the ''Painkiller'' album dropped the 1980s-style synthesizers for almost all of the songs. Along with a change in musical style, the band's look changed as well. Halford emerged with all-new tattoos, including a bent Judas Priest cross on his right arm and ring around his other, as well as a few on his shoulders. He also began shaving his head for the first time, claiming that his receding hairline was getting annoying to keep up with.

During the tour for ''Painkiller'' in August 1991 at a show in Toronto, Halford rode onstage on a large Harley-Davidson motorcycle, dressed in motorcycle leathers, as part of the show. He collided with a half-raised drum riser and fell off the motorcycle, breaking his nose. After regaining consciousness, Halford returned and performed the whole concert. In the band's ''Behind the Music'' episode, Halford named the accident as one of the events that caused the rift between him and the rest of the band that would eventually force them apart. However, during an interview with Bernard Perusse of Montreal's ''The Gazette'' (1 August 2007), he is quoted as saying "And it absolutely did not [lead me to leaving the band]. It was just an accident."

After spending nearly 20 years with Judas Priest, Halford announced to the band on 4 July 1991 that he was leaving, and he also sued their label, Sony, for restrictive practices. Halford would leave the band in May 1992. During this period, Halford had recorded twelve studio and two concert albums with Judas Priest.

Fight, 2wo and Halford

He first formed the band Fight with Judas Priest drummer Scott Travis, bassist Jack "Jay Jay" Brown and guitarists Brian Tilse and Russ Parrish, recording two albums between 1993 and 1995: ''War of Words'' (1993) and, after Parish's departure and his replacement by Mark Chausee, ''A Small Deadly Space'' (1995). While the first one was a straightforward tough and solid metal record, the second record had a grungier sound, making it less appealing to fans who had developed a taste for his debut album.

In between both albums, Fight released an EP, ''Mutations'', featuring ''War of Words'' studio versions, live cuts and alternate mixes. Immediately before this, Halford had recorded a track called "Light Comes Out of Black" for the 1992 movie ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. The song featured music provided by Pantera, although their contribution is uncredited.

After Fight, he collaborated with guitarist John Lowery in an industrial-influenced project called 2wo which was executively produced by Trent Reznor and released on his Nothing Records label.

Halford returned to his metal roots in 2000 with his band Halford and the widely acclaimed album ''Resurrection'' (2000), produced by Roy Z. A live album in 2001 was followed up by 2002's ''Crucible''.

Reunion with Judas Priest

Halford's reunion with Judas Priest had been speculated about when he was no longer in the line-up, at least since the release of the ''Resurrection'' album, which some critics claimed sounded more like Judas Priest than the band's previous album ''Jugulator'' (1997). Halford himself had never ruled it out, claiming in 2002 that "Gut instinct tells me that at some point it will happen".

In July 2003, Halford returned to his former band, and they released ''Angel of Retribution'' in 2005. The world tour that accompanied the release marked the band's 30th anniversary.

In 2008, Halford recorded ''Nostradamus'' with Judas Priest, and appeared with the band on the Metal Masters Tour. Long in the works, ''Nostradamus'' fuses heavy metal and operatic elements while relating events in the life of the 16th century French prophet of the same name.

In 2011, Judas Priest will embark upon their final tour as a group, titled the "Epitaph" tour. Subsequent to the tour's announcement, Halford stated that he will continue to move forward with his solo band.

Other activities

Halford has performed as the vocalist for Black Sabbath at three shows. He replaced Ronnie James Dio for two nights in November 1992, when Dio elected not to open a show for Ozzy Osbourne. Halford also replaced Osbourne in Black Sabbath on 25 August 2004 (Halford's 53rd birthday) at an Ozzfest show in Camden, New Jersey, since Osbourne could not perform due to bronchitis.

In early 2008, Halford expressed a desire in making a black metal album, citing encouragement from former Emperor frontman Ihsahn. He said he'd "...love to but it's all about finding the time".

He provides his voice to the video game ''Brütal Legend'', released in October 2009, where he voices General Lionwhyte, as well as the leader of the Fire Barons, he also heavily influenced the appearance of the latter.

In 2002, Halford had a small role in the film ''Spun'' in which he played a sex store clerk.

Halford developed the clothing line Metal God Apparel with plans to develop retail sales through 2010.

Halford had a brief cameo in a recent commercial for Virgin Mobile, appearing as a priest.

Personal life

In 1998, Halford came out as gay publicly on an interview with MTV News.

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It is revealed in ''Behind the Music'' that hiding his sexuality during Priest's career caused him a lot of depression and isolation which led to his alcohol and drug abuse.

This event was the subject of the song "Hats Off to Halford" by Atom and His Package (released on ''Making Love'', No Idea Records, 1999).

He currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona, US, though he also maintains residences in San Diego, California, US and Amsterdam, Netherlands, as well as a home in his native Walsall, United Kingdom. Although he is able to play several instruments (including guitar, bass, harmonica and drums), he does not consider himself enough of an accomplished instrumentalist to play while performing on stage. In an interview with Motor Trend, he revealed that he has owned a variety of classic cars, including a 1970's Aston Martin DBS, a Chevrolet Corvette and a Mercury Cougar, although he didn't pass his driving test until he was 38 years old; his current daily driver is a 2006 Cadillac DTS.

He has been clean and sober since going to rehab in 1986, stating that, before that point, he heavily abused drugs and alcohol. He was born and raised in a Christian home, and states the following about his upbringing: "On a religious, more spiritual foundation, that really, for me, has become more important since I became clean and sober on Jan. 6, 1986. That was 25 years ago and I think that’s probably more important to me now, on a daily basis."

Discography

Judas Priest

''Rocka Rolla'' (1974)

''Sad Wings of Destiny'' (1976)

''Sin After Sin'' (1977)

''Stained Class'' (1978)

''Killing Machine'' (1978) (released as ''Hell Bent for Leather'' in the USA 1979)

''Unleashed in the East'' (1979)

''British Steel'' (1980)

''Point of Entry'' (1981)

''Screaming for Vengeance'' (1982)

''Defenders of the Faith'' (1984)

''Turbo'' (1986)

''Priest...Live!'' (1987)

''Ram It Down'' (1988)

''Painkiller'' (1990)

''Angel of Retribution'' (2005)

''Nostradamus'' (2008)

''A Touch of Evil: Live'' (2009)

''British Steel - 30th Anniversary - Live'' (2010)

Fight

''K5 – The War of Words Demos'' (1992) (released in 2007)

''War of Words'' (1993)

''Mutations'' (1994)

''A Small Deadly Space'' (1995)

2wo

''Voyeurs'' (1998)

Halford

''Resurrection'' (2000)

''Live Insurrection'' (2001)

''Crucible'' (2002)

''Halford III: Winter Songs'' (2009)

''Live in Anaheim'' (2010) (recorded in 2003)

''Halford IV: Made of Metal'' (2010)

Guest appearances

Krokus – ''Headhunter'' – vocals on "Ready to Burn" (1983).

Surgical Steel – ''Surgical Steel'' (demo)- vocals on "Smooth And Fast" (1984).

''Hear 'n Aid'' (1986).

With Stryper on the ''Against the Law'' tour in Toronto, Canada, performing "Breaking The Law" (1990).

Ugly Kid Joe – ''America's Least Wanted'' – backing vocals on "Goddamn Devil" (1992).

Skid Row – ''B-Side Ourselves'' – vocals on "Delivering the Goods" in a live version (1992).

* the same outfit also performed for a live-in-studio session on the MTV show ''Headbanger's Ball'' (1992).

Black Sabbath – on 14 and 15 November 1992 Halford took over vocals for Sabbath, who played a double performance at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, Los Angeles, California, USA (1992). This was part of Ozzy Osbourne's "final" solo tour, prompting former Sabbath vocalist Ronnie James Dio to refuse to play and subsequently leave the band for a second time.

Background vocals on the song "Hex 'n' Sex" for the album with the same title by the German band Brings (1993).

Bullring Brummies, a studio session line-up that came together to contribute to the ''Nativity in Black'' tribute compilation album of Black Sabbath cover songs (1994).

Recorded the song "Light comes out of Black" with Pantera for the ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' soundtrack (1992).

While playing their concert in Miami, FL, Metallica asked Halford on stage to perform a version of "Rapid Fire", originally recorded by Judas Priest. on ''British Steel'' in 1980 (1994).

Queens of the Stone Age – ''Rated R'' – vocals on "Feel Good Hit of the Summer" (2000).

Performing a live medley with Sum 41 and Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe, MTV's 20th Anniversary (2001).

Furious IV – ''Is That You?'' (2002).

''Spun'' motion picture (2002) – "Pornclerk" character.

''Brütal Legend'' – Voicing the main villain Lord Doviculus' minion General Lionwhyte, who is strongly based on the culture of glam metal. Also voiced the leader of the Fire Barons, who was directly modeled after his younger appearance.

Black Sabbath – Halford filled in for an ill Ozzy Osbourne during the Ozzfest stop in Camden, New Jersey, USA on 26 August 2004.

References

External links

Rob Halford interview @ Metalpaths.com 2010

Judas Priest official website

Metal God Apparel, Halford's clothing line

Halford's MySpace discussion group

Interview @ Chaos Control

Rob Halford Interview on Music Business Radio

glbtq profile

Category:1951 births Category:Living people Category:English songwriters Category:English male singers Category:English rock singers Category:English heavy metal singers Category:People from Walsall Category:LGBT musicians from the United Kingdom Category:LGBT people from England Category:Judas Priest members Category:English expatriates in the United States Category:English tenors Category:Musicians from Birmingham, West Midlands

br:Rob Halford bg:Роб Халфорд ca:Rob Halford cs:Rob Halford da:Rob Halford de:Rob Halford et:Rob Halford es:Rob Halford fa:راب هالفورد fr:Rob Halford ko:롭 할포드 id:Rob Halford it:Rob Halford he:רוב הלפורד hu:Rob Halford nl:Rob Halford ja:ロブ・ハルフォード no:Rob Halford pl:Rob Halford pt:Rob Halford ro:Rob Halford ru:Хэлфорд, Роб simple:Rob Halford sr:Роб Халфорд sh:Rob Halford fi:Rob Halford sv:Rob Halford tr:Rob Halford

Coordinates	23°33′″N46°38′″N
name	Tommy Lee
background	solo_singer
birth name	Thomas Lee Bass
born	October 03, 1962Athens, Greece
height
instrument	Drums, piano, vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass, turntables
genre	Heavy metal, hard rock, glam metal, rap metal, nu metal, electrohouse, Progressive House
occupation	Musician, songwriter, drummer, DJ
years active	1981–present
label	Leathür, Elektra, MCA
associated acts	Mötley CrüeMethods of MayhemRock Star SupernovaFuelDeadmau5Sum 41Jack's MannequinRob ZombieDJ Aero
website	TommyLee.com
notable instruments	DW Drums Pearl Drums Zildjian CymbalsAhead SticksRemo Drum Heads MacBook Pro Schecter Guitar Research Randall Amplifiers}}

Thomas Lee Bass (born October 3, 1962), best known as Tommy Lee, is an American musician and founding member of glam metal band Mötley Crüe. As well as being the band's long-term drummer, Lee founded rap-metal band Methods of Mayhem, and has pursued solo musical projects. He has been married to model Elaine Starchuk and actresses Heather Locklear and Pamela Anderson.

Early life

Lee was born on October 3, in Athens, Greece, as Thomas Lee Bass, the son of David Oliver Bass, a US Army serviceman of Welsh descent, and Vassiliki Papadimitriou, a former ''Miss Greece''. His family moved to West Covina, California one year after his birth. He received his first drum when he was four and his first drum kit when he was a teenager. Lee has one younger sister, Athena Lee (Athena Michelle Bass, b. 1964), who was married to James Kottak, the drummer for the band Scorpions and she was also the drummer of his solo band KrunK.

As a teen he was listening to Queen, Kiss, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Judas Priest. As he started listening to Kiss, his main drum influence became Peter Criss. After transferring from South Hills High School (West Covina, California); he joined the marching band at Royal Oak High School (now Royal Oak Middle School) in Covina, California, but dropped out of school in his senior year to focus on his musical career.

Career

His first successful band ''Suite 19'' played the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles during the late 70s. At this time he met future bandmate, Nikki Sixx. Casually, Sixx was forming a theatrical band that would specialize in anthemic heavy metal, and was impressed by Lee's drumming. At this time, he changed his name to Tommy Lee and earned the nickname "T-bone" due to his 6′ 2½″ height and his skinny physique. Shortly afterward, guitarist Mick Mars joined the band. Mars recommended a singer Tommy had met while in high school, Vince Neil, who soon joined the group, and Mötley Crüe was formed.

Mötley Crüe

Mötley Crüe quickly built a strong fan base and they released their debut album, ''Too Fast for Love'' in 1981, on their own independent label (Leathür Records). Elektra Records decided to sign the band shortly thereafter, reissuing their debut in 1982. The band then began a string of hit releases throughout the decade—1983's ''Shout at the Devil'', 1985's ''Theatre of Pain'', 1987's ''Girls, Girls, Girls'', and 1989's ''Dr. Feelgood''-establishing the quartet as one of the biggest hard rock/metal bands of the '80s.

During this time, Lee used several memorable gimmicks during his drum solo at concerts, such as having his entire kit revolving and spinning, or having the entire kit float above the crowd while he continued to play. It is a very huge crowd pleaser. He also was legendary for mooning the crowd at nearly every show. The band was known for their decadent behavior both on and off the stage, often dabbling in excessive amounts of hard drugs, such as cocaine, heroin and pills and drinking in excess.

In 2004, Lee reunited with the original Mötley Crüe line-up to release the double-disc album of hits entitled ''Red, White & Crüe'', which went quad platinum and launched a monumental reunion tour to support it, ''The Red, White & Crüe Tour 2005: Better Live Than Dead'', the band's first in six years. They also finished the year number 8 on the top concert money earners list. They played 81 shows and grossed $33 million US (Billboard Boxscore).

Solo career

Tommy Lee came back once with Motley Crüe to go on the ''Crüe's Greatest Hits'' tour in 1999. With the popularity of rap metal, Lee formed a band called Methods of Mayhem. The band released a self-titled album the same year and toured in support of it. Although Lee distanced himself from Mötley Crüe after splitting, he agreed to take part in their 2001 autobiography, ''The Dirt''. In addition to Mötley Crüe and Methods of Mayhem, Lee has made guest appearances on albums by other artists, such as Stuart Hamm, Nine Inch Nails and Rob Zombie. He also contributed a song, "Planet Boom" (originally on Mötley Crüe's Quaternary EP) to the soundtrack of then-wife Pamela Anderson's 1996 movie, ''Barb Wire'', and produced an album for the pre-Goldfinger project from John Feldmann and Simon Williams, the Electric Love Hogs. Lee parted ways with Methods of Mayhem partner Tilo and began recording with members of Incubus. He then released his first solo album. The album, 2002's ''Never a Dull Moment'', has tones of rap metal and electronica. The song "Blue" features guest vocalist Rodleen Getsic (the credits read: "Rolleen"). In August 2002, Tommy Lee and his solo band joined Ozzfest, mainstage. In 2006, he formed a new band called Rock Star Supernova with Jason Newsted (Voivod, ex-Metallica) and Gilby Clarke (ex-Guns N' Roses).

The 2006 season of ''Rock Star'' selected Lukas Rossi as the lead singer for Supernova. Dilana, Magni Ásgeirsson, and Toby Rand with his own band Juke Kartel were the three runners up and accepted an offer to go on tour with Supernova. The self titled debut album Rock Star Supernova was released on November 21, 2006.

Lee released his autobiography, ''Tommyland'' and his second solo album, ''Tommyland: The Ride'' in 2005. The CD featured as a soundtrack to the book and includes the singles, "Tryin to be Me", "Good Times" which was the theme song to his reality TV series "Tommy Lee Goes to College" and "Hello, Again" which features Andrew McMahon from Something Corporate and Jack's Mannequin. Tommy Lee was also a guest DJ at WXRK "K-Rock" in New York during the Fourth of July Monster Metal Meltdown in 2005.

Lee also recorded drum tracks for the alternative rock band Jack's Mannequin, which has released the album ''Everything in Transit''.

In November 2007, it was announced by Nikki Sixx that Tommy Lee was no longer a member of Mötley Crüe. Lee reportedly quit after the rest of the band sued his manager, Carl Stubner, for forcing Tommy to take part in reality TV shows, thus forcing the cancellation of a lengthy leg of Crüe tourdates in 2006. Lee already quit once in 2007 in September before returning to the band. Vince Neil refuted the claims that Tommy Lee resigned from the band and that the band would be going into the studio in January to start recording their newest studio album. In the end, Tommy Lee did end up recording the new album, Saints of Los Angeles, and toured with Crüe in 2008 in their tour, Crüefest. Mötley Crüe is now on their Saints of Los Angeles Tour, which started on February 2, which includes Lee. This tour will be followed by Crüfest 2.

Tommy Lee's current artistic endeavors include touring as an electronic dance music DJ with his Methods Of Mayhem DJ/production partner, DJ Aero (birth name: Chester Deitz). As DJs, they are also known as Electro Mayhem and have clocked over 60 club dates as DJs throughout North America (with stops in the Bahamas and Central America) in 2007 alone, with more international dates planned for 2008 (including a stop in Iceland). Lee and Aero debuted as DJs on the mainstage at Ultra Music Festival during Winter Music Conference (WMC) in 2004. Lee and Aero have been DJing together since 2000, and they will again have a major presence at Miami's WMC in 2008. Lee is presently (2009) appearing in select cities with Sharam, one half of Grammy Award nominated and Grammy Award winning Deep Dish. He is accompanying Sharam live on the piano during Sharam's house DJ sets.

In an interview held backstage at the 2009 Download Festival, Tommy Lee confirmed that he is currently working on his yet to be named third solo album. It is expected to be released sometime in 2010. On June 27, 2010 Tommy played drums for Ludacris at the BET Awards 2010. On March 25, 2010, he co-presented the International Dance Music Awards (IDMA) along with Roger Sanchez and DJ Rap.

Television career

In 2004, Lee briefly attended, but did not enroll in, the University of Nebraska for a few weeks in the fall of 2004, while filming a reality television show for NBC called ''Tommy Lee Goes to College.'' The show featured a "fish-out-of-water" premise as it followed Lee's effort to fit into the collegiate experience, including trying out for the marching band (as a drummer), taking courses in horticulture, chemistry, and literature, and receiving constant support from a sexy and smart tutor.

Lee was also one of the producers of the show. In spring 2008, Lee commenced filming another reality TV show with rapper Ludacris for Planet Green (Discovery Channel's 24-hour eco-friendly network) titled,"Battleground Earth". The show focuses on environmental challenges between Lee and Ludacris to raise awareness for green causes. The Planet Green shows aired through until September 2008.

In June 2010, it was announced that Lee would guest-star in an episode of ''Californication'' as a singer. Also in 2010, Lee appeared on an episode of the Comedy Central show, ''Tosh.0''.

Personal life

Relationships

Lee was married the first time in 1984 to Elaine Bergen; they divorced after just one month.

In 1986, Lee married actress Heather Locklear. The couple divorced in 1993. Subsequent to his divorce, Lee dated and lived with model/actress Bobbie Brown.

In 1995, he married actress and ''Playboy'' Playmate Pamela Anderson (1995–98). They have two children. Anderson and Lee married only four days after meeting, after Lee pursued her while she was on vacation with a friend. They wed on a beach, Anderson wearing only a white bikini. The couple divorced in 1998. Although divorced, the couple reunited briefly upon his release from prison but eventually split again.

Lee dated Mayte Garcia, the ex-wife of Prince, and the two lived together and were briefly engaged in 2001.

In 2008 it was announced that he and Pamela Anderson were indeed back together and living with each other and their kids. They have since split and have both moved on to date other people.

Sex tape

Lee and Anderson had videotaped their sexual activities while on vacation. The video was stolen in 1995 and released on the Internet, becoming a prime example of viral pornography. According to The Dirt, Tommy Lee says that he was having work done at his house, and a person (who, according to the book, was a former porn star) working at the house found the tape and sold it. Anderson sued the video distribution company, Internet Entertainment Group. Ultimately, the Lees entered into a confidential settlement agreement with IEG. Thereafter, the company began making the tape available to subscribers to its Web sites again, resulting in triple the normal traffic on the site.

Legal issues

Lee served four months in prison after pleading no contest to kicking Pamela Anderson while she was holding their son Dylan.

Lee suffered a 1998 lawsuit when he exposed a swastika tattoo on his arm to public scrutiny (the tattoo was in fact a swastika facing backwards). In 1996, Lee had pled no contest to criminal charges of battery against a Jewish photographer after Lee attacked the man outside the famous Viper Room, in L.A. When the photographer sued Lee, the "swastika" tattoo (which has since been removed) was said to be visible and Lee’s lawyer argued it would inflame the jury and create unfair prejudice against Lee. Shortly after claiming that the introduction of the tattoo into the court record would produce prejudice, Lee denied its existence. Lee's attorney reported the swastika was a “stupid tattoo obtained several years ago”.

In October 1999, Tommy Lee was arrested in North Carolina after instigating a riot during the 1997 concert at Greensboro Coliseum. Allegedly Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx made racial comments directed toward a black guard and suggested to the crowd to attack him. Sixx and Lee were said to have poured beer over the guard's head.

On June 16, 2001, four-year-old Daniel Karven-Veres drowned in Lee's swimming pool while attending a birthday party for Lee's 5-year-old son, Brandon. His parents, James Veres and Ursula Karven, sued Lee for negligence, claiming that they should have been told that a swimming pool was involved — their son could not swim — and that, as the owner, he should have hired a lifeguard. Lee was cleared by a jury in April 2003.

In September 2007, Lee was kicked out of the MTV Video Music Awards ceremony after engaging in a fight with Kid Rock. Kid Rock was cited for assault on Lee and pled guilty.

Activism

Tommy Lee is a supporter of animal rights and PETA. He made a donation to support PETA's campaign against Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Bandography

Mötley Crüe (1981–1999, 2004–present)

Methods of Mayhem (1999–2000, 2009–present)

Album discography

Solo

Year

Album details

Peak chart positions

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2002

*1st studio album

*Released: May 21, 2002

MCA Records>MCA

2005

''Tommyland: The Ride''

*2nd studio album

*Released: August 9, 2005

*Label: TL Education Services Inc.

Mötley Crüe

''Too Fast for Love'' (1981) Platinum US US #40

''Shout at the Devil'' (1983) 4x Platinum US US #10

''Theatre of Pain'' (1985) 4x Platinum US US #6

''Girls, Girls, Girls'' (1987) 4x Platinum US US #2

''Dr. Feelgood'' (1989) 6x Platinum US US #1

''Decade of Decadence'' compilation (1991) 2x Platinum US US #2

''Mötley Crüe'' (1994) Gold US US #7

''Quaternary'' EP (1994)

''Generation Swine'' (1997) Gold US US #4

''Greatest Hits'' (1998) compilation Gold US US #20

''Supersonic and Demonic Relics'' compilation (1999)

''Live: Entertainment or Death'' live album (1999) US #133

''Millennium Collection'' (2003)

''Music To Crash Your Car To, Volume 1'' box set (2003)

''Music To Crash Your Car To, Volume 2'' box set (2004)

''Red, White & Crüe'' compilation (2005) Platinum US US #6

''Carnival of Sins Live, Vol. 1'' live album (2006)

''Carnival of Sins Live, Vol. 2'' live album (2006)

''Saints of Los Angeles'' (2008) US #4

''Mötley Crüe: Greatest Hits'' (2009)

TBA (Unknown) (2011)

Methods of Mayhem

''Methods of Mayhem'' (1999) Gold US US #71

''A Public Disservice Announcement'' (2010)

Rock Star Supernova

''Rock Star Supernova'' (2006) US #101

Guest performances

''Rush Street'' (1991) - Richard Marx

''The Urge'' (1991) - Stuart Hamm

''The Downward Spiral'' (1994) - Nine Inch Nails

"Whore" Dalbello 1996 album (drums on "Revenge Of Sleeping Beauty" track (remark by Sergey Lavrov)

''Hellbilly Deluxe'' (1998) - Rob Zombie

''The Sinister Urge'' (2001) - Rob Zombie

''Everything in Transit'' (2005) - Jack's Mannequin

''Angels & Devils'' (2007) - Fuel

Singles

Year	Title	Chart positions	Certifications	Album
Billboard Hot 100>USHot 100	Mainstream Rock Tracks chart>USMain	Modern Rock Tracks chart>USMod	UK Top 40>UKTop 40	ARIA Charts>AUS	Canada>CAN	Media Control Charts>GER
	"Hold Me Down"									rowspan="4"
"Sunday"
	"Ashamed"
"Higher"
	"Tryin to Be Me"
"Hello, Again"
2006	"Make Believe"

References

External links

Tommy Lee: The luckiest man alive? Hustler Magazine

Tommy Lee co-hosts Battleground Earth on Planet Green

Hollywood A-List News: Tommy Lee

Official Web site of Tommy Lee

Rock Star SuperNova Official Site

Rock Star SuperNova Official Site on SonyBMG

Ink Not Mink Interview with PETA

Tommy Lee Interview DJ Interview Clubplanet

Tommylee.tv Official Tommy Lee Biography

Category:1962 births Category:American heavy metal drummers Category:American vegetarians Category:Musicians from California Category:Glam metal musicians Category:American people of Greek descent Category:Living people Category:Mötley Crüe members Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Athens Category:People from Los Angeles County, California Category:American people of Welsh descent Category:American male singers Category:Animal rights advocates Category:American Roman Catholics

cs:Tommy Lee da:Tommy Lee de:Tommy Lee es:Tommy Lee fo:Tommy Lee fr:Tommy Lee it:Tommy Lee hu:Tommy Lee nl:Tommy Lee ja:トミー・リー no:Tommy Lee pl:Tommy Lee pt:Tommy Lee ru:Томми Ли simple:Tommy Lee fi:Tommy Lee sv:Tommy Lee tr:Tommy Lee

Coordinates	23°33′″N46°38′″N
name	Jim Breuer
birth name	Jim Breuer
birth date	June 21, 1967
birth place	Valley Stream, Long Island, New York
medium	Stand-up, television, film, radio
nationality	American
active	1988–present
genre	Observational comedy, improvisational comedy, character comedy
subject	Everyday life, marriage, parenting, self-deprecation
influences	George Carlin, Sam Kinison, Steve Martin, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor
spouse	Dee Breuer (1993–present; 3 children)
notable work	''Saturday Night Live''''Half Baked''''Premium Blends'' ''Web Junk 20''''Fridays with Not funny''
website	jimbreuer.com
footnotes	}}

Jim Breuer (born June 21, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and radio host. He is most noted for his time as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' and starring in the 1998 cult "stoner comedy" ''Half Baked'', alongside Dave Chappelle.

Early life

Jim Breuer was born and raised in Valley Stream, New York.

Career

Television career

Jim Breuer first rose to fame as a cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 1998. On SNL, Breuer's characters included "Goat Boy" (who hosted the fictional MTV program "Hey, Remember the 80s?") and Glen Henderson, the elder brother to Chris Kattan's Todd Henderson/Azrael Abyss character in the "Goth Talk" skits. He has previously guest starred in ''Home Improvement''. That appearance gave way to the short-lived sitcom ''Buddies''. He was originally scheduled to have been the co-star alongside friend and co-worker Dave Chappelle, but was pulled from the role after filming the pilot.

Among his impersonations was that of actor Joe Pesci, who hosted his own talk show, often accompanied by Colin Quinn playing fellow actor Robert De Niro. In a 1997 episode of the program, both Pesci and De Niro made surprise appearances to "confront" Breuer.

Jim Breuer has also hosted several "Premium Blends" on Comedy Central as well as several appearances on other comedy shows.

Jim Breuer hosted the third season of the VH1 show ''Web Junk 20''. The season began on November 17, 2006. He replaced Patrice Oneal, who hosted the first two seasons of the show.

In 2002, Jim Breuer's first one-hour Comedy Central special, "Hardcore," premiered. The same year, he released a comedy album titled ''Smoke 'n' Breu''.

On July 25, 2009, Jim Breuer's second one-hour Comedy Central special, "Let's Clear the Air," premiered and came in as one of the highest rated comedy specials in Comedy Central's history.

Jim Breuer currently appears in Pizza Hut commercials, advertising the cheese crust-filled pizzas using the catch phrase, "Jackpot!"

Also, Breuer starred in the VH1 documentary "When Metallica Ruled the World" where he commented on the songs by Metallica through the years.

Radio career

Breuer was a sit-in comedian on the ''Opie and Anthony Show'' for many years during their WNEW tenure. "Breuer Bits" were often played whenever the show was on hiatus. With the XM/Sirius merger complete, Breuer returned to the ''Opie and Anthony Show'' for the first time in six years on August 8, 2008. He remains a frequent guest.

Breuer is the host of ''Fridays with Jim Breuer,'' (previously known as ''Breuer Unleashed'') which can be heard each Friday afternoon from 4-6PM (EST) on the Sirius Satellite Radio channel "Raw Dog Comedy." He credits Joe Pesci with jump starting his career as he mentions in his comedy concert "Hardcore". One show, while Breuer was singing the classic Judas Priest song "Devil's Child," Rob Halford "The Metal God," singer of Judas Priest, entered the studio still with his coat on and sang with him.

He appeared on The Howard Stern show on August 19, 2010 as Joe Pesci for the entirety of the show with the exception of the news.

Other work

In 2008, Jim went on his first tour in 6 years known as the "Breuniversity Tour" where he toured over 20 colleges and comedy clubs across the country. The footage was used in his documentary ''More Than Me'', as well as his 4 hour DVD "The Jim Breuer Road Journals," both of which will be released soon on DVD.

On October 5, 2010 he published a book called ''"I'm Not High (But I've Got a Lot of Crazy Stories about Life as a Goat Boy, a Dad, and a Spiritual Warrior)".''

In January 2011, Jim launched a podcast called "The Podcast Masters" with fellow comedian Pete Correale.

Personal life

He now lives in Chester Township, New Jersey with his wife and three daughters.

Filmography

''Home Improvement'' (1995)

''Buddies'' (replaced after pilot) (1997)

''Half Baked'' (1998)

''Dick'' (1999)

''Titan A.E.'' (2000)

''Once in the Life'' (2000)

''One Eyed King'' (2001)

''American Dummy'' (2002)

''Crooked Lines'' (2003)

''Beer League'' (2006)

''Zookeeper'' (2011)

References

External links

Jim's upcoming online TV Network

Official Radio Show Website

Official MySpace Page

Official YouTube Page

Interview about 'More Than Me' documentary

Review of 'More Than Me' documentary

Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:People from Morris County, New Jersey Category:People from Valley Stream, New York Category:Actors from New York Category:American film actors Category:American radio personalities Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American talk radio hosts Category:American television actors Category:Valley Stream Central High School alumni

Coordinates	23°33′″N46°38′″N
imgsize	220px
birth name	Philip Andre Rourke, Jr.
birth date	September 16, 1952
birth place	Schenectady, New York, U.S.
other names	Sir Eddie Cook
occupation	Actor, professional boxer, screenwriter, music supervisor
years active	Actor (1979–present)Boxer (1991-1994) }}

Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. (born September 16, 1952) is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films.

During the 1980s, Rourke starred in ''Diner'', ''Rumble Fish'', and the erotic drama ''9½ Weeks'', and received critical praise for his work in ''Barfly'' and ''Angel Heart''. In 1991, Rourke, who had trained as a boxer in his early years, left acting and became a professional boxer for a period. He had supporting roles in several later films, including ''The Rainmaker'', ''Buffalo '66'', ''The Pledge'', ''Get Carter'', ''Once Upon a Time in Mexico'' and ''Man on Fire''.

In 2005, Rourke made his comeback in mainstream Hollywood circles with a lead role in ''Sin City'', for which he won awards from the Chicago Film Critics Association, the Irish Film and Television Awards and the Online Film Critics Society. In the 2008 film ''The Wrestler'', Rourke portrayed a past-his-prime wrestler, and garnered a 2009 Golden Globe award, a BAFTA award, and a nomination for an Academy Award.

In 2010, he appeared in the blockbusters ''Iron Man 2'' and ''The Expendables''. He is rumored to be playing Lemmy of Motörhead fame in an unannounced Werner Herzog project.

Early life

Rourke was born Philip Andre Rourke, Jr., in Schenectady, New York, to a family of Irish and French descent. He was raised Roman Catholic and still practices his faith. His father, Philip Andre Rourke, Sr., an amateur body builder, left the family when Mickey was six years old. After his parents divorced, his mother, Annette, married Eugene Addis, a Miami Beach police officer with five sons, and moved Rourke, his younger brother, and their sister to southern Florida. There, he graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School in 1971.

During his teenage years, Rourke focused his attention mainly on sports. He took up self-defense training at the Boys Club of Miami. It was there that he learned boxing skills and decided on an amateur career. At age 12, Rourke won his first boxing match as a 118-pound bantamweight (53.5 kg), fighting some of his early matches under the name Andre Rourke. He continued his boxing training at the famed 5th Street Gym, in Miami Beach, Florida, where Muhammad Ali began his career. In 1969, Rourke, then weighing 140 lbs. (63.5 kg), sparred with former World Welterweight Champion Luis Rodríguez. Rodriguez was the number one-rated middleweight boxer in the world and was training for his match with world champion Conor Scullion. Rourke boxed Scullion and claims to have received a concussion in this sparring match.

At the 1971 Florida Golden Gloves, Rourke suffered another concussion in a boxing match. After being told by doctors to take a year off and rest, Rourke temporarily retired from the ring. From 1964 to 1972, he compiled an amateur record of 20 wins (17 by knockout) and 6 defeats, which included wins over Ron Carter, Charles Gathers and Joe Riles.

Career

Early acting roles

In 1971, as a senior at Miami Beach Senior High School, Rourke had a small acting role in the Jay W. Jensen-directed school play, ''The Serpent''. However, Rourke's interests were geared to boxing, and he never appeared in any other school productions. Soon after he temporarily gave up boxing, a friend at the University of Miami told Rourke about a play he was directing, ''Deathwatch'', and how the man playing the role of Green Eyes had quit. Rourke got the part and immediately became enamored with acting. Borrowing 400 dollars from his sister, he went to New York in order to take private lessons with an acting teacher from the Actors Studio, Sandra Seacat. It is she who actually motivated Rourke to go and find his father,whom he had been separated from for more than 20 years and had no idea as to what or whom he was looking for. During his visit as a guest to the Actor's Studio, after the release of The Wrestler (2008 film), while Rourke was talking to James Lipton,Lipton disclosed the fact that Rourke had been selected to the Actor's Studio in his first audition, which Elia Kazan is reported to have said that it was the "best audition in 30 years". Similarly, later director Adrian Lyne would go on to say that had Mickey passed away after the release of ''Angel Heart'', he would have become a bigger phenomenon than James Dean.

Rourke's film debut was a small role in Steven Spielberg's film ''1941''. However, it was his portrayal of an arsonist in ''Body Heat'' that garnered significant attention, despite his modest time on screen. He mostly appeared in television films in his early career. During the early 1980s, Rourke starred in ''Diner'', alongside Paul Reiser, Daniel Stern, Steve Guttenberg, Tim Daly and Kevin Bacon, and yet again drew further critical notices for his portrayal as the suave compulsive gambler "Boogie" Sheftell; The National Society of Film Critics named him "Best Supporting Actor" that year. Soon thereafter, Rourke starred in ''Rumble Fish'', Francis Ford Coppola's follow-up to ''The Outsiders''.

Rourke's performance in the film ''The Pope of Greenwich Village'' alongside Daryl Hannah and Eric Roberts also caught the attention of critics, although the film was not financially successful. In the mid-1980s, Rourke earned himself additional leading roles. His role alongside Kim Basinger in the erotic drama ''9½ Weeks'' helped him gain "sex symbol" status. He received critical praise for his work in ''Barfly'' as the alcoholic writer Henry Chinaski (the literary alter ego of Charles Bukowski) and in ''Year of the Dragon''. In 1987, Rourke appeared in ''Angel Heart''. The film was nominated for several awards. It was seen as controversial by some owing to a sex scene involving ''Cosby Show'' cast member Lisa Bonet, who won an award for her part in the film. Although some of Rourke's work was viewed as controversial in the U.S., he was well-received by European, and especially French, audiences, who loved the "rumpled, slightly dirty, sordid ... rebel persona" that he projected in ''Year of the Dragon'', ''9½ Weeks'', ''Angel Heart'', and ''Desperate Hours''.

In the late 1980s, Rourke performed with David Bowie on the ''Never Let Me Down'' album. Around the same time he also wrote his first screenplay, ''Homeboy'', a boxing tale in which he starred. In 1989, Rourke starred in the docu-drama ''Francesco'', portraying St. Francis of Assisi. This was followed by ''Wild Orchid'', another critically panned film, which gained him a nomination for a Razzie award (also for ''Desperate Hours''). In 1991, he starred in the box office bomb ''Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man'' as Harley Davidson, a biker whose best friend, Marlboro, was played by Don Johnson. In his last role before departing for the boxing ring, Rourke played an arms dealer chased by Willem Dafoe and Samuel Jackson in ''White Sands'', a film noir which reviewers found to be stylish but incoherent.

Rourke's acting career eventually became overshadowed by his personal life and career decisions. Directors such as Alan Parker found it difficult to work with him. Parker stated that "working with Mickey is a nightmare. He is very dangerous on the set because you never know what he is going to do." In a documentary on the special edition DVD of ''Tombstone'', actor Michael Biehn, who plays the part of Johnny Ringo, mentions that his role was first offered to Rourke.

Boxing career

In 1991, Rourke decided that he "had to go back to boxing" because he felt that he "was self-destructing ... (and) had no respect for (himself as) an actor." Rourke was undefeated in eight fights, with six wins (four by knockout) and two draws. He fought internationally in countries including Spain, Japan and Germany.

During his boxing career, Rourke suffered a number of injuries, including a broken nose, toe, ribs, a split tongue, and a compressed cheekbone. He also suffered from short term memory loss.

His trainer during most of his boxing career was Hells Angels member, actor and celebrity bodyguard Chuck Zito. Freddie Roach also trained Rourke for seven fights. Rourke's entrance song into the ring was often Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child o' Mine."

Boxing promoters said that Rourke was too old to succeed against top-level fighters. Indeed, Rourke himself admits that entering the ring was a sort of personal test: "[I] just wanted to give it a shot, test myself that way physically, while I still had time." In 1995, Rourke retired from boxing and returned to acting.

Rourke's boxing career resulted in a notable physical change in the 1990s, as his face needed reconstructive surgery in order to mend his injuries. His face was later called "appallingly disfigured." In 2009, the actor told ''The Daily Mail'' that he had gone to "the wrong guy" for his surgery, and that his plastic surgeon had left his features "a mess."

|- | style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|Boxing record |- | style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|6 Wins (4 knockouts, 2 decisions), 0 Losses, 2 Draws |- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;" | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Result | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Record | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Opponent | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Type | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Rd., Time | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Location | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes |- style="text-align:center;" |style="background:#abcdef;"|Draw || 6-0-2 || align=left| Andrew Banks |MD || 4 || September 8, 1994 || align=left| Davie, Florida, USA |align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" |Win || 6-0-1 || align=left| Thomas McCoy |TKO || 3 || November 20, 1993 || align=left| Hamburg, Germany || |- style="text-align:center;" |Win || 5-0-1 || align=left| Bubba Stotts |TKO || 3 || July 24, 1993 || align=left| Joplin, Missouri, USA || |- style="text-align:center;" |Win || 4-0-1 || align=left| Tom Bentley |KO || 1 || March 30, 1993 || align=left| Kansas City, Missouri, USA || |- style="text-align:center;" |Win || 3-0-1 || align=left| Terry Jesmer |PTS || 4 || December 12, 1992 || align=left| Oviedo, Spain || |- style="text-align:center;" |style="background:#abcdef;"|Draw || 2-0-1 || align=left| Francisco Harris |MD || 4 || April 25, 1992 || align=left| Miami Beach, Florida, USA |align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" |Win || 2–0 || align=left| Darrell Miller |KO || 1 , 2:14 || June 23, 1991 || align=left| Tokyo, Japan || |- style="text-align:center;" |Win || 1–0 || align=left| Steve Powell |UD || 4 || May 23, 1991 || align=left| Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA |align=left|

1990s: return to acting

In the early 1990s, Rourke was offered and declined the role of Butch Coolidge, which later became Bruce Willis' role in ''Pulp Fiction''. After his retirement from boxing, Rourke did accept supporting roles in several 1990s films, including Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of John Grisham's ''The Rainmaker'', Vincent Gallo's ''Buffalo '66'', Steve Buscemi's ''Animal Factory'', Sean Penn's ''The Pledge'' and Sylvester Stallone's remake of ''Get Carter''. Rourke also has written several films under the name "Sir Eddie Cook", including ''Bullet'', in which he co-starred with close friend Tupac Shakur.

While Rourke was also selected for a significant role in Terrence Malick's ''The Thin Red Line''; his part ended up on the editing room floor. Rourke also played a small part in the film ''Thursday'', in which he plays a crooked cop. He also had a lead role in 1997's ''Double Team'', which co-starred martial arts actor Jean-Claude Van Damme. It was Rourke's first over-the-top action film role, in which he played the lead villain. During that same year, he filmed ''Another 9½ Weeks'', a sequel to ''9½ Weeks,'' which only received limited distribution. He ended the 1990s with the direct-to-video films ''Out in Fifty'', ''Shades'' and television film ''Shergar'', about the kidnapping of Epsom Derby-winning thoroughbred racehorse Shergar. Rourke has expressed his bitterness over that period of his career, stating that he came to consider himself a "has-been" and lived for a time in "a state of shame."

2000s

In 2001, he appeared as the villain in Enrique Iglesias's music video for "Hero," which also featured Jennifer Love Hewitt. In 2002, Rourke took the role of The Cook in Jonas Åkerlund's ''Spun'', teaming up once again with Eric Roberts. His first collaborations with directors Robert Rodriguez and Tony Scott in ''Once Upon a Time in Mexico'' and ''Man on Fire'', were for smaller roles. Nonetheless, these directors subsequently decided to cast Rourke in lead roles in their next films.

In 2005, Rourke made his comeback in mainstream Hollywood circles with a lead role (''Marv'') in Robert Rodriguez's adaptation of Frank Miller's ''Sin City''. Rourke received awards from the Chicago Film Critics Association, the IFTA and the Online Film Critics Society, as well as "Man of the Year" from ''Total Film'' magazine that year. Rourke followed ''Sin City'' with a supporting role in Tony Scott's ''Domino'' alongside Keira Knightley, in which he played a bounty hunter.

Rourke played the role of "The Blackbird" in an adaptation of Elmore Leonard's ''Killshot'', and appeared as Darrius Sayle in the adaptation of the Alex Rider novel ''Stormbreaker''.

In addition, in 2004, Rourke provided the voice for "Jericho" in the third installment of the Driver video game series. Rourke also recently appeared in a 40-page story by photographer Bryan Adams for Berlin's ''Zoo Magazine''. In an article about Rourke's return to steady acting roles, entitled "Mickey Rourke Rising", Christopher Heard stated that actors/musicians Tupac Shakur, Johnny Depp, Sean Penn and Brad Pitt have "...animated praise for Rourke and his work." During a roundtable session of Oscar-nominated actors held by ''Newsweek'', Brad Pitt cited Rourke as one of his early acting heroes along with Sean Penn and Gary Oldman.

Despite having withdrawn from acting at various points, and having made films that he now sees as a creative "sell-out" (the action film ''Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man''), Rourke has stated that "...all that I have been through...[has] made me a better, more interesting actor." Rourke's renewed interest in pursuing acting can be seen in his statement that "... my best work is still ahead of me."

Rourke had a role in the film version of ''The Informers'', playing Peter, an amoral former studio security guard who plots to kidnap a small child.

In 2008, Rourke played the lead in ''The Wrestler'', winner of the Golden Lion Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival, about washed-up professional wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson. In regards to first reading the screenplay, he stated that he originally "didn't care for it."

}}

He also spoke on personal concern and hesitance of being in a film about wrestling, for he perceived it as being "pre-arranged and pre-choreographed." However, as he trained for the film, he developed an appreciation and respect for what real-life pro wrestlers do to prepare for the ring:

}}

He trained under former WWE wrestler Afa the Wild Samoan for the part, and has received a British Academy (BAFTA) award, a Golden Globe award, an Independent Spirit Award, and an Oscar nomination as Best Actor. Rourke was pessimistic about his chances to win the Oscar, as he had burned many bridges in Hollywood due to his past behavior. Rourke lost the Oscar to Sean Penn, while Penn did acknowledge Rourke in his acceptance speech.

Rourke has written or co-written six scripts: ''Homeboy,'' ''The Last Ride,'' ''Bullet,'' ''Killer Moon,'' ''Penance'' and the latest, ''Pain''. Of these, the first three were produced as films between 1988 and 1996.

In early 2009, Rourke developed a small feud with WWE Superstar Chris Jericho, as part of a storyline. The storyline climaxed at WrestleMania XXV, when Rourke knocked out Jericho with a left hook after Jericho won his match against Jimmy Snuka, Ricky Steamboat, and Roddy Piper, with Ric Flair in their corner.

In 2009, Rourke starred in John Rich's music video for Shuttin' Detroit Down alongside Kris Kristofferson.

In 2009, Rourke voiced protagonist U.S. Navy SEAL Dick Marcinko in the video game ''Rogue Warrior''. The game received very poor reviews from critics.

In 2010, Rourke played the role of the main villain Whiplash in the film ''Iron Man 2'', in an interview with Rip It Up Magazine he revealed that he prepared for the role by visiting Russian jail inmates. He also had a supporting role playing 'Tool' in Sylvester Stallone's ''The Expendables''.

Just before the end of the year, he confirmed on a British TV talk show that he would play Gareth Thomas in an upcoming film about the Welsh rugby star who came out as gay the previous year. As of February 2011, he had begun research on the film, but noted, "We're not going to make this movie until we've done all the proper research. We need to do our homework and I need to train for from nine to eleven months."

In 2011, Rourke was cast in the film ''Java Heat'' as an American citizen shadowing terrorists group in Java, Indonesia. The film will be released in 2013.

Political views

Rourke's political views came under fire when he claimed to have donated part of his salary from the 1989 film ''Francesco'' to the Provisional Irish Republican Army. He later retracted the statement, although he has an IRA symbol tattoo.

Personal life

Rourke has dated several celebrities, including Terry Farrell and Sasha Volkova. He has been married twice. In 1981, he married Debra Feuer, whom he met on the set of ''Hardcase'' (1981) and who co-starred with him in ''Homeboy'' (1990) as his love interest. The marriage ended in 1989, with Rourke subsequently commenting that making the film 9½ Weeks "was not particularly considerate to my wife's needs." The two have remained good friends, according to an interview Feuer gave in 2009. thumb|Andy García and Rourke at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.''Wild Orchid'' co-star Carré Otis was briefly a ''cause célèbre'' following the release of the film owing to rumors that she and then-lover Rourke filmed an unsimulated sex scene. Otis married Rourke on June 26, 1992. In 1994, Rourke was arrested for spousal abuse. The charges were later dropped. The couple reconciled and also starred together in ''Exit in Red,'' but their marriage ended in December 1998. In November 2007, Rourke was arrested again, this time on DUI charges in Miami Beach.

In numerous TV and print interviews, he attributes his comeback after fourteen years to weekly meetings with a psychiatrist, "Steve," and to a Catholic priest he identified as "Father Pete."

Since 2009, Rourke has been dating the Russian model Anastassija Makarenko. In mid-2011, he bought an apartment in Wiesbaden, Germany which is close to his girlfriend's parents place of residence.

Rourke is also a motorcycle enthusiast and uses motorcycles in some of his films.

Dogs

In addition to his faith and his psychiatric treatment, Rourke has publicly attributed his comeback to his dogs. He is well-known as a pet fancier, particularly fond of small-breed dogs. A spay/neuter advocate, Rourke participated in a protest outside of a pet shop in 2007 and has done a public service announcement for PETA.

His first little dog was reportedly a gift from his second wife. Though Rourke's dogs are generally referred to as "chihuahuas," some are not pure-bred. Loki, his most-publicized dog whom he described as "the love of my life," was a chihuahua-terrier mix. So reliant was Rourke on Loki's companionship, he spent US$5,400 to have her flown to England while he was on the set of the film ''Stormbreaker''.

Rourke gave his dogs credit during his Golden Globe Best Actor acceptance speech January 11, 2009: "I'd like to thank all my dogs. The ones that are here, the ones that aren't here anymore because sometimes when a man's alone, that's all you got is your dog. And they've meant the world to me." The day of the 2009 Golden Globes show, he told Barbara Walters that "I sort of self-destructed and everything came out about fourteen years ago or so ... the wife had left, the career was over, the money was not an ounce. The dogs were there when no one else was there." Asked by Walters if he had considered suicide, he responded:

Despite being identified as "Lowjack" in the transcription above, the dog in the anecdote was apparently Beau Jack, who sired two of Rourke's later pets, Loki and her littermate Chocolate. Beau Jack died in 2002, though Rourke gave him 45 minutes of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Chocolate was the subject of a children's book, ''Chocolate at the Four Seasons'', about his temporary stay with producer Bonnie Timmerman. Chocolate returned to Rourke and died in 2006. In addition to those dogs and several other past pets, Rourke currently owns a chihuahua named Jaws who appeared with him in his 2009 PETA ad, as well as in the film "Man on Fire." He has had as many as seven dogs at one time, back in 2005. At the time of his Golden Globes tribute to his pets, Rourke owned five chihuahuas: Loki, Jaws, Ruby Baby, La Negra and Bella Loca. About a month later, on February 18, 2009, Loki died in Rourke's arms at the age of 18.

Filmography

''Heaven's Gate (film) ''Body Heat'' ''Diner (film) ''Rumble Fish'' ''The Pope of Greenwich Village'' ''Year of the Dragon (film) ''9½ Weeks'' ''Angel Heart'' ''Homeboy (film) ''Francesco (film) ''Wild Orchid (film) ''Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man'' ''White Sands (film) ''F.T.W. (film) ''Fall Time'' ''Bullet (1996 film) ''Double Team (film) ''Buffalo ’66'' ''Out in Fifty'' ''Animal Factory'' ''The Pledge (film) ''Spun'' ''Masked and Anonymous'' ''Man on Fire (2004 film) ''Sin City (film) ''Stormbreaker (film) ''The Wrestler (2008 film) ''Killshot (film) ''13 (film) ''Immortals (2011 film)

+ List of Film Roles
Year !! Title !! Role !! Director(s)
1979	1941 (film)>1941''	Pvt. Reese
rowspan="2"	1980	Heaven's Gate'' ||	Nick Ray	Michael Cimino
''Fade to Black (1980 film)	Fade to Black''	Richie
1981	|	Teddy Lewis	Lawrence Kasdan
1982	Diner'' ||	Robert 'Boogie' Sheftell">Leonard "Boogie" Weinglass>Robert 'Boogie' Sheftell	Barry Levinson
1983	|	Rumble Fish (novel)#Characters>The Motorcycle Boy	Francis Ford Coppola
rowspan="2"	1984	|	Charlie Moran	Stuart Rosenberg
''Eureka (1984 film)	Eureka''	Aurelio D'Amato
1985	Year of the Dragon'' ||	Captain Stanley White	Michael Cimino
1986	|	John Gray	Adrian Lyne
rowspan="3"	1987	|	Harold R. "Harry" Angel	Alan Parker
''Barfly (film)	Barfly''	Henry Chinaski
''A Prayer for the Dying''	Martin Fallon
1988	Homeboy'' ||	Johnny Walker	Michael Seresin
rowspan="2"	1989	Francesco'' ||	Francis of Assisi>Francesco	Liliana Cavani
''Johnny Handsome''
rowspan="2"	1990	Wild Orchid'' ||	James Wheeler	Zalman King
''Desperate Hours''	Michael Bosworth
1991	|	Harley Davidson	Simon Wincer
1992	White Sands'' ||	Gorman Lennox	Roger Donaldson
1994	F.T.W.'' ||	Frank T. Wells	Michael Karbelnikoff
1995	|	Florence	Paul W. Warner
1996	Bullet'' ||	Butch 'Bullet' Stein	Julien Temple
rowspan="2"	1997	Double Team'' ||	Stavros	Tsui Hark
''The Rainmaker (1997 film)	The Rainmaker''	J. Lyman "Bruiser" Stone
rowspan="3"	1998	|	The Bookie	Vincent Gallo
''Point Blank (1998 film)	Point Blank''	Rudy Ray
''Thursday (1998 film)	Thursday''	Kasarov
rowspan="2"	1999	|	Jack Bracken	Bojesse Christopher, Scott Anthony Leet
''Shades (film)	Shades''	Paul S. Sullivan
rowspan="2"	2000	|	Jan the Actress	Steve Buscemi
''Get Carter (2000 film)	Get Carter''	Cyrus Paice
rowspan="3"	2001	The Pledge'' ||	Jim Olstad	Sean Penn
''The Hire: The Follow''	Husband (short film)
''Picture Claire''
2002	|	The Cook	Jonas Åkerlund
rowspan="2"	2003	|	Edmund	Larry Charles
''Once Upon a Time in Mexico''	Billy Chambers
2004	Man on Fire'' ||	Jordan Kalfus	Tony Scott
rowspan="2"	2005	Sin City'' ||	Marv (Sin City)>Marv	Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller (comics)>Frank Miller
''Domino (film)	Domino''	Ed Mosbey
2006	Stormbreaker'' ||	Herod Sayle>Darrius Sayle	Geoffrey Sax
2008	The Wrestler'' ||	Randy Robinson>Randy "Ram" Robinson	Darren Aronofsky
rowspan="2"	2009	Killshot'' ||	Killshot#Characters in Killshot>Armand "The Blackbird" Degas	John Madden (director)>John Madden
''The Informers (2009 film)	The Informers''	Peter
rowspan="4"	2010	13'' ||	Jefferson	Géla Babluani
''Iron Man 2''	Whiplash (comics)>Ivan Vanko/Whiplash
''The Expendables (2010 film)	The Expendables''	Tool
''Passion Play (film)	Passion Play''	Nate Poole
2011	Immortals'' ||	King Hyperion	Tarsem Singh

''Hardcase'' ''The Last Outlaw (TV) ''Thicker Than Blood''

+ List of Television Roles
Year	! Title	! Role	! Director
	City in Fear (film)>City in Fear''	Tony Pate
''Act of Love (1980 film)	Act of Love''	Joseph Cybulkowski
''Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case''	John Rideout
1981	|	Perk Dawson	Lee H. Katzin
1994	The Last Outlaw'' ||	Graff	Geoff Murphy
1998	|	Father Frank Larkin	Richard Pearce (film director)>Richard Pearce

''Love in Paris ''Point Blank (1998 film) ''Out in Fifty'' ''They Crawl''

+ List of direct-to-video film roles
Year	! Title	! Role	! Director
1996	''Exit in Red''	Ed Altman
1997	Love in Paris: Another 9½ Weeks'' ||	John Gray	Anne Goursaud
1998	Point Blank'' ||	Rudy Ray	Matt Earl Beesley
rowspan="2"	1999	|	Jack Bracken	Scott LeetChristopher Bojesse
''Shergar''	Gavin O'Rourke
2001	|	Tiny Frakes	John Allardice

''F.T.W. (film) ''Bullet (1996 film)

+ Non-acting film work
Year	! Title	! Credit	! Other work
1988	Homeboy (film)>Homeboy''	screenplay
1994	F.T.W.'' ||	story
1995	Bullet'' ||	screenplay	music supervisor

Career Awards

Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting ActorIndependent Spirit Awards rowspan="2"Saturn Award rowspan="8"Moviefone Honorary Award Best Actor - Drama Golden Globe AwardScream AwardsMTV Movie Awards

+ List of awards
Year	! Award	! Nomination	! Film	! Result
	Boston Society of Film Critics Award	Best Supporting Actor ||rowspan="2"	Diner'' ||rowspan="2"> Won
National Society of Film Critics	National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor>Best Supporting Actor
1988	|	Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor>Best Actor	Barfly (film)>Barfly''	Nominated
rowspan="2"	1991	Razzie Awards	Razzie Award ||rowspan="2">Worst Actor ||	''Desperate Hours''	Nominated
''Wild Orchid (film)	Wild Orchid''
	|	Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor (film)>Best Supporting Actor	Sin City (film)	Sin City'' ||rowspan="4"> Won
Chicago Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor
Irish Film and Television Awards	Best International Actor
Online Film Critics Society	Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor>Best Supporting Actor
Satellite Award	Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture>Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
Washington DC Area Film Critics Association	Best Ensemble
Critics' Choice Award	Critics' Choice Award#2005 Nominees>Best Ensemble
Total Film	Total Film magazine	Man of the Year
rowspan="11"	2008	|	Sexiest Movie Couple	''9½ Weeks''	Voted
Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival	Golden Orange Award	|		Won
Satellite Awards	|rowspan="16"	The Wrestler'' |>Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards 2008	Washington D.C. Area Film Critics	Best Actor
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards 2008	San Francisco Film Critics	Best Actor
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2008	Broadcast Film Critics	Best Actor
San Diego Film Critics Society	Best Actor
Toronto Film Critics Association	Best Actor
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2008	Chicago Film Critics Association	Best Actor
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards 2008	Florida Film Critics Circle	Best Actor
Detroit Film Critics Society Awards 2008	Detroit Film Critics Society	Best Actor
rowspan="7"	2009	|	Best Actor - Drama	Won
Independent Spirit Award	Best Male Lead
BAFTA Award	Best Actor
Academy Awards	Best Male Actor
Chlotrudis Awards	Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor>Best Actor
Screen Actors Guild Awards	Best Male Actor
Santa Barbara International Film Festival	Riviera Award
2010	|	Best Villain	''Iron Man 2''	Won
2011	|	MTV Movie Award for Best Villain>Best Villain	''Iron Man 2''	Nominated

Critical Acclaim

Only two films of Mickey Rourke’s are in the IMDb Top 250. Sin City is #85 and The Wrestler is #78. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Mickey’s most “fresh” film is The Wrestler and most "rotten" film is Wild Orchid.

Rotten Tomatoes

Mickey Rourke films which rated as "fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes.

!Rank	!Title	!%
	''The Wrestler''
	''Body Heat''
	''Diner''
	''The Pope of Greenwich Village''
	''The Rainmaker''
	''Animal Factory''
	''Barfly''
	''Sin City''

!Rank	!Title	!%
	''Buffalo '66''
	''The Pledge''
	''Angel Heart''
	''Iron Man 2''
	''Once Upon a Time in Mexico''
	''Rumble Fish''
	''A Prayer for the Dying''
	''9½ Weeks''
	''Year of the Dragon''

Metacritic

Mickey Rourke films which rate "fresh" on Metacritic.

!Rank	!Title	!%
	''Diner''
	''The Wrestler''
	''Body Heat''
	''The Rainmaker''
	''The Pledge''
	''Buffalo '66''
	''The Animal Factory''
	''Rumble Fish''

Previous collaborations

During his career, Rourke worked with directors including Steven Spielberg, Lawrence Kasdan, Francis Ford Coppola, Barry Levinson, Stuart Rosenberg, Nicolas Roeg, Michael Cimino, Adrian Lyne, Alan Parker, Mike Hodges, Barbet Schroeder, Walter Hill, Tsui Hark, Jonas Åkerlund, Wong Kar-wai, Tony Scott, Robert Rodriguez and John Madden, as well as actors-turned-directors Sean Penn, Vincent Gallo and Steve Buscemi. Rourke also starred in the films which also stars popular actors including Kim Basinger, Jean Claude Van Damme, Helena Bonham Carter, Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Tupac Shakur, Bruce Willis, Benicio del Toro, Alicia Silverstone, Anthony Hopkins, Jack Nicholson, Willem Dafoe, Johnny Depp, Denzel Washington, Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Robert De Niro and so on. Rourke worked with actor Christopher Walken 5 times. They starred together in the films ''Heaven's Gate'', ''Homeboy'', ''Man on Fire'', ''Domino'' and voice acting in video game ''True Crime: New York City'' (2005).

Christopher Walken stated to the Film Comment on August, 1992 that destiny to make Homeboy with Mickey Rourke:

}}

Other works

Mickey Rourke made his stage debut in a revival of Arthur Miller's "A View From the Bridge". Rourke also lent his voice to the video games ''Driv3r'' (2004) as Jericho and ''True Crime: New York City'' (2005) as Terrence "Terry" Higgins, which was the his fifth and last work with actor Christopher Walken. He also appeared in a Japanese TV commercial for Suntory Reserve (early 90s) and a commercial for Daihatsu and Lark (cigarette). More recently, in 2009, Rourke voiced the character of Dick Marcinko for the biographical video game ''Rogue Warrior'', which was released on December 1, 2009. Ironically, Rourke's portrayal of Marcinko was a source of humorous praise from a few critics (although many others criticized Rourke's role to the same degree that they did every other aspect of the game).

Rourke starred in a music video, ''Hero''. He played a gangster in this Enrique Iglesias music video. Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt also made an appearance in this clip. Rourke also provided the mid-song rap on the David Bowie song "Shining Star (Makin' My Love)" on his album Never Let Me Down (1987).

References

External links

Dialogus.net

Category:Actors from New York Category:Actors Studio alumni Category:American boxers Category:American film actors Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American screenwriters Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Best Actor BAFTA Award winners Category:Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Golden Orange Honorary Award winners Category:Independent Spirit Award winners Category:Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute alumni Category:Living people Category:People from Miami, Florida Category:People from Schenectady, New York Category:1952 births

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