Which actor turned down Archie Bunker, and what ate its details? Mickey Rooney is the appropriate response. Mickey Rooney, a former MGM star, declined to play the racist family patriarch Archie Bunker in the 1970s sitcom All in the Family. The former child star was sure the show would fail, and he didn’t want to risk ruining his name in the industry. The role went to little-known character actor Carroll O’Connor when All in the Family writer Norman Lear saw him in the movie “What Did You Do In the War, Daddy?” After a rocky beginning, the show gained momentum and dominated television for almost ten years. Four Emmys went to O’Connor for his depiction of arrogant bigot Archie Bunker.
Legendary actor and comedian almost took up the role of Archie Bunker in “All in the Family.”
Imagine in your mind’s eye a movie star watching TV on the “All in the Family” set while seated in a chair. Got it? Good. It never took place. A comedian on CBS, Norman Lear, actually considered casting Mickey Rooney as the prejudiced Archie Bunker. Lear mentioned speaking with Rooney on the phone in an interview in 2017. Rooney had a very successful career up to that moment; it should be acknowledged. He appeared in several films with Judy Garland as Andy Hardy, but he also established himself as a kid star in the film industry. Let’s know which actor turned down Archie Bunker and its details!
Rooney spoke candidly to Lear about his role in “All in the Family.”
Which actor turned down Archie Bunker, and what is the complete history? So when Lear approached Rooney about portraying Bunker, he wasn’t anybody. Before moving here (to Los Angeles) and meeting Carroll O’Connor, Lear admitted in an interview that he had considered Mickey Rooney for the role back in New York. “I recognized his boss. I’ve never met Mickey Rooney, though. When I called his manager, he responded, “Well, Mickey’s at the office; he happens to be there. Why don’t you speak with him?
Oh yeah, Lear had a conversation with Rooney. Let Lear describe what transpired during the “All in the Family discussion.”
Lear claimed that Rooney frequently used the third person to refer to himself during the conversation. If you have anything for the Mick, tell them, Rooney advised Lear.
The description of the bunker role irritated “The Mick.”
Lear continued by describing Bunker’s personality, particularly his bigotry. The reply from Rooney? They’re going to kill you, Norm. They’ll kill you in the streets,'” Lear recalled. “I will always remember this speech. Listen to this if you want to do anything with the Mick: Vietnam veteran, a short, blind, enormous dog, private eye.
But people, in a television program that revolutionized the industry, Mickey Rooney was almost cast as Archie Bunker. But it wasn’t what “The Mick” was seeking in his professional life.
It turns out that Carroll O’Connor on “All in the Family” made the part uniquely his own. Even if he occasionally caused Lear and the producers’ trouble, no one else really could have played Bunker the way he did.
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Who is Archie Bunker?
After getting an answer to the question of which actor turned down Archie Bunker, now let’s know about Archie Bunker! In the popular and enduring American television sitcom All in the Family and its spinoff Archie Bunker’s Place, Archie Bunker is a fictional character. Carroll O’Connor played him to acclaim as a regressive, racist, conservative blue-collar worker and family man. When All in the Family debuted in January 1971, the American audience saw the Bunker persona for the first time. The program was revamped and given the new moniker Archie Bunker’s Place in 1979. It eventually ceased production in 1983. Bunker resided in the New York City borough of Queens. Archie got the award of the best television character of all time by TV Guide. The series’ secondary villain and anti-hero are Archie Bunker.
While the dynamic friction between Archie and his liberal son-in-law, Michael, provided an ongoing political and social sounding board for many themes, All in the Family gained many laughs by playing on Archie’s racism.
Alf Garnett, a character from the BBC sitcom Till Death Us Do Part, which served as the basis for All in the Family, served as the model for Archie Bunker. In turn, Eric Cartman of South Park took after Archie.
Archie Bunker was ranked first on Bravo’s list of the 100 greatest television characters in 2005[2], beating out runner-ups such as Lucy Ricardo, Fonzie, Homer Simpson, and Ralph Kramden.
Other than the fact that he is a WASP, Archie Bunker’s actual nationality is never mentioned openly. Even though that could imply he is of English ancestry, he made fun of the British and called England a “gay country.” Additionally, he called Jews “Hebes,” African Americans “Colored,” and Germans “Krauts.”
What do you know about Mickey Rooney?
American movie picture, theatre, and musical star Mickey Rooney are renowned for his dynamism, charisma, and adaptability. The short-statured puckish performer, a successful child star best known for his depiction of the wholesome, wisecracking title character in the Andy Hardy series of films, made a name for himself as a reliable character actor as an adult.
At the age of 17 months, Rooney made his on-stage debut with his parents vaudeville act. Until 1924, when his parents divorced, the young entertainer traveled the vaudeville circuit singing, dancing, and cracking jokes. Later, he and his mother relocated to California, where Rooney made his acting debut.
Rooney played a tough, cocky kid in a series of comedy shorts based on a well-known comic strip throughout the following few years. When the series ended, he changed his name to Mickey Rooney after briefly adopting the character’s name, Mickey McGuire (after more than 50 episodes).
Rooney’s star power and career declined after he served in World War II because spectators preferred the young Rooney to the older Rooney. Rooney gained a reputation as a skilled character actor in roles like the notorious gangster in Baby Face Nelson (1957), the trainer of a failed boxer in Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), a former jockey in The Black Stallion (1979), and a mentally challenged man in the television film Bill. Despite never regaining his popularity as a young star, Rooney did gain a reputation as a fine actor. In 1983, he had the honor of an Academy Award for lifetime achievement.
Final Thoughts
In All in the Family, Archie Bunker was played by former MGM star Mickey Rooney, who declined the part. The former child star believed the program would fail, and he was unwilling to risk his image in the industry. Because All in the Family creator Norman Lear saw Carroll O’Connor in the movie “What Did You Do In the War, Daddy,” O’Connor, a little-known character actor, was given the part. For his depiction of the snobbish bigot Archie Bunker, O’Connor received four Emmy awards. It was all about: Which actor turned down Archie Bunker and its details!
