Mickey Rooney passed away Sunday at the age of 93, leaving a legacy that included a lifetime in showbiz. Growing up in the spotlight had its ups and downs for the actor, who was Hollywood's first teen star, and that extended to his love life. Rooney rivaled Elizabeth Taylor in number of marriages — they both walked down the aisle eight times.

[Related: Mickey Rooney, Hollywood's First Teen Star, Dies]

While happily married for the latter part of his life — the Brooklyn native is survived by wife Jan Chamberlin, whom he married in 1978 — his romantic beginnings were complicated and sometimes contemptuous. From his first wife — the then-rising star Ava Gardner — to his final pairing with country singer Chamberlin, we look back at his roller-coaster romantic history…

Ava Gardner (1942-1943)

Of all of Rooney's marriages, his first seemed the most unlikely match. While he was 22, the five-foot-two star of the "Andy Hardy" movies looked considerably younger, and though Gardner was only 20 and had played little besides bit parts, she already radiated a sultry sophistication that was potently adult. With the "Mogambo" star, Rooney seemed to be playing far out of his league, and perhaps he was: They wed in January 1942, and by May 1943, it was over. Gardner, who went on to a lengthy career as a Hollywood sex symbol, would marry twice more, to bandleader Artie Shaw (their marriage was even shorter, a cool 12 months from October 1945 to October 1946), and iconic vocalist Frank Sinatra (their tempestuous union lasted from 1951 to 1957). She died in 1990.



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Betty Jane Baker (1944-1949)

Born Betty Jane Phillips, Rooney's second wife hailed from Birmingham, Alabama, and when she was 17, she won the Miss Alabama pageant, going on to represent her state in the Miss America competition. That same year, she met Rooney and they soon married; the couple had two children, Mickey Rooney Jr. and Tim Rooney, before splitting in 1949. Betty Jane wasn't single long — eight days after her divorce became final, she wed songwriter and film composer Buddy Baker, and the two were together until 1958. By that time, the beauty, who changed her name to Betty Jane Baker, was enjoying a successful career in music as a session singer, lending backing vocals to recordings by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Bobby Darin, and Phil Spector. Her third and final marriage, in 1961, was to respected jazz guitarist Barney Kessel, which lasted until 1973. She succumbed to a stroke in 2002.



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Martha Vickers (1949-1951)

Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1925, Vickers first gained attention in Hollywood as a model, and was signed to a contract with Universal in 1943, though she only ended up with a handful of bit parts. In 1946, she moved over to Warner Bros., and was cast in a meaty supporting role in "The Big Sleep" with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Vickers drifted back into smaller roles, and gained attention for dating James Stewart before marrying producer A.C. Lyles in 1948. The marriage was a short-lived disaster, and in 1949, Vickers became Mrs. Mickey Rooney. The next year, they welcomed a son, Teddy Rooney, but Mickey's drinking took a toll on the relationship, and they divorced in 1951. Three years later, Vickers wed Chilean athlete-turned-actor Manuel Rojas, and returned to acting, focusing mainly on TV work. They had two children before splitting in 1965; cancer claimed Vickers in 1971.

