Once a Hollywood icon, Mickey Rourke, now 73, finds himself in a grim spotlight as he battles potential eviction from his Los Angeles rental over nearly $60,000 in unpaid rent.
According to the Daily Mail, this troubling saga unfolds with Rourke spotted on New Year's Day 2026, looking frail and unrecognizable outside his Beverly Grove home, while legal documents reveal a landlord's lawsuit demanding overdue payments or his departure.
Let's rewind to March 2025, when Rourke, whose real name is Philip Rourke Jr., began renting a historic three-bedroom home in LA’s Beverly Grove neighborhood, a property once occupied by crime novelist Raymond Chandler in the 1940s.
Starting with a monthly rent of $5,200, the amount jumped to $7,000 from the second month, a steep climb that seems to have tripped up the former star.
By December 18, 2025, court filings in Los Angeles Superior Court show Rourke was slapped with a three-day notice to pay $59,100 in back rent or vacate, a notice posted outside since he wasn’t home.
Plaintiff Eric T. Goldie isn’t just seeking the owed cash but also attorney fees and lease termination, meaning even a last-minute payment might not save Rourke’s tenancy.
Fast forward to New Year’s Day 2026, and Rourke emerged for a rare outing, grabbing Taco Bell and supermarket deliveries while sporting a striped sweater, a rosary, and no shoes—a stark, somber image.
Compared to his last sighting on August 11, 2025, the significant hair loss and frail demeanor paint a picture of a man burdened by more than just financial woes.
Fans of the 1980s heartthrob, known for steamy roles in films like "9 1/2 Weeks," might struggle to reconcile this image with the charismatic lead of yesteryear, a career derailed by boxing injuries and personal missteps.
Rourke’s Hollywood peak in the '80s gave way to a risky pivot to professional boxing in the '90s, a move that left his face—and career—scarred, requiring painful reconstructive surgeries.
“Most of it was to mend the mess of my face because of the boxing, but I went to the wrong guy to put my face back together,” Rourke once admitted to The Daily Mail, a candid reflection on choices that altered his trajectory. His comeback in 2008’s "The Wrestler" earned critical acclaim, including a Golden Globe and an Oscar nod, yet subsequent roles in low-budget flicks failed to reignite that spark.
Adding to his burdens, Rourke’s 2025 stint on UK Celebrity Big Brother ended in ejection for unacceptable behavior, including homophobic remarks toward housemate JoJo Siwa that left her in tears.
“I would vote the lesbian out real quick,” Rourke said on the show, a comment that drew sharp backlash on social media and branded him as out of touch with today’s cultural norms, a misstep that hardly helps his public image amid financial ruin.
While Rourke’s past includes allegations of domestic violence and other controversies, the current focus remains on his eviction crisis—a sad chapter for a man who once commanded the silver screen. It’s a reminder that even stars can fall, and perhaps a cautionary tale about personal accountability in a world quick to cancel. Yet, one can’t help but hope for a comeback, not just in film, but in life, for a talent so visibly struggling.