Personal Info
Known For:
Acting
Birthday:
April 6, 1955
Place of Birth:
Jasper, Alabama, USA
Social Media
Michael Rooker
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
| Year | Movie | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Superman | Superman Robot #5 (voice) |
| 2024 | Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 | Sgt. Major Thomas Riordan |
| 2024 | Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2 | Sgt. Major Riordan |
| 2023 | The Out-Laws | Agent Oldham |
| 2023 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | Yondu |
| 2023 | Fast X | Buddy (uncredited) |
| 2022 | Corrective Measures | Warden Devlin |
| 2022 | The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special | Yondu |
| 2022 | White Elephant | Gabriel Tancredi |
| 2021 | Clerk | Self |
| 2021 | The Suicide Squad | Savant |
| 2021 | F9 | Buddy |
| 2021 | Vivo | Lutador (voice) |
| 2021 | Renegades: The Bad Boys of NASCAR | Self |
| 2020 | Fantasy Island | Damon |
| 2020 | Love and Monsters | Clyde |
| 2020 | The Golden Hour: Making of Days of Thunder | Self |
| 2020 | The Dark Tower | Elred Jonas |
| 2019 | Bolden | Pat McMurphy |
| 2019 | Brightburn | The Big T |
| 2017 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | Yondu |
| 2017 | The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who's Walking | Merle Dixon / Lucille's Father (voice) |
| 2017 | Life After Flash | Self |
| 2017 | Guardians Inferno | |
| 2016 | The Belko Experiment | Bud Melks |
| 2014 | Guardians of the Galaxy | Yondu Udonta |
| 2014 | Guide to the Galaxy with James Gunn | Self |
| 2014 | The Sparrows Are Flying Again! - The Making of the Dark Half | Himself |
| 2014 | The Driving Dead | Trooper |
| 2014 | Elwood | Condello |
| 2013 | Brother's Keeper | Chief Carver |
| 2012 | Rogue River | Gas Attendent |
| 2012 | Hypothermia | Ray Pelletier |
| 2012 | Pennhurst | Dr. Death |
| 2011 | Cell 213 | Ray Clement |
| 2011 | Mysteria | Captain McCarthy |
| 2010 | DC Showcase: Jonah Hex | Red Doc (voice) |
| 2010 | Super | Abe |
| 2010 | Matadors | John Canterna |
| 2010 | Louis | Pat McMurphy |
| 2010 | Blood Done Sign My Name | Defense attorney Billy Watkins |
| 2010 | Atlantis Down | Father / Alien |
| 2010 | DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection | Red Doc (segment "Jonah Hex") (voice) |
| 2010 | The Making of The Walking Dead | Self |
| 2009 | Super Capers | Judge / Dark Winged Vesper |
| 2009 | Penance | Mann |
| 2009 | Freeway Killer | Det. St. John |
| 2009 | The Marine 2 | Church |
| 2008 | Jumper | William Rice |
| 2008 | Humanzee! | Priest |
| 2008 | This Man's Life | Richard Crummly |
| 2007 | Whisper | Sydney Braverman |
| 2006 | Slither | Grant Grant |
| 2006 | Lenexa, 1 Mile | Russ |
| 2006 | Repo! The Genetic Opera | |
| 2005 | Chasing Ghosts | Mark Spencer |
| 2005 | Erection of an Epic - The Making of Mallrats | Himself |
| 2005 | Portrait: The Making of Henry | Self |
| 2004 | Skeleton Man | Captain Leary |
| 2004 | The Eliminator | |
| 2003 | The Box - 2003 | Detective Stafford |
| 2003 | Saving Jessica Lynch | Colonel Curry |
| 2003 | On Thin Ice | Roger Hopkins |
| 2002 | Undisputed | A.J. Mercker |
| 2002 | The Outer Limits: The New Series - Time Travel and Infinity | Colonel Beckett |
| 2001 | Replicant | Jake |
| 2000 | The 6th Day | Robert Marshall |
| 2000 | Here on Earth | Malcolm Arnold |
| 2000 | Table One | Rowdy |
| 2000 | Newsbreak | John McNamara |
| 1999 | The Bone Collector | Captain Howard Cheney |
| 1999 | Wicked Ways | Matt Draper / Dr. Matthew Swan |
| 1998 | The Replacement Killers | Stan 'Zeedo' Zedkov |
| 1998 | Renegade Force | Matt Cooper |
| 1998 | Brown's Requiem | Fritz Brown |
| 1998 | Shadow Builder | Father Vassey |
| 1997 | Rosewood | Sheriff Walker |
| 1997 | Deceiver | Detective Edward Kennesaw |
| 1997 | Keys to Tulsa | Keith Michaels |
| 1997 | Song of Hiawatha | Bertrand |
| 1997 | Meet Wally Sparks | Michael Rooker |
| 1996 | Back to Back | Bob Malone |
| 1996 | The Trigger Effect | Gary |
| 1996 | Bastard Out of Carolina | Uncle Earle |
| 1995 | Mallrats | Svenning |
| 1995 | Johnny and Clyde | Frank Tennant |
| 1994 | The Hard Truth | Jonah Mantz |
| 1994 | Suspicious | Attendet |
| 1993 | The Dark Half | Sheriff Alan Pangborn |
| 1993 | Tombstone | Sherman McMasters |
| 1993 | Cliffhanger | Hal Tucker |
| 1992 | Afterburn | Casey 'Z' Zankowski |
| 1991 | JFK | Bill Broussard |
| 1990 | Days of Thunder | Rowdy Burns |
| 1989 | Music Box | Karchy Laszlo |
| 1989 | Sea of Love | Terry |
| 1989 | L.A. Takedown | Bosko |
| 1988 | Mississippi Burning | Frank Bailey |
| 1988 | Eight Men Out | Chick Gandil |
| 1988 | Retreads | |
| 1988 | Above the Law | Man in Bar |
| 1987 | Light of Day | Oogie |
| 1987 | Rent-a-Cop | Joe |
| 1986 | Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer | Henry |
| Road Rage | Stony | |
| The Underneath: In Fortune's Shadow | The Man with the Answers | |
| Meteor | Calvin Stark | |
| Pig Village | Steve |
| Year | TV Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Creature Commandos | Sam (voice) |
| 2021 | What If...? | Yondu (voice) |
| 2021 | Marvel Studios Legends | Yondu Udonta (archive footage) (uncredited) |
| 2021 | What If...? | Yondu Udonta (voice) |
| 2020 | Dead Talk Live | Self - Guest |
| 2019 | Creepshow | Beau |
| 2019 | The Righteous Gemstones | Cobb Milsap |
| 2018 | The Rookie | Frank Teska |
| 2017 | SEAL Team | Big Chief |
| 2016 | Ride with Norman Reedus | Self |
| 2016 | Unlocked: The World of Games, Revealed | Self |
| 2015 | CelebriD&D | Arnold |
| 2014 | True Detective | Edward Hoyt |
| 2011 | Talking Dead | Self |
| 2010 | The Walking Dead | Merle Dixon |
| 2009 | Meteor | Calvin Stark |
| 2009 | Archer | Sheriff E. Z. Ponder (voice) |
| 2007 | Chuck | Mauser |
| 2007 | Burn Notice | Dale Lawson |
| 2006 | Shark | |
| 2006 | Thief | Detective John Hayes |
| 2006 | Psych | Garth Lawnmore |
| 2005 | Criminal Minds | Chief Carlson |
| 2003 | Las Vegas | |
| 2003 | Tremors | Kinney |
| 2002 | CSI: Miami | Marty Jones |
| 2001 | Crossing Jordan | Shawn Curaco |
| 1997 | Stargate SG-1 | Colonel Edwards |
| 1995 | The Outer Limits | Colonel Beckett |
| 1993 | Fallen Angels | Babe McCloor |
| 1990 | Law & Order | Jamie Yost |
| 1989 | Gideon Oliver | Detective John Quinn |
| 1986 | Crime Story | Lieutenant |
| 1985 | The Equalizer | Bill Whitaker |