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 AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

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 ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy (2008 team), Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios M ...

'' (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 DC Studios is an American film and television production company that is a division of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). It is responsible for the production of live-action and animated films and television series, as well as video games, based ...

James Gunn James Francis Gunn Jr. (born August 5, 1966) is an American filmmaker. He began his career as a screenwriter in the mid-1990s, starting at Troma Entertainment with ''Tromeo and Juliet'' (1996). He then began working as a director, starting wi ...

, appearing in all of his films to date including '' Slither'' (2006), ''

Super Super may refer to: Computing * SUPER (computer program), or Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer, a video converter/player * Super (computer science), a keyword in object-oriented programming languages * Super key (keyboard butto ...

'' (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 John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until Assassination of John F. Kennedy, his assassination in 1963. He was the first Catholic Chur ...

'' (1991), Hal Tucker in ''

Cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or bef ...

'' (1993), Sherman McMaster in ''

Tombstone A gravestone or tombstone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. A marker set at the head of the grave may be called a headstone. An especially old or elaborate stone slab may be called a funeral stele, stela, or slab. The us ...

'' (1993), Jared Svenning in '' Mallrats'' (1995), Detective Howard Cheney in '' The Bone Collector'' (1999), and Buddy in '' F9'' (2021).

Early life

Rooker was born in

Jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. The common red color is due to ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. He has nine brothers and sisters. His parents divorced when he was 13, and he moved with his mother and siblings to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, where he attended Wells Community Academy High School and studied at the Goodman School of Drama at

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from ...

Career

Rooker made his film debut in 1986, playing the title role in '' Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'', based on the confessions of

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

Henry Lee Lucas. He was acting in a play when the play's director, who was going to do the prosthetics for ''Henry'', 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. ''Henry'' was a critical success and Rooker received more film roles. He was given more dramatic roles in films such as '' Eight Men Out'', '' Mississippi Burning'', and ''

'', but he became widely known for his roles in action and thriller films such as '' Sea of Love'', '' Days of Thunder'', ''

'', and ''

''. He also starred in '' Mallrats'', ''

Rosewood Rosewood is any of a number of richly hued hardwoods, often brownish with darker veining, but found in other colours. It is hard, tough, strong, and dense. True rosewoods come from trees of the genus '' Dalbergia'', but other woods are often ca ...

'', '' The 6th Day'', '' Slither'', '' Jumper'', ''

'' and ''

Hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe ...

''. In June 2010, Rooker revealed via

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that he was to appear in the

television series '' The Walking Dead'' as Merle Dixon, one of the survivors of a

zombie apocalypse Zombie apocalypse is a subgenre of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction in which society collapses due to overwhelming swarms of zombies. Usually, only a few individuals or small bands of human survivors are left living. There are many d ...

. 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. Rooker is also known for his roles in

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

s such as '' Call of Duty: Black Ops'' (where he played himself), Mike Harper in '' Call of Duty: Black Ops 2'' in November 2012, and as Merle in '' The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct'', the video game based on the television series. He played Yondu Udonta in the

Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...

film '' Guardians of the Galaxy'', directed by

, and reprised the role in ''

'' (2017) as well as '' The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special'' (2022). In 2021 he appeared in the action film '' F9'', directed by

Justin Lin Justin Lin (, born October 11, 1971) is a Taiwanese Americans, Taiwanese-American film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. His films have grossed over $3 billion USD worldwide . He is best known for his directorial work on ...

Personal life

Rooker lives in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

with his wife Margot. They married in 1979 and have two daughters. He practices the

Kyokushin is a style of karate originating in Japan. It is a full-contact style of stand-up fighting and is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training. Kyokushin Kaikan is the martial arts organization founded in 1964 ...

style of karate.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rooker, Michael 1955 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Living people People from Jasper, Alabama Male actors from Alabama American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors American male karateka Kyokushin kaikan practitioners DePaul University alumni Male actors from Chicago Actors from Walker County, Alabama 20th-century American sportsmen