Editing Mickey Rooney (section)

=== Character roles and Broadway comeback ===

==== Television roles ====
[[File:Mickey Rooney and James Dunn in Mr. Broadway (1957).jpg|right|thumb|Rooney and [[James Dunn (actor)|James Dunn]] in the television special ''Mr. Broadway'' (1957)]]
[[File:Mickey Rooney Sebastian Cabot Checkmate 1961.JPG|right|thumb|Rooney with [[Sebastian Cabot (actor)|Sebastian Cabot]] on ''[[Checkmate (American TV series)|Checkmate]]'' in 1961]]
[[File:Rooney Skelton 1962.JPG|thumb|Rooney and [[Red Skelton]] on ''[[The Red Skelton Show]]'' in 1962]]
[[File:Dick Powell Show Premiere Episode 1961.JPG|thumb|Guest stars for the 1961 premiere episode of [[The Dick Powell Show]], "Who Killed Julie Greer?". Standing, from left: [[Ronald Reagan]], [[Nick Adams (actor, born 1931)|Nick Adams]], [[Lloyd Bridges]], Mickey Rooney, [[Edgar Bergen]], [[Jack Carson]], [[Ralph Bellamy]], [[Kay Thompson]], [[Dean Jones (actor)|Dean Jones]]. Seated, from left, [[Carolyn Jones]] and [[Dick Powell]].]]
In addition to his movie roles, Rooney made numerous guest-starring roles as a television [[character actor]] for nearly six decades, beginning with an episode of ''Celanese Theatre''. The part led to other roles on such television series as ''[[Schlitz Playhouse]]'',{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=542}} ''[[Playhouse 90]]'',{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=542}} ''Producers' Showcase'', ''[[Alcoa Theatre]]'',{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=542}} ''[[The Soldiers (American TV series)|The Soldiers]]'', ''[[Wagon Train]]'', ''[[General Electric Theater]]'',{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=587}} ''[[Hennesey]]'',{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=486}} ''The [[Dick Powell]] Theatre'',{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=544}} ''[[Arrest and Trial]]'' (1964),{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=544}} ''[[Burke's Law (1963 TV series)|Burke's Law]]'' (1963),{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=542}} ''[[Combat!]]'' (1964),{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=544}} ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'', ''[[Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre]]'', ''[[The Jean Arthur Show]]'' (1966),{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=544}} ''[[The Name of the Game (TV series)|The Name of the Game]]'' (1970),{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=542}} ''[[Dan August]]'' (1970),{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=545}} ''[[Night Gallery]]'' (1970),{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=545}} ''[[The Love Boat]]'',{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=594}} ''[[Kung Fu: The Legend Continues]]'' (1995),{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=545}} ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'' (1992),{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=545}} and ''[[The Golden Girls]]'' (1988){{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=545}} among many others.

In 1961, he guest-starred in the 13-week [[James Franciscus]] adventure–drama CBS television series ''[[The Investigators (1961 TV series)|The Investigators]]''.{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=544}} In 1962, he was cast as himself in the episode "The Top Banana" of the CBS sitcom, ''[[Pete and Gladys]]'',{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=542}} starring [[Harry Morgan]] and [[Cara Williams]].

In 1963, he entered CBS's ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'',{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=595}} giving a one-man performance in the episode "[[The Last Night of a Jockey]]" (1963).{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=544}} Also in 1963, in 'The Hunt' for ''[[Kraft Suspense Theatre|Suspense Theater]]'',{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=544}} he played the sadistic sheriff hunting the young surfer played by [[James Caan]]. In 1964, he launched another half-hour sitcom, ''[[Mickey (TV series)|Mickey]]''. The story line had "Mickey" operating a resort hotel in Southern California. His own son [[Tim Rooney]] appeared as his character's teenaged son on this program, and [[Emmaline Henry]] starred as Rooney's wife. The program lasted for 17 episodes.{{sfn | Marx | 1986 | p={{page needed|date=September 2019}} }}

When [[Norman Lear]] was developing ''[[All in the Family]]'' in 1970, he wanted Rooney for the lead role of [[Archie Bunker]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Mell |first=Eila |date=2008 |title=Mickey Rooney as Archie Bunker |url=http://www.bearmanormedia.com/mickey-rooney-as-archie-bunker-and-other-tv-casting-almosts-by-eila-mell |publisher=BearManor Media |isbn=978-1593931452 |author-link=Eila Mell}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=This is a bookseller website, not a publisher (or link either to the author or title).  It is also effectively a dead link.|date=January 2025}}{{dead link|reason=This is a bookseller website, not a publisher (or link either to the author or title).  It is also effectively a dead link.|date=January 2025}} Rooney turned Lear down, and the role eventually went to [[Carroll O'Connor]].

Rooney garnered a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film|Golden Globe]] and an [[Primetime Emmy Award|Emmy Award]] for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special]] for his role in 1981's ''[[Bill (1981 film)|Bill]]''. Playing opposite [[Dennis Quaid]], Rooney's character was a mentally handicapped man attempting to live on his own after leaving an institution. His acting quality in the film has been favorably compared to other actors who took on similar roles, including [[Sean Penn]], [[Dustin Hoffman]], and [[Tom Hanks]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/08/opinion/mickey-rooneys-quietest-role.html|title=Mickey Rooney's Quietest Role|last=Downes|first=Lawrence|date=April 7, 2014|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 3, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He reprised his role in 1983's ''Bill: On His Own'', earning an Emmy nomination for the turn.  He appeared on "The Love Boat" S6 E11 "A Christmas Presence" as Angelorum Dominicus (a guardian angel character).  His wife Jan Rooney played Sister Bernadette, a nun with a beautiful singing voice. The episode aired on December 18, 1982.

Rooney did voice acting from time to time. He provided the voice of [[Santa Claus]] in four [[stop-motion]] animated Christmas TV specials: ''[[Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (TV special)|Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town]]'' (1970), ''[[The Year Without a Santa Claus]]'' (1974),{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=540}} ''[[Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July]]'' (1979){{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=540}} and ''[[A Miser Brothers' Christmas]]'' (2008). In 1995, he appeared as himself on ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "[[Radioactive Man (The Simpsons episode)|Radioactive Man]]".{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=545}}

After starring in one unsuccessful TV series and turning down an offer for a huge TV series, Rooney, now 70, starred in [[The Family Channel (American TV network, founded 1990)|the Family Channel]]'s ''[[The Adventures of the Black Stallion]]'', where he reprised his role as Henry Dailey in the film of the same name, 11 years earlier.{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=594}} The series ran for three years and was an international hit.{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=484}}

Rooney appeared in television commercials for Garden State Life Insurance Company in 2002.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/aEYSxh4ZdKk Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20170406062200/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEYSxh4ZdKk;t=1m18s Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEYSxh4ZdKk;t=1m18s |title=1/1/2002 Commercials Part 25 |via=YouTube |date=June 9, 2013 |access-date=June 18, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==== Broadway shows ====
A major turning point came in 1979, when Rooney made his [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut in the acclaimed stage play ''Sugar Babies'', a [[musical revue]] tribute to the [[burlesque]] era co-starring former MGM dancing star [[Ann Miller]]. [[Aljean Harmetz]] noted, "Mr. Rooney fought over every skit and argued over every song and almost always got things done his way. The show opened on Broadway on October 8, 1979, to rave reviews, and this time he did not throw success away.<ref name="Harmetz-obit-4-7-14">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/07/arts/mickey-rooney-master-of-putting-on-a-show-dies-at-93.html?ref=obituaries&_r=0%20www.nytimes.com/2014/04/07%20Mickey%20Rooney%20master%20of%20putting%20on%20a%20show,%20dies%20at%2093|title=Mickey Rooney, Master of Putting On a Show, Dies at 93|work=The New York Times|date=April 7, 2014|access-date=April 9, 2014|author=Harmetz, Aljean|page=1}}</ref> Rooney and Miller performed the show 1,208 times in New York and then toured with it for five years, including eight months in London.<ref>Video: {{YouTube|TIrWvUYnbiA|"Ann Miller and Mickey Rooney at the Palladium, 1988"}} 8 min.</ref> Co-star Miller recalls that Rooney "never missed a performance or a chance to ad-lib or read the lines the same way twice, if he even stuck to the script".<ref name=marill /> Biographer Alvin Marill states, "at 59, Mickey Rooney was reincarnated as a baggy-pants comedian—back as a top banana in show biz in his belated Broadway debut."<ref name=marill /> For his performance, Rooney received nominations for [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical|Tony Award]] and [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical|Drama Desk Award]] for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical.

Following this, he toured as Pseudelous in Stephen Sondheim's ''[[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum]]''.{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=351}} In the 1990s, he returned to Broadway for the final months of ''[[Will Rogers Follies]]'', playing the ghost of Will's father.{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=547}} On television, he starred in the short-lived sitcom, ''[[One of the Boys (American TV series)|One of the Boys]]'',{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=539}} along with two unfamiliar young stars, [[Dana Carvey]] and [[Nathan Lane]], in 1982.

He toured Canada in a [[dinner theater]] production of ''The Mind with the Naughty Man'' in the mid-1990s.{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=548}} He played The Wizard in a stage production of ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1987 musical)|The Wizard of Oz]]'' with [[Eartha Kitt]] at [[Madison Square Garden]].{{sfn|Lertzman|Birnes|2015|p=489}} Kitt was later replaced by [[Jo Anne Worley]].