Hollywood’s Shortest Leading Men Honor Mickey Rooney

Many of Hollywood’s Shortest Leading Men Gather to Honor Mickey Rooney

by Andy Marx and Will McArdle

Many of Hollywood’s shortest leading men have gathered to honor Mickey Rooney, the legendary 5’2″ movie star who broke down barriers for pint-sized actors in the entertainment industry, who died Sunday at the age of 93.  Before Rooney defied type-casting with his memorable performances, the only jobs a tiny adult actor could get in Hollywood were that of a munchkin or being hired to hang out with child actors their own size.

“Mickey may have been small physically, but he was never short on talent,” Oscar-winning actor Dustin Hoffman told Hollywood and Swine.  “Mickey told when I was auditioning for ‘The Graduate’ that just because I wasn’t tall enough to ride an actual roller coaster, doesn’t mean I can’t ride the roller coaster of fame as a movie star.”

Expected to attend Rooney’s funeral are numerous members of his infamous 5’9 and Under club in Hollywood include Danny Devito, Verne Troyer, Seth Green, Scott Caan, Warwick Davis, Daniel Radcliffe, Elijah Wood, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Black,  Robert Downey Jr., Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Hart, Ben Stiller, ,Robin Williams, Al Pacino, Josh Hutcherson, and Tom Cruise.

“When I was playing the menacing villain Vincent in ‘Collateral,’ I’d often go back and watch Rooney’s gritty portrayal of tough-talking hoodlum Whitey Marsh in ‘Boy’s Town’ for inspiration,” said Tom Cruise.

“Mickey Rooney proved in his role as the stereotypical Japanese man Mr. Yunioshi in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ that as long as you’re short, audiences will let you get away with an extremely racially offensive character,” said Robert Downey Jr.  “If it wasn’t for Mickey, I never would have had the guts to take on my Oscar-nominated African-American character in ‘Tropic Thunder.’”

“Mickey Rooney inspired me personally, as much as he did professionally,” said David Spade.  “Whenever I get nervous asking out a beautiful playmate or actress who is way out of my league, I pull out a wedding photo of Mickey and Ava Gardner for encouragement.”