Michael Rooker
- Known For
- Acting
- Born
- April 6, 1955 in Jasper, Alabama, USA
- Active Years
- 1985–2025 (41 Years)
- Total Credits
- 149 credits in database
Biography
Michael Rooker is an American actor born on April 6, 1955, in Jasper, Alabama. Primarily known for playing antagonists, he first rose to prominence portraying the titular role in the 1986 film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. His other well known roles include Merle Dixon in the AMC television series The Walking Dead from 2010 to 2013 and Yondu Udonta in Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014, as well as its sequels Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in 2017 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2023. Rooker is a recurring collaborator with director James Gunn, appearing in all of his films to date, which include Slither in 2006, Super in 2010, and The Suicide Squad in 2021. He also joined the cast of director Kevin Costner's upcoming western project Horizon.
Career overview
Michael Rooker is an American actor born on April 6, 1955, in Jasper, Alabama. Primarily known for playing antagonist roles, Rooker first rose to prominence for portraying the titular role in the 1986 film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. His other notable film credits include Slither in 2006, Super in 2010, Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in 2017, The Suicide Squad in 2021, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2023. Rooker also stars as Merle Dixon in the AMC television series The Walking Dead from 2010 to 2013.
As a recurring collaborator of Guardians of the Galaxy director and co-CEO of DC Studios James Gunn, Rooker has appeared in all of Gunn's films to date. In addition to his established film and television work, Rooker has signed on to join the cast of the upcoming western project Horizon, directed by Kevin Costner.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
149 titles- Superman (2025) as Superman Robot #1 (voice)
- Creature Commandos (2024) as Sam (voice)
- Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 (2024) as Sgt. Major Thomas Riordan
- Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2 (2024) as Sgt. Major Riordan
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) as Yondu
- The Out-Laws (2023) as Agent Oldham
- Peacemaker (2022) as Red St. Wild
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) as Yondu
- Corrective Measures (2022) as Warden Devlin
- White Elephant (2022) as Gabriel Tancredi
- What If...? (2021) as Yondu (voice)
- What If...? (2021) as Yondu Udonta (voice)
- The Suicide Squad (2021) as Savant
- Marvel Studios Legends (2021) as Yondu Udonta (archive footage) (uncredited)
- F9 (2021) as Buddy
- Vivo (2021) as Lutador (voice)
- Clerk (2021) as Self
- Renegades: The Bad Boys of NASCAR (2021) as Self
- Love and Monsters (2020) as Clyde
- Fantasy Island (2020) as Damon
- Dead Talk Live (2020) as Self - Guest
- The Dark Tower (2020) as Elred Jonas
- The Golden Hour: Making of Days of Thunder (2020) as Self
- The Righteous Gemstones (2019) as Cobb Milsap
- Creepshow (2019) as Beau
- Brightburn (2019) as The Big T
- Bolden (2019) as Pat McMurphy
- The Rookie (2018) as Frank Teska
- SEAL Team (2017) as Big Chief
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) as Yondu
- The Belko Experiment (2017) as Bud Melks
- Life After Flash (2017) as Self
- The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who's Walking (2017) as Merle Dixon / Lucille's Father (voice)
- Ride with Norman Reedus (2016) as Self
- Unlocked: The World of Games, Revealed (2016) as Self
- CelebriD&D (2015) as Arnold
- True Detective (2014) as Edward Hoyt
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) as Yondu Udonta
- The Driving Dead (2014) as Trooper
- Elwood (2014) as Condello
- The Sparrows Are Flying Again! - The Making of the Dark Half (2014) as Himself
- Brother's Keeper (2013) as Chief Carver
- Pennhurst (2012) as Dr. Death
- Pennhurst (2012) Director
- Rogue River (2012) as Gas Attendent
- Hypothermia (2012) as Ray Pelletier
- Talking Dead (2011) as Self
- Cell 213 (2011) as Ray Clement
- Mysteria (2011) as Captain McCarthy
- The Walking Dead (2010) as Merle Dixon
- Super (2010) as Abe
- DC Showcase: Jonah Hex (2010) as Red Doc (voice)
- Matadors (2010) as John Canterna
- DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection (2010) as Red Doc (segment "Jonah Hex") (voice)
- Atlantis Down (2010) as Father / Alien
- Blood Done Sign My Name (2010) as Defense attorney Billy Watkins
- The Making of The Walking Dead (2010) as Self
- Louis (2010) as Pat McMurphy
- NSFW Show (2009) as Self - Guest
- Archer (2009) as Sheriff E. Z. Ponder (voice)
- Meteor (2009) as Calvin Stark
- The Marine 2 (2009) as Church
- Super Capers (2009) as Judge / Dark Winged Vesper
- Freeway Killer (2009) as Det. St. John
- Penance (2009) as Mann
- Jumper (2008) as William Rice
- Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008) Thanks
- Humanzee! (2008) as Priest
- This Man's Life (2008) as Richard Crummly
- Chuck (2007) as Mauser
- Burn Notice (2007) as Dale Lawson
- Whisper (2007) as Sydney Braverman
- Psych (2006) as Garth Lawnmore
- Shark (2006) as Oscar Riddick
- Slither (2006) as Grant Grant
- Thief (2006) as Detective John Hayes
- Lenexa, 1 Mile (2006) as Russ
- Repo! The Genetic Opera (2006)
- Criminal Minds (2005) as Chief Carlson
- Chasing Ghosts (2005) as Mark Spencer
- Portrait: The Making of Henry (2005) as Self
- Erection of an Epic - The Making of Mallrats (2005) as Self
- Skeleton Man (2004) as Captain Leary
- The Eliminator (2004)
- Las Vegas (2003) as Marcus Wexler
- Tremors (2003) as Kinney
- The Box (2003) as Detective Stafford
- Saving Jessica Lynch (2003) as Colonel Curry
- On Thin Ice (2003) as Roger Hopkins
- CSI: Miami (2002) as Marty Jones
- Undisputed (2002) as A.J. Mercker
- The Making of 'Tombstone' (2002) as Self
- The Outer Limits: The New Series - Time Travel and Infinity (2002) as Colonel Beckett
- Crossing Jordan (2001) as Shawn Curaco
- Replicant (2001) as Jake
- The 6th Day (2000) as Robert Marshall
- Here on Earth (2000) as Malcolm Arnold
- Table One (2000) as Rowdy
- Newsbreak (2000) as John McNamara
- The Bone Collector (1999) as Captain Howard Cheney
- Wicked Ways (1999) as Matt Draper / Dr. Matthew Swan
- Wicked Ways (1999) Co-Executive Producer
- The Replacement Killers (1998) as Stan 'Zeedo' Zedkov
- Renegade Force (1998) as Matt Cooper
- Shadow Builder (1998) as Father Vassey
- Brown's Requiem (1998) as Fritz Brown
- Brown's Requiem (1998) Associate Producer
- Stargate SG-1 (1997) as Colonel Edwards
- Song of Hiawatha (1997) as Bertrand
- Meet Wally Sparks (1997) as Michael Rooker
- Keys to Tulsa (1997) as Keith Michaels
- Rosewood (1997) as Sheriff Walker
- Deceiver (1997) as Detective Edward Kennesaw
- Bastard Out of Carolina (1996) as Uncle Earle
- Back to Back (1996) as Bob Malone
- The Trigger Effect (1996) as Gary
- The Outer Limits (1995) as Colonel Beckett
- Mallrats (1995) as Svenning
- Johnny and Clyde (1995) as Frank Tennant
- Suspicious (1994) as Attendant
- The Hard Truth (1994) as Jonah Mantz
- Fallen Angels (1993) as Babe McCloor
- Tombstone (1993) as Sherman McMasters
- Cliffhanger (1993) as Hal Tucker
- The Dark Half (1993) as Sheriff Alan Pangborn
- Afterburn (1992) as Casey 'Z' Zankowski
- JFK (1991) as Bill Broussard
- Law & Order (1990) as Jamie Yost
- Days of Thunder (1990) as Rowdy Burns
- Sea of Love (1989) as Terry
- L.A. Takedown (1989) as Bosko
- Gideon Oliver (1989) as Detective John Quinn
- Music Box (1989) as Karchy Laszlo
- The Edge (1989) as Deputy Sheriff (Indian Poker)
- Above the Law (1988) as Man in Bar
- Mississippi Burning (1988) as Frank Bailey
- Eight Men Out (1988) as Chick Gandil
- Retreads (1988)
- Rent-a-Cop (1987) as Joe
- Light of Day (1987) as Oogie
- Crime Story (1986) as Lieutenant
- Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) as Henry
- The Equalizer (1985) as Bill Whitaker
- Road Rage as Stony
- Pig Village as Steve
- Survive the Night
- Izzi as Sheriff Blackstone
- Stallone on the Edge: The Making of Cliffhanger as Self
- The Underneath: In Fortune's Shadow as The Man with the Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Michael Rooker best known for?
Michael Rooker is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Superman (2025), Creature Commandos (2024), Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 (2024), Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2 (2024).
When and where was Michael Rooker born?
Michael Rooker was born on April 6, 1955 in Jasper, Alabama, USA.
How many credits does Michael Rooker have?
Michael Rooker has accumulated over 149 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1985 to 2025.
What is Michael Rooker's background in cinema and television?
Michael Rooker is an American actor born on April 6, 1955, in Jasper, Alabama. Primarily known for playing antagonists, he first rose to prominence portraying the titular role in the 1986 film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. His other well known roles include Merle Dixon in the AMC television series The Walking Dea...
Michael Rooker by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- The Rookie (2018) as Frank Teska — aged about 63
- True Detective (2014) as Edward Hoyt — aged about 59
- Criminal Minds (2005) as Chief Carlson — aged about 50
- Stargate SG-1 (1997) as Colonel Edwards — aged about 42
- Peacemaker (2022) as Red St. Wild — aged about 67
- The Walking Dead (2010) as Merle Dixon — aged about 55
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