Mickey Rourke began his career as one of the hottest young actors of the 1980s with roles in Body Heat, Diner, The Pope of Greenwich Village and 9 1/2 Weeks. Among the directors he worked with during that period: Stephen Spielberg, Michael Cimino, Francis Ford Coppola, Nicolas Roeg, Barry Levinson and Alan Rudolph.

While his near 50-year career has had its ups and downs (and ups and downs again), the actor has continued to do remarkable work. That includes playing Charles Bukowski in Barfly, Marv in Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City and his Oscar-nominated turn in Darren Aronfosky’s The Wrestler.

Scroll through the photos below to see a selection of photos from Rourke’s extraordinary life and career.