Mickey Rourke was once a golden boy in Hollywood, but over the years his life has become a rollercoaster life worthy of a movie of its own. Now, it looks like the controversial actor is facing eviction as 2025 comes to an end after being sued for $60,000 in unpaid rent arrears.
Rourke made his name in the late 1980s in movies such as the steamy and sleazy 9 ½ Weeks, but then fell under the radar after a series of ill-advised surgeries that changed his appearance in a way that was not what he intended. However, this ultimately led to a resurgence in Rourke's career when he won a Golden Globe for playing Randy "The Ram" Robinson in The Wrestler in 2008 – by far Rourke's best role – and then found success in the ultra-violent adaptation of the Sin City graphic novels.
According to Rolling Stone, despite being prominent in many movies in the last decade, Rourke owes a total of $59,100 to the landlord that owns his three-bedroom Spanish bungalow in Los Angeles. The 73-year-old had an eviction notice posted on the property last week, which stated he had three days to vacate the premises if payment of the arrears was not made. While attempts have been made to speak to both the actor and landlord, Eric Goldie, neither responded to calls.
Mickey Rourke's Career Has Been Littered with Controversy
Mickey Rourke holding a gun in the thriller 13 (2010)
Anchor Bay Films
Although Rourke's career appeared to be on the up following his performance in The Wrestler, which, as well as his Golden Globe win, also saw him nominated for an Oscar, and starring roles in movies like Iron Man 2. The actor has previously addressed the issues he faced in the intervening years, and how his actions were not always in his own favor. In a 2008 interview, he told the LA Times:
“I lost everything. My house, my wife, my credibility, my career. I just all had all this anger from my childhood, which was really shame, not anger, and used it as armor and machismo to cover up my wounds. Unfortunately, the way I acted really frightened people, although it was really just me who was scared. But I was like this person who was short-circuited and I didn’t know how to fix myself.”
Controversy followed Rourke to the U.K, in 2025, when he was prematurely "evicted" from the reality TV series Big Brother for using inappropriate language and his uncomfortable interactions with singer Jojo Siwa, including telling the queer icon that if he stayed in the show for more than four days, she "won't be gay anymore."
Around the same time, Rourke suggested that he would be suing the makers of Big Brother for his removal, which reportedly led to his original agreed fee being drastically cut, but that has never happened. In the meantime, actress Bella Thorne came out to blast Rourke following his actions on the show, calling her experiences working with him "gross" and the "worst experience" of her life.
Rourke has released three movies in the last year, and has several in production to be released in 2026. Following this lawsuit, it is perhaps clear why he has so many movies on his slate.
