Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney dies aged 93

Mickey Rooney, the child actor who became the
world's top box-office star, has died aged of 93,
US police say.
Born in Brooklyn, he began his career aged 18
months in his parents' vaudeville act, Yule and
Carter, and never really retired.
By 1965, Mickey Rooney's 200 films had earned
more than $3bn (£1.8bn) around the world.
Sir Laurence Olivier once referred to him as the
greatest film actor America ever produced.
Rooney's death was first reported by US
entertainment magazine Variety . The actor is
said to have been ill for some time.
Reckless lifestyle
In a film and musical career spanning eight
decades, Rooney was nominated for four
Academy Awards and received two special
Oscars, including one in 1983 for his body of
work.
Rooney was married eight times, including to
screen beauty Ava Gardner.
Asked once if he would marry all his wives
again, Rooney replied: "Absolutely. I loved every
one of them."
Initially named Joe Yule Junior, he was barely six
years old when he had his first film role as a
cigar-smoking midget in Orchids and Ermine.
In 1937, the actor took the part of Andy Hardy
in the film A Family Affair. Playing the son of a
small-town judge proved a huge box-office
draw, and spawned a hit series lasting eight
years.
At the same time, a series of barnyard musicals
paired him with another celebrated youth star,
Judy Garland.
By 1939, Rooney was established as the film
industry's top box office draw.
He enjoyed international triumph alongside
Elizabeth Taylor in the 1944 movie National
Velvet.
But despite his success, Rooney admitted his
fame had forced him to grow up too quickly. By
the time he was 30, he said he felt 100 years
old.
The show business legend was declared
bankrupt by the early 1960s, with much of his
money going to alimony for his ex-wives and a
reckless lifestyle.
However, his career enjoyed a revival with the
film Pete's Dragon in 1977, and his hit show
Sugar Babies which hit Broadway in the late
1970s.
True to his motto to "never retire but inspire",
Rooney continued to work in film, television and
theatre well into his 80s.