'Rebel', 'oddball' and 'Uncle Mickey': just three of the many conflicting labels Mickey Rourke has 'earned' over his remarkable career in the limelight. His public persona, moving from actor to boxer to actor, is not easy to define: making it all the more intriguing, and making Keri Walsh's study an unique and fascinating addition to the 'Film Stars' series.

The bad boys who were constant sources of controversy and pushed the term “living” to its absolute extreme are revealed in probing, wide-ranging and provocative interviews that first appeared in Playboy magazine. From the founder of gonzo-journalism Hunter S. Thompson to rock ‘n roll’s most dangerous guitarist Keith Richards to the hot-heads of sports Bobby Knight and Ozzie Guillen, the men who can be called everything in the book but boring reflect the very best of the 50 years of the Playbo...

This talented but troubled star who first came to fame in '80s hits like 9 1/2 Weeks and Angel Heart, spectacularly fell from grace in an orgy of self-destruction. As an actor, he gained a trouble-maker reputation, often fighting with producers, showing up late to sets and not learning lines, raising hell, and turning down star-making lead roles. Rourke's acting career eventually became overshadowed by his personal life and career decisions.In 1991, Rourke decided to go back to his ...

This book explores important life lessons through the lens of Mickey Rourke movies. Fifteen movies are discussed from all phases of his extraordinary career, from his teen heartthrob years of the early 1980s to his more recent work as a token bad guy. Despite never having taken a film class or paid full-price to see a movie, the author explores each film and makes a seemingly endless series of insightful, and often humorous, observations about the human condition. In fact, this book featur...

Before Frank Shamrock became known professionally as "The Legend"—winning almost every mixed martial arts title in existence—he endured a childhood marred with abuse, neglect, and molestation that led to an equally troubled young adulthood. This riveting book tells his whole story: his neglect as a child by his hippie mother and absentee father, his salvation under the foster father who took him in when no one else would, his desperate act of armed robbery and subsequent incarceration in s...