Mickey Rourke starts GoFundMe to avoid eviction from LA home

Mickey Rourke has launched a GoFundMe in the hope of avoiding eviction.

In December, the Oscar-nominated actor was served a notice to pay around $60,000 (£45,000) in overdue rent, or vacate his Los Angeles home, People magazine reported.

The GoFundMe, titled Help Mickey Rourke Stay in His Home, had raised a third of the $100,000 (£74,000) goal at time of publication.

"Mickey Rourke entered American cinema like a force of nature - raw, fearless, and utterly original," reads the donation page description.

"In the late 1970s and 1980s, he wasn't just a movie star; he was a symbol of something rare: danger paired with vulnerability, toughness paired with heart. From Diner to Rumble Fish to 9½ Weeks, Mickey gave audiences performances that felt lived-in, not performed, and left a permanent mark on American film culture."

The blurb goes on to say that after Rourke stepped away from acting for boxing, he was burdened with "lasting physical and emotional scars" and abandoned by "the industry that once celebrated him".

"Fame does not protect against hardship, and talent does not guarantee stability," the description adds. "What remains is a person who deserves dignity, housing, and the chance to regain his footing."

Rourke's major breakout was Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 drama Rumble Fish. His other notable credits include The Pope of Greenwich Village, 9½ Weeks, Angel Heart and Barfly, as well as more recent films including Man on Fire, Sin City and The Wrestler.

Rourke was recently attached to a new independent thriller, Mascots. Legendary German actor Udo Kier was signed to co-star, but died in November.