As one of the most talked-about figures, Mickey Rooney has built a significant fortune. Our team analyzed the latest data to provide a clear picture of their income.

What Was Mickey Rooney's Net Worth and Salary?

He was married eight times and had 11 children. Mickey died on April 6, 2014, at the age of 93. In the days following his death, it was revealed that his total estate was only valued at $18,000. In his later years, Rooney was a vocal advocate for fighting elder abuse, specifically with regard to their finances. Before he died, Mickey was forced to sue his own stepson for grossly mismanaging his estate and losing millions of dollars.

At the peak of his career in the late 1930s, Mickey was the biggest and highest-paid star in Hollywood, easily earning $150,000 per year—the same as earning $2.5 million per year today. In 1949, he struck what was then an unprecedented five-film deal with MGM that paid $25,00 per movie—the same as earning around $275,000 per movie today.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Mickey Rooney was a film and stage actor, comedian, and radio entertainer who had a net worth of $20 thousand at the time of his death in 2014. Mickey Rooney appeared in over 300 films across a nine-decade career. He started as a child actor in vaudeville and, as a teenager, he began starring as the popular character Andy Hardy in a series of films for MGM. The top box-office draw between 1939 and 1941, Rooney's film credits included "Boys Town," "Babes in Arms," "Young Tom Edison," and "Strike Up the Band," as well as later acclaimed roles in movies such as "National Velvet" and "The Black Stallion." Mickey carved out an incredibly successful career that brought dozens more awards, including an Academy Award and an Emmy.

Mickey Rooney was born Ninnian Joseph Yule Jr. on September 23, 1920, in Brooklyn, New York. He was the only child of Joe Yule, a Scottish vaudevillian, and Nellie W. Carter, a former chorus girl from Kansas City, Missouri. When Rooney was four, his parents separated; subsequently, he moved with his mother to Hollywood. At age six, he made his movie debut in the short film "Not to be Trusted." Later, in the early '30s, he landed small roles in films, including "The Beast of the City" and "The Life of Jimmy Dolan." Rooney attended the Hollywood Professional School and later enrolled at Fairfax High School.

(Photo by Michael Montfort/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Andy Hardy and Hollywood Fame

Unfortunately, Rooney struggled financially throughout his life thanks to bad investments and eight marriages. He declared bankruptcy twice, and at the time of his death, his total estate was valued at $18,000. At the time of his death, he owed large medical bills and back taxes.

Rooney's first major starring role was as Mickey McGuire in a series of short films. From 1927 to 1936, the young actor starred in 78 of the shorts. During this time, Mickey also appeared in films such as "Fast Companions," "My Pal, the King," "The Big Cage," "The Chief," "Love Birds," "Blind Date," and "Reckless." In 1935, he garnered special attention for portraying Puck in the Warner Bros. adaptation of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," a role he had previously performed on stage.

In summary, the total wealth of Mickey Rooney reflects strategic moves.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.