Known For
Acting
Born
Apr 06, 1955
Place of Birth
Jasper, Alabama, USA
Credits
146 titles
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
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
The Dark Tower
Elred Jonas
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 Sparrows Are Flying Again! - The Making of the Dark Half
Himself
The Driving Dead
Trooper
Guardians of the Galaxy
Yondu Udonta
Creature Commandos
Sam (Voice)
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)