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