
Michael Rooker
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- April 6, 1955 (age 71)
- Birthplace
- 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
Photos
Filmography
Road Rage
Movie · as Stony

The Underneath: In Fortune's Shadow
Movie · as The Man with the Answers

Pig Village
Movie · as Steve
Izzi
Movie · as Sheriff Blackstone
Survive the Night
Movie

Scott's Dead
Movie · as Mitch

Superman
Movie · as Superman Robot #1 (voice)

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1
Movie · as Sgt. Major Thomas Riordan

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2
Movie · as Sgt. Major Riordan

Creature Commandos
TV · as Sam (voice) · 1 ep

The Out-Laws
Movie · as Agent Oldham

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Movie · as Yondu

Corrective Measures
Movie · as Warden Devlin

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Movie · as Yondu

White Elephant
Movie · as Gabriel Tancredi

Peacemaker
TV · as Red St. Wild · 3 eps

Clerk
Movie · as Self

The Suicide Squad
Movie · as Savant

F9
Movie · as Buddy

Vivo
Movie · as Lutador (voice)

Renegades: The Bad Boys of NASCAR
Movie · as Self

What If...?
TV · as Yondu (voice), Yondu Udonta (voice) · 2 eps

Marvel Studios Legends
TV · as Yondu Udonta (archive footage) (uncredited) · 6 eps

Fantasy Island
Movie · as Damon

Love and Monsters
Movie · as Clyde

The Golden Hour: Making of Days of Thunder
Movie · as Self
The Dark Tower
Movie · as Elred Jonas

Dead Talk Live
TV · as Self - Guest · 2 eps

Bolden
Movie · as Pat McMurphy

Brightburn
Movie · as The Big T

Creepshow
TV · as Beau · 1 ep

The Righteous Gemstones
TV · as Cobb Milsap · 5 eps

The Rookie
TV · as Frank Teska · 2 eps

The Belko Experiment
Movie · as Bud Melks

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Movie · as Yondu

The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who's Walking
Movie · as Merle Dixon / Lucille's Father (voice)

Life After Flash
Movie · as Self

SEAL Team
TV · as Big Chief · 1 ep

Ride with Norman Reedus
TV · as Self · 2 eps

Unlocked: The World of Games, Revealed
TV · as Self · 8 eps

CelebriD&D
TV · as Arnold · 1 ep

Guardians of the Galaxy
Movie · as Yondu Udonta
The Sparrows Are Flying Again! - The Making of the Dark Half
Movie · as Himself

The Driving Dead
Movie · as Trooper

Elwood
Movie · as Condello

True Detective
TV · as Edward Hoyt · 1 ep

Brother's Keeper
Movie · as Chief Carver

Rogue River
Movie · as Gas Attendent

Hypothermia
Movie · as Ray Pelletier

Pennhurst
Movie · as Dr. Death

Cell 213
Movie · as Ray Clement

Mysteria
Movie · as Captain McCarthy

Talking Dead
TV · as Self · 1 ep

DC Showcase: Jonah Hex
Movie · as Red Doc (voice)

Super
Movie · as Abe
Matadors
Movie · as John Canterna

Louis
Movie · as Pat McMurphy

Blood Done Sign My Name
Movie · as Defense attorney Billy Watkins

Atlantis Down
Movie · as Father / Alien

DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection
Movie · as Red Doc (segment "Jonah Hex") (voice)

The Making of The Walking Dead
Movie · as Self

The Walking Dead
TV · as Merle Dixon · 19 eps

Super Capers
Movie · as Judge / Dark Winged Vesper

Penance
Movie · as Mann

Freeway Killer
Movie · as Det. St. John

The Marine 2
Movie · as Church

Meteor
TV · as Calvin Stark · 2 eps

Archer
TV · as Sheriff E. Z. Ponder (voice) · 1 ep

NSFW Show
TV · as Self - Guest · 6 eps

Jumper
Movie · as William Rice

Humanzee!
Movie · as Priest
This Man's Life
Movie · as Richard Crummly

Hope & Redemption: The Lena Baker Story
Movie · as Sheriff Haney

Whisper
Movie · as Sydney Braverman

Chuck
TV · as Mauser · 1 ep

Burn Notice
TV · as Dale Lawson · 1 ep

Slither
Movie · as Grant Grant

Lenexa, 1 Mile
Movie · as Russ

Repo! The Genetic Opera
Movie

Shark
TV · as Oscar Riddick · 1 ep

Psych
TV · as Garth Lawnmore · 1 ep

Thief
TV · as Detective John Hayes · 5 eps

Chasing Ghosts
Movie · as Mark Spencer

Erection of an Epic - The Making of Mallrats
Movie · as Self

Portrait: The Making of Henry
Movie · as Self

Criminal Minds
TV · as Chief Carlson · 1 ep

Skeleton Man
Movie · as Captain Leary

The Eliminator
Movie

The Box
Movie · as Detective Stafford

Saving Jessica Lynch
Movie · as Colonel Curry

On Thin Ice
Movie · as Roger Hopkins

Las Vegas
TV · as Marcus Wexler · 1 ep

Tremors
TV · as Kinney · 1 ep

Undisputed
Movie · as A.J. Mercker

The Outer Limits: The New Series - Time Travel and Infinity
Movie · as Colonel Beckett

The Making of 'Tombstone'
Movie · as Self

CSI: Miami
TV · as Marty Jones · 1 ep

Replicant
Movie · as Jake

Crossing Jordan
TV · as Shawn Curaco · 1 ep

The 6th Day
Movie · as Robert Marshall

Here on Earth
Movie · as Malcolm Arnold

Table One
Movie · as Rowdy

Newsbreak
Movie · as John McNamara

The Bone Collector
Movie · as Captain Howard Cheney

Wicked Ways
Movie · as Matt Draper / Dr. Matthew Swan

The Replacement Killers
Movie · as Stan 'Zeedo' Zedkov

Renegade Force
Movie · as Matt Cooper

Brown's Requiem
Movie · as Fritz Brown

Shadow Builder
Movie · as Father Vassey

Rosewood
Movie · as Sheriff Walker

Deceiver
Movie · as Detective Edward Kennesaw

Keys to Tulsa
Movie · as Keith Michaels

Song of Hiawatha
Movie · as Bertrand

Meet Wally Sparks
Movie · as Michael Rooker

Stargate SG-1
TV · as Colonel Edwards · 1 ep

Back to Back
Movie · as Bob Malone

The Trigger Effect
Movie · as Gary

Bastard Out of Carolina
Movie · as Uncle Earle

Mallrats
Movie · as Svenning

Johnny and Clyde
Movie · as Frank Tennant

The Outer Limits
TV · as Colonel Beckett · 1 ep

The Hard Truth
Movie · as Jonah Mantz

Suspicious
Movie · as Attendant

The Dark Half
Movie · as Sheriff Alan Pangborn

Tombstone
Movie · as Sherman McMasters

Cliffhanger
Movie · as Hal Tucker

Stallone on the Edge: The Making of Cliffhanger
Movie · as Self

Fallen Angels
TV · as Babe McCloor · 1 ep

Afterburn
Movie · as Casey 'Z' Zankowski

JFK
Movie · as Bill Broussard

Days of Thunder
Movie · as Rowdy Burns

Law & Order
TV · as Jamie Yost · 1 ep

Music Box
Movie · as Karchy Laszlo

Sea of Love
Movie · as Terry

L.A. Takedown
Movie · as Bosko

The Edge
Movie · as Deputy Sheriff (Indian Poker)

Gideon Oliver
TV · as Detective John Quinn · 1 ep

Mississippi Burning
Movie · as Frank Bailey

Eight Men Out
Movie · as Chick Gandil

Retreads
Movie

Above the Law
Movie · as Man in Bar

Light of Day
Movie · as Oogie

Rent-a-Cop
Movie · as Joe

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Movie · as Henry

Crime Story
TV · as Lieutenant · 2 eps

The Equalizer
TV · as Bill Whitaker · 1 ep

