He was born in New York City, and began dancing at the age of ten as part of an act with his parents, Pat (Sr.) and Josie Rooney. His career on
Broadway spanned seven decades, beginning in 1898 with the role of Butts in the musical
In Atlantic City. In childhood he was friends with Marion Bent (18791940); they first performed together in 1903, and married the following year. They became one of the best-loved couples in vaudeville, and performed as a duo, combining singing, dance, and comedy, sometimes augmented by a chorus of dancing girls. and he was also a songwriter. Marion Bent retired from dancing in 1932. Pat Rooney Jr. then worked with their son, Pat Rooney III, performing a precision dance routine with father and son working back to back, which was described by
Anthony Slide as "quite extraordinary and... never successfully copied". He continued to perform and often appeared on early television programmes. He played the role of Arvide Abernathy in the original production of
Guys and Dolls in 1950. He died in New York in 1962, at the age of 82. ==References==