Michael Rooker
Acting
- Born:
- 1955-04-06
- Place of birth:
- Jasper, Alabama, USA
Biography
Michael Rooker (born April 6, 1955) is an American actor who mainly plays roles of antagonists. He first rose to prominence for portraying the titular role in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) and is best known for starring as Merle Dixon in the AMC series The Walking Dead (2010–2013) and as Yondu Udonta in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), followed by its sequels Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). He is a recurring collaborator of Guardians of the Galaxy director and co-CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn, appearing in all of his films to date, including Slither (2006), Super (2010), and The Suicide Squad (2021). Rooker's other notable roles include Chick Gandil in Eight Men Out (1988), Frank Bailey in Mississippi Burning (1988), Terry Cruger in Sea of Love (1989), Rowdy Burns in Days of Thunder (1990), Bill Broussard in JFK (1991), Hal Tucker in Cliffhanger (1993), Sherman McMaster in Tombstone (1993), Jared Svenning in Mallrats (1995), Detective Edward Kennesaw in Deceiver (1997), Detective Howard Cheney in The Bone Collector (1999), Detective Jake Riley in Replicant (2001), and Buddy in F9 (2021).
Known For
Filmography
Superman
Creature Commandos
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1
The Out-Laws
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
White Elephant
Corrective Measures
Peacemaker
What If...?
Vivo
The Suicide Squad
Renegades: The Bad Boys of NASCAR
F9
Clerk
Marvel Studios Legends
Love and Monsters
The Golden Hour: Making of Days of Thunder
Dead Talk Live
The Dark Tower
Fantasy Island
Creepshow
The Righteous Gemstones
Brightburn
Bolden
The Rookie
The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who's Walking
Life After Flash
SEAL Team
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
The Belko Experiment
Unlocked: The World of Games, Revealed
Ride with Norman Reedus
CelebriD&D
The Sparrows Are Flying Again! - The Making of the Dark Half
The Driving Dead
Guardians of the Galaxy
Elwood
True Detective
Brother's Keeper
Pennhurst
Hypothermia
Rogue River
Mysteria
Talking Dead
Cell 213
Super
DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection
The Walking Dead
Atlantis Down
The Making of The Walking Dead
DC Showcase: Jonah Hex
Blood Done Sign My Name
Matadors
Louis
The Marine 2
NSFW Show
Freeway Killer
Archer
Meteor
Penance
Super Capers
Humanzee!
Hope & Redemption: The Lena Baker Story
This Man's Life
Jumper
Whisper
Chuck
Burn Notice
Shark
Psych
Slither
Thief
Lenexa, 1 Mile
Repo! The Genetic Opera
Portrait: The Making of Henry
Criminal Minds
Erection of an Epic - The Making of Mallrats
Chasing Ghosts
The Eliminator
Skeleton Man
Saving Jessica Lynch
On Thin Ice
Las Vegas
The Box
Tremors
CSI: Miami
The Outer Limits: The New Series - Time Travel and Infinity
Undisputed
The Making of 'Tombstone'
Crossing Jordan
Replicant
The 6th Day
Newsbreak
Table One
Here on Earth
Wicked Ways
The Bone Collector
Renegade Force
Brown's Requiem
Shadow Builder
The Replacement Killers
Deceiver
Stargate SG-1
Song of Hiawatha
Keys to Tulsa
Rosewood
Meet Wally Sparks
Bastard Out of Carolina
The Trigger Effect
Back to Back
Mallrats
The Outer Limits
Johnny and Clyde
The Hard Truth
Suspicious
Tombstone
Fallen Angels
Cliffhanger
The Dark Half
Stallone on the Edge: The Making of Cliffhanger
Afterburn
JFK
Law & Order
Days of Thunder
Music Box
Sea of Love
L.A. Takedown
The Edge
Gideon Oliver
Mississippi Burning
Eight Men Out
Above the Law
Retreads
Rent-a-Cop
Light of Day
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Crime Story
The Equalizer
Road Rage
The Underneath: In Fortune's Shadow
Pig Village
Izzi
Survive the Night
Scott's Dead