IN the Thirties and Fourties, Mickey Rooney was the biggest film star in the world and is now in his 85th year of working in the entertainment industry.

To celebrate, the legend is coming to the Cliffs Pavilion, Westcliff, in September to sing, dance and reminisce about the old days alongside his wife, Jan.

"There will be music, bands, clips of old films I was in," said Mickey when talking to the Echo.

Mickey was reluctant to talk about his illustrious career, saying that it was "all in the past" and was instead keen to talk about his return to the UK next month.

But it's hard to ignore his credentials.

Born Joe Yule Jr, Mickey crawled onto the stage of his parents' show when he was just seventeen months old and from then on has had a glittering career.

At four he made his film debut as a midget in Not To Be Trusted and went on to be Mickey Himself' McGuire for 78 short film comedies.

In the Thirties he made the famous Andy Hardy series and by the end of the decade received an Oscar for Boy's Town, which he made with Spencer Tracy and for his work in the Andy Hardy series.

This was also the year he made his first major musical with Judy Garland, Babes in Arms, which earned him an Oscar nomination as best actor. It was the first time a juvenile had competed with adult stars for the honour.

In 1943 Mickey was honoured again at the Oscars for his work in the Human Comedy and in 1944 he made his last film before joining the army for World War II - National Velvet with Elizabeth Taylor.

As a regular GI, during the war Mickey entertained frontline troops with the Jeep Shows, which consisted of three men in a jeep who delivered much needed entertainment to the troops in foxholes at the front. For his services in the war, he was awarded the Bronze Star with clusters.

After the war, he set about rebuilding his career and made several classic films including Killer McCoy, The Fireball (Marilyn Monroe's first film), Baby Face Nelson and Breakfast at Tiffany's.

His list of credits for the past eight decades is impressive, containing more than three hundred films, including the Black Stallion for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

In 1983 Mickey joined legends such as Charles Chaplin, Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, Joan Crawford, Laurence Olivier and Deborah Kerr by being awarded an Academy Honorary Award for his lifetime achievement in the film industry.

Mickey later went into television, appearing in the Comedian, Mickey and A Year At The Top with Sammy Davis Jr. He also appeared in the West End and Broadway numerous times, which will no doubt stand him in good stead for his panto debut this Christmas as Baron Hardup in Cinderella at the Sunderland Empire.

"We just cannot wait for that," says Jan, Mickey's wife of 29 years.

"I was raised in a fairy tale and have wanted to be in Cinderella all my life. It's going to be fantastic."

Jan is a singer, actress and songwriter in her own right. The couple reputedly met through his son, Mickey Jr, whom she had been dating for some time.

"We did some special events together here and there and then we said why don't we do this as a touring show'," says Jan from the couples' Californian home.

"Mickey plays the piano so beautifully and he does some dancing and singing and there are stories of old Hollywood. It's wonderful and we love doing it."

An Audience With Mickey Rooney Saturday, September 22 Cliffs Pavilion Station Road, Westcliff 7.30pm Tickets: From £17.50 01702 351135