Facing Eviction, Actor Mickey Rourke Launches GoFundMe Campaign

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Actor Mickey Rourke launched an online fundraising campaign Sunday to pay for eviction fines.

In December, Rourke was served with a notice to pay about $60,000 in back rent for his Los Angeles home, People Magazine reported.

On Sunday, the actor posted a GoFundMe campaign titled "Help Mickey Rourke Stay in His Home," with a goal of raising $100,000. He had hauled in more than $18,000 as of that afternoon.

The fundraiser's page recounts Rourke's career transition from acting to boxing and describes his mental health and financial struggles.

"Boxing -- real and punishing -- left lasting physical and emotional scars, and the industry that once celebrated him moved on quickly," the page said. "What followed were years of struggle not defined by spectacle, but by survival: health challenges, financial strain and the quiet toll of being left behind."

The fundraiser was created with Rourke's "full permission" to help prevent eviction, according to the page.

"Mickey Rourke is an icon -- but his trajectory, as painful as it is, is also a deeply human one. It is the story of someone who gave everything to his work, took real risks and paid real costs," the fundraiser stated. "Fame does not protect against hardship, and talent does not guarantee stability. What remains is a person who deserves dignity, housing and the chance to regain his footing."

Rourke is an Oscar-nominated actor whose breakout role was in Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 film "Rumble Fish." He is also known for his leading roles in movies such as "The Pope of Greenich Village," 9 1/2 Weeks, Barfly and "The Wrestler."

—City News Service