Michael Rooker(born April 6, 1955)[1]is an American actor who mainly plays roles of antagonists. He first rose to prominence for portraying the titular role inHenry: Portrait of a Serial Killer(1986), and is best known for starring asMerle Dixonin theAMCseriesThe Walking Dead(2010–2013) and asYondu UdontainGuardians of the Galaxy(2014), followed by its sequelsGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2(2017) andGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3(2023). He is a recurring collaborator ofGuardians of the Galaxydirector and co-CEO ofDC StudiosJames Gunn,appearing in all of his films to date includingSlither(2006),Super(2010) andThe Suicide Squad(2021).
Michael Rooker | |
|---|---|
 Rooker in 2024 | |
| Born | April 6, 1955 Jasper, Alabama,U.S. |
| Education | DePaul University(BFA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse |
Margot Rooker (m.1979) |
| Children | 2 |
| Signature | |
 | |
Rooker's other notable roles includeChick GandilinEight Men Out(1988), Frank Bailey inMississippi Burning(1988), Terry Cruger inSea of Love(1989), Rowdy Burns inDays of Thunder(1990), Bill Broussard inJFK(1991), Hal Tucker inCliffhanger(1993),Sherman McMasterinTombstone(1993), Jared Svenning inMallrats(1995), Detective Edward Kennesaw inDeceiver(1997), Detective Howard Cheney inThe Bone Collector(1999), Detective Jake Riley inReplicant(2001), and Buddy inF9(2021).
Early life
editRooker was born inJasper,Alabama.He has nine brothers and sisters. His parents divorced when he was 13, and he moved with his mother and siblings toChicago,where he attendedWells Community Academy High Schooland studied at theGoodman School of DramaatDePaul University.[2][3][4]
Career
editThis sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(April 2024) |
Rooker made his film debut in 1986, playing the title role inHenry: Portrait of a Serial Killer,based on the confessions ofserial killerHenry Lee Lucas.[5]He was acting in a play when the play's director, who was going to do the prosthetics forHenry,told him about the role. Rooker did not care if the script was good or bad; he just wanted to act in a film as it would "challenge" him.[6]Henrywas a critical success and Rooker received more film roles.
He was given more dramatic roles in films such asEight Men Out,Mississippi Burning,andJFK,but he became widely known for his roles inactionandthrillerfilms such asSea of Love,Days of Thunder,Cliffhanger,[7]andTombstone.[8]He also starred inMallrats,Rosewood,The 6th Day,Slither,Jumper,Super[9]andHypothermia.[10][11]
In June 2010, Rooker revealed viaTwitterthat he was to appear in theAMCtelevision seriesThe Walking DeadasMerle Dixon,one of the survivors of azombie apocalypse.He guest-starred in two episodes of the first season and one of the second season before becoming a series regular for the third season.[12][13]
Rooker is also known for his roles invideo gamessuch asCall of Duty: Black Ops(where he played himself), Mike Harper inCall of Duty: Black Ops 2in November 2012, and as Merle inThe Walking Dead: Survival Instinct,the video game based on the television series.
He playedYondu Udontain theMarvel StudiosfilmGuardians of the Galaxy,directed byJames Gunn,[14]and reprised the role inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2(2017)[15]as well asThe Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special(2022). In 2021 he appeared in the action filmF9,directed byJustin Lin.[16]
Personal life
editRooker lives inCaliforniawith his wife Margot. They married in 1979 and have two daughters. He practices theKyokushinstyle of karate.[1][17]
Filmography
edit
Film
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer | Henry | FantasportoAward for Best Actor Golden Space Needle Awardfor Best Actor Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead |
| 1987 | Light of Day | Oogie | |
| Rent-A-Cop | Joe | ||
| 1988 | Above the Law | Man in bar | |
| Eight Men Out | Arnold "Chick" Gandil | ||
| Mississippi Burning | Frank Bailey | ||
| 1989 | Sea of Love | Terry Cruger | |
| Music Box | Karchy Laszlo | ||
| 1990 | Days of Thunder | Rowdy Burns | |
| 1991 | JFK | Bill Broussard | |
| 1993 | The Dark Half | Sheriff Alan Pangborn | |
| Cliffhanger | Ranger Hal Tucker | ||
| Tombstone | Sherman McMasters | ||
| 1994 | Suspicious | Attendant | Short film |
| The Hard Truth | Jonah Mantz | ||
| 1995 | Mallrats | Jared Svenning | |
| 1996 | Bastard Out of Carolina | Uncle Earle | |
| The Trigger Effect | Gary | ||
| 1997 | Song of Hiawatha | Bertrand | |
| Rosewood | Sheriff Walker | ||
| Keys to Tulsa | Keith Michaels | ||
| Deceiver | Kennesaw | ||
| Shadow Builder | Father Vassey | ||
| 1998 | The Replacement Killers | Detective Stan "Zeedo" Zedkov | |
| Brown's Requiem | Fritz Brown | Also associate producer | |
| Renegade Force | Matt Cooper | ||
| 1999 | A Table for One | Matt Draper / Dr. Matthew Swan | Also co-executive producer |
| The Bone Collector | Captain Howard Cheney | ||
| 2000 | Table One | Rowdy | |
| Here on Earth | Malcolm Arnold | ||
| NewsBreak | John McNamara | ||
| The 6th Day | Robert Marshall | ||
| 2001 | Replicant | Detective Jake Riley | |
| 2002 | Undisputed | Captain A.J. Mercker | |
| 2003 | The Box | Detective Stafford | |
| 2004 | The Eliminator | Miles Dawson | |
| 2005 | Chasing Ghosts | Mark Spencer | |
| 2006 | Repo! The Genetic Opera | Repo Man | Unreleased short film[18] |
| Lenexa, 1 Mile | Russ | ||
| Slither | Grant Grant | ||
| 2007 | Whisper | Sidney | |
| 2008 | The Lena Baker Story | Randolph County Sheriff | |
| Jumper | William Rice | ||
| This Man's Life | Richard Crummly | Short film | |
| 2009 | Super Capers | Judge / Dark Winged Vesper | |
| Penance | Mann | ||
| The Marine 2 | Church | Direct-to-DVD | |
| 2010 | Scott's Dead | Mitch | Short film |
| Freeway Killer | Detective St. John | ||
| Blood Done Sign My Name | Defense Attorney Billy Watkins | ||
| Cell 213 | Ray Clement | ||
| DC Showcase: Jonah Hex | Red Doc | Voice, short film | |
| Louis | Pat McMurphy | ||
| Super | Abe | ||
| 2011 | Atlantis Down | Father / Alien | |
| Mysteria | Captain McCarthy | ||
| Elwood | Condello | Short film | |
| 2012 | The Lost Episode | Chris / Dr. Death | Also director |
| Hypothermia | Ray Pelletier | ||
| 2013 | Brother's Keeper | Chief Carver | |
| 2014 | Guardians of the Galaxy | Yondu Udonta | |
| 2016 | The Belko Experiment | Bud Melks | |
| 2017 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | Yondu Udonta | Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 2019 | Bolden | Pat McMurphy | |
| Brightburn | The Big T | Cameo | |
| 2020 | Fantasy Island | Damon | |
| Love and Monsters | Clyde | ||
| 2021 | F9 | Buddy | |
| The Suicide Squad | Brian Durlin / Savant | ||
| Vivo | Lutador | Voice | |
| 2022 | Corrective Measures | Overseer Warden Devlin | |
| White Elephant | Gabriel Tancredi | ||
| 2023 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | Yondu Udonta | Cameo |
| The Out-Laws | Agent Oldham | [19] | |
| 2024 | Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 | Sgt. Major Riordan | |
| Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Crime Story | Lieutenant | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 1988 | The Equalizer | Bill Whitaker | Episode: "No Place Like Home" | |
| 1989 | Gideon Oliver | Det. John Quinn | Episode: "Sleep Well, Professor Oliver" | |
| The Edge | Deputy Sheriff | Television film | ||
| L.A. Takedown | Bosko | Television film | ||
| 1990 | Equal Justice | Wallace "Wally" Dalton | Episode: "Sugar Blues" | |
| 1992 | Afterburn | Casey "Z" Zankowski | Television film | |
| 1995 | Fallen Angels | Babe McCloor | Episode: "Fly Paper" | |
| Johnny & Clyde | Frank Tennant | Television film | ||
| 1996 | Back to Back | Bob Malone | Television film | |
| 2001 | The Outer Limits | Col. Beckett | Episode: "Patient Zero" | |
| Hostage Rescue Team | Special Agent Nicholas Roberts | Pilot | ||
| 2002 | Jeremiah | Major Quantrell | Episode: "Firewall" | |
| 2003 | Tremors | Kinney | Episode: "Hit and Run" | |
| Lucky | Gibby | Episode: "Savant" | ||
| Stargate SG-1 | Col. Edwards | Episode: "Enemy Mine" | ||
| CSI: Miami | Marty Jones | Episode: "Dead Zone" | ||
| On Thin Ice | Hopkins | Television film | ||
| Saving Jessica Lynch | Col. Curry | Television film | ||
| 2004 | Skeleton Man | Capt. Leary | Television film | |
| Las Vegas | Marcus Wexler | Episode: "Degas Away with It" | ||
| 2005 | Numb3rs | Don's Partner | Unaired pilot | |
| JAG | Capt. Jack Ramsey | Episode: "Heart of Darkness" | ||
| 2006 | Thief | Det. John Hayes | 5 episodes | |
| 2007 | Crossing Jordan | Shawn Curaco | Episode: "D.O.A." | |
| 2008 | Law & Order | Jamie Yost | Episode: "Executioner" | |
| Shark | Oscar Riddick | Episode: "Bar Fight" | ||
| Chuck | Frank Mauser | Episode: "Chuck Versus Santa Claus" | ||
| Humanzee! | Priest | Episode: "Pilot" | ||
| 2009 | Meteor | Calvin Stark | 2 episodes | |
| Criminal Minds | Chief Carlson | Episode: "House on Fire" | ||
| Psych | Garth Longmore | Episode: "Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark" | ||
| 2010 | Burn Notice | Dale Lawson | Episode: "Guilty as Charged" | |
| Matadors | John Canterna | Pilot | ||
| 2010–2013 | The Walking Dead | Merle Dixon | 14 episodes Satellite Award for Best Cast – Television Series(2012) |
|
| 2012 | Outlaw Country | Larkin's Henchman | Television film | |
| Archer | Sheriff E.Z. Ponder | Voice, episode: "Bloody Ferlin" | ||
| 2016 | Unlocked: The World of Games, Revealed | Himself | Documentary | [20][21][22] |
| 2017 | SEAL Team | Big Chief | Episode: "Tip of the Spear" | |
| Robot Chicken | Merle Dixon | Voice, episode: "The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who's Walking" | ||
| 2019 | True Detective | Edward Hoyt | 2 episodes | |
| The Dark Tower | Eldred Jonas | Pilot | ||
| 2021–2024 | What If...? | Yondu Udonta | Voice, 3 episodes | |
| 2021 | Creepshow | Beau | Episode: "Drug Traffic" | |
| 2022 | The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special | Yondu Udonta | Voice,Disney+special | |
| 2023 | The Rookie | Frank Tesca | 2 episodes | |
| 2024 | Creature Commandos | Sam Fitzgibbon | Voice, episode: "Cheers to the Tin Man" |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay | Centurion, Jack | |
| 2011 | Call of Duty: Black Ops | Himself | Appears inCall of the Dead |
| Days of Thunder | Rowdy Burns | ||
| 2012 | Lollipop Chainsaw | Vikke | |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops II | Mike Harper | Alsomotion capture | |
| 2013 | The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct | Merle Dixon | |
| 2023 | Crime Boss: Rockay City | Touchdown |
References
edit- ^ab"Michael Rooker".TV Guide.Archivedfrom the original on October 7, 2014.RetrievedJuly 19,2014.
- ^"'They' Command You to Score New TP/HC From Image ".Bloody Disgusting.June 4, 2009.Archivedfrom the original on July 14, 2018.RetrievedApril 17,2020.
- ^"Michael Rooker Biography - Yahoo! Movies".Archivedfrom the original on May 22, 2011.RetrievedJanuary 14,2017.
- ^Hardwick, Chris (December 20, 2011)."Nerdist Podcast #151: Michael Rooker".Nerdist.Archived fromthe originalon May 2, 2013.RetrievedDecember 21,2011.
- ^"Dark Sky's Hypothermia is Rolling! Full Casting News".Dread Central.February 10, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on November 2, 2013.RetrievedApril 17,2020.
- ^"Michael Rooker Discusses 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'".Yahoo. Archived fromthe originalon November 2, 2013.
- ^"A Chat with Horror Icon Michael Rooker".Dread Central. October 18, 2012.Archivedfrom the original on November 2, 2013.RetrievedApril 17,2020.
- ^"TV: Michael Rooker Becomes One of 'The Walking Dead'!".Bloody Disgusting. June 11, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on March 7, 2021.RetrievedApril 17,2020.
- ^"Blood-Soaked Snow in First Hi-Res Look at 'Hypothermia'".Bloody Disgusting. April 15, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on March 8, 2021.RetrievedApril 17,2020.
- ^"Michael Rooker Scores Leading Role in Dark Sky's 'Hypothermia'!".Bloody Disgusting. February 2, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on March 8, 2021.RetrievedApril 17,2020.
- ^"First Look at Michael Rooker on the Set of 'Hypothermia'!".Bloody Disgusting. February 26, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on March 8, 2021.RetrievedApril 17,2020.
- ^"Michael Rooker Joining AMC's The Walking Dead".Dread Central. October 2012.Archivedfrom the original on November 2, 2013.RetrievedApril 17,2020.
- ^"Michael Rooker interview (Merle Dixon on" The Walking Dead ")".The Desk of Brian. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013.
- ^"Michael Rooker Joins 'Guardians Of The Galaxy'".Deadline Hollywood.April 16, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on April 18, 2013.RetrievedApril 16,2013.
- ^"Michael Rooker Says Yondu Will Return for Guardians of the Galaxy 2".Renegade Cinema.November 9, 2014.Archivedfrom the original on November 11, 2014.RetrievedNovember 11,2014.
- ^"Michael Rooker Buckles Up For 'Fast & Furious 9'".Deadline Hollywood.August 19, 2019.Archivedfrom the original on August 19, 2019.RetrievedMarch 13,2020.
- ^Francisco, Eric (August 3, 2021)."Michael Rooker: A real-life superpower inspired his 'Suicide Squad' role [Exclusive]".Inverse.Archivedfrom the original on August 5, 2021.RetrievedAugust 5,2021.
- ^"Truly Disturbing: Horror Icon of the Month: Michael Rooker | Michael Rooker Online".www.michaelrookeronline.com.December 2011.Archivedfrom the original on January 6, 2022.RetrievedMay 23,2017.
- ^Grobar, Matt (October 28, 2021)."'The Out-Laws': Ellen Barkin, Nina Dobrev, Michael Rooker, Lil Rel Howery & More Round Out Cast Of Netflix Action Comedy ".Deadline.Archivedfrom the original on October 28, 2021.RetrievedMarch 7,2022.
- ^"Amazon.com: Unlocked: The World of Games, Revealed: Sean Astin, Tom Arnold, Michael Rooker, Penn Jillette, Zelda Williams, Matt Walsh, Alison Haislip, Meghan Camarena, William Shatner, Kevin Smith, Tony Hawk, Jeremy Snead: Amazon Digital Services LLC".Amazon.com.Archivedfrom the original on June 1, 2022.RetrievedJuly 24,2017.
- ^"Cast & Crew - Unlocked: The World of Games, Revealed".unlockedtvshow.com (Unlocked: The World of Games, Revealed official website).Archivedfrom the original on March 15, 2022.RetrievedJuly 24,2017.
- ^Stipp, Christopher (November 19, 2016)."This Week In Trailers: I Am Not Your Negro, The New Man, Detour, Unlocked: The World of Games, Revealed, The Salesman".Slashfilm.Archivedfrom the original on June 21, 2021.RetrievedJuly 24,2017.
External links
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