The moment a disfigured Mickey Rourke ‘dropped to his knees’ and his surgical obsession ran wild. On the 80s icon’s birthday, insiders reveal where it all went horribly wrong

With his botched plastic surgeries and horror hairpiece, Mickey Rourke looked more like a demented Chucky doll than a sultry leading man when he starred in the UK Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year.

Not that it affected his swagger.

‘If I stay longer than four days you won’t be gay anymore,’ he warned fellow contestant and openly queer singer JoJo Siwa, who politely spurned his advances.

An expletive-ridden outburst and a homophobic slur later, the actor-turned-boxer-turned-actor again was shown the door – a fresh indignity in a career with more highs and lows than the Grand Canyon.

Today Rourke turns 73, and much like his weathered Beverly Hills home, he has seen better days, as a former business partners remembers him as ‘the most destructive human being.’

Exclusive photos obtained by the Daily Mail last month showed the gray-haired star making a rare appearance while opening his chipped front door. He has reportedly barely left his house since his early exit from the ITV reality show, which he is now suing due to a pay dispute. 

His manager told People that Big Brother ‘publicly embarrassed him’ despite being aware of ‘his Hollywood rebel image’ and was refusing to pay the star his full fee.

The debacle is a lifetime away from Rourke’s iconic turn in the 1986 drama ‘9½ Weeks.’

As the controlling Wall Street broker John Gray, coaxing and manipulating Basinger’s shy gallery assistant, Elizabeth, into a world of evermore kinky kicks around New York, the then-34-year-old had Hollywood at his feet.

But his infamous acid tongue, tumultuous personal life and volatile behavior decimated his once-glittering career.

Rourke’s former producing partner, Bruce Rubenstein told the Daily Mail: ‘There’s no reason why – even in his seventies – Mickey couldn’t still have the career like the Clooneys and Cruises if he’d stayed away from the cosmetic surgery and played the system better.’

‘In terms of acting there was nothing he couldn’t do; he’s one of the best of his generation… but he’s the most destructive human being I’ve ever met as well as one of the most talented.’

Electric turns throughout the ’80s in classic movies such as ‘Diner’, ‘Barfly’ and ‘Body Heat’ saw him flex the charismatic cool that drew comparisons to James Dean and Marlon Brando.

Like Dean, Mickey honed his craft at the feted Actor’s Studio – and established himself early on as a rebel without a cause. 

When the legendary acting coach Lee Strasbourg criticized one of his performances in a workshop, the 20-year-old student stormed out never to return.

His volatile and unpredictable streak would continue to gradually alienate Hollywood, which demanded a little more schmooze and schmaltz.

‘He was always fine with me, but I’d hear him yelling at other crew members through the intercom in his trailer,’ recalls producer Xochi Blymyer who worked with the star on the 1989 action thriller ‘Johnny Handsome’.

‘It was just rebellious stuff like wearing the wrong shirt for a particular scene and refusing to change even though there was a continuity issue. The director Walter Hill would be like, ‘OK, guess we’ll be going with that one then.’

In truth, his demons were rooted in a tough childhood with a violent stepfather who would allegedly abuse him. Self-preservation ignited a life-long passion for boxing, while the trauma would be channeled into his intense, naturalistic performances.

But at times, his career has felt like a slow death as some unfathomable choices chipped away at his reputation.

For the 1990 flick ‘Wild Orchid,’ reuniting Rourke with ‘9½ Weeks’ writer Zalman King was supposed to recapture the same cool, stylized erotica – and while it was branded trumped-up soft porn by the critics, it earned Razzie nominations for Rourke and his 21-year-old co-star and future wife Carré Otis.

In it, the sexual acrobatics were transported to Rio with then-38-year-old Rourke’s voyeuristic businessman, James Wheeler, falling for Otis’s unconvincing lawyer, Emily. 

The biggest talking points were the ‘did they or didn’t they’ X-rated sex scene on a Persian rug (since denied by both) and Rourke’s new chipmunk cheeks.

‘It was horrific, unwatchable nonsense, the worse thing I ever read,’ says Rubenstein, who was an assistant producer on the film.

‘I spent three months in Brazil and still couldn’t make sense of what the hell was going on, but I knew it was the beginning of the end for him; it set off a domino effect in his life that spiraled out of his control, especially the facial surgery.’

At the time, Rourke blamed the sudden facial swelling on tooth surgery, but Rubenstein claims it was down to some ill-advised sparring with middleweight world champion Tommy ‘The Hitman’ Hearns at the actor’s boxing gym. 

With hands like a brick and a famed left hook that had floored some of the sport’s biggest names, Hearns’ punch left an indelible mark on the leading man’s face just a fortnight prior to filming.

‘I heard the crack and saw him drop to his knees and his cheek miles out,’ recalls Rubenstein.

‘Remember, the movie was already in pre-production. Mickey wouldn’t let me tell anyone or we’d be sued for millions. Of course, I did what he said, he was my boss after all, but I remember when we landed in Brazil everyone’s face dropped when they saw him.’

Producer Blymyer, who also worked on the movie, remembers Rourke being better behaved on set than when filming Jonny Handsome.

‘He showed up, knew his lines and helped Otis a lot with the acting side of things; he was quite charming with her,’ Blymyer says.

Clearly, it was the calm before the storm. The pair had an infamously rocky six-year marriage wracked by violence and Otis’ heroin addiction. 

Rourke was arrested on suspicion of spousal abuse in 1994 – though the charges were later dropped.

Meanwhile, stung by the commercial flop of Wild Orchid, a disillusioned Rourke left the industry for the ring with a three-year stint as a professional boxer. 

His frustrations with Hollywood, however, were never far from the surface – the line between edgy heartthrob and loose cannon forever crossed.

‘I don’t care for actors I think they’re a bunch of c****,’ the star brashly exclaimed in a 1994 interview with UK TV show, The Word, at his California boxing gym.

‘I met Warren Beatty, and he was one of the creepiest puke asses I’d ever met in my life.’

And there was more: ‘I’ve told so many people in LA to f*** off and kiss my ass that I’m basically blackballed here. My reputation scares everyone at the studios but maybe someone with balls will give me a shot.’

He would have a long wait.

The man who turned down parts in ‘Rainman’ and ‘Platoon’ and frittered away a $20 million fortune was still in the professional wilderness when he returned in 1997 with a straight-to-video dud, ‘Another 9½ Weeks’.

But Hollywood loves a comeback story.

The Wrestler in 2007 was the pitch perfect vehicle for the star sidelined for 15 years.

As ageing small-town wrestling legend Randy Robinson, the method actor tapped into his own inner struggles and faded trajectory for a nuanced turn earning an Oscar nomination that many believe he should have won.

Yet, the flicker of life in his career renaissance proved short-lived – and his slump into reality television hell seemed to be a letdown for fans and old friends.

Of course, the man who wouldn’t play the Hollywood game was never going to be compliant in the Big Brother house – and perhaps that’s why people tuned in. 

In a group of mainly has-beens and wannabees, he was still reportedly top billing, even with an almost unrecognizable face.

At 73, the eternal rebel shows no sign of growing up old gracefully, and only time will tell if the eternal fighter will get back up again.

The question remains: Is there one comeback left for Rourke? If so, it will take a brave director and a very unique part.