At the peak of his career between ages 15 and 25, he made 43 films, and was one of MGM's most consistently successful actors. A versatile performer, he became a celebrated character actor later in his career. Laurence Olivier once said he considered Rooney "the best there has ever been". Clarence Brown, who directed him in two of his earliest dramatic roles in "National Velvet" and "The Human Comedy", said Rooney was "the closest thing to a genius" with whom he had ever worked. He won a Golden Globe Award in 1981 and an Emmy Award in 1982 for the title role in a television movie "Bill" and was awarded Academy Honorary Award in 1982.