Known For
Acting
Born
Jul 31, 1956
Place of Birth
Anniston, Alabama, USA
Credits
125 titles
Michael Biehn
Biography
Michael Connell Biehn is an American actor whose work in 1980s and 1990s genre cinema helped define the modern action and science-fiction lead. He is most closely associated with James Cameron’s films, where he repeatedly embodied hardened, battle-tested characters grounded in realism rather than spectacle, most famously Kyle Reese in The Terminator (1984), Corporal Hicks in Aliens (1986), and Lieutenant Coffey in The Abyss (1989). Those performances became blueprints for the emotionally restrained, competent action hero and continue to influence how military and sci-fi protagonists are written and played. Beyond his Cameron collaborations, Biehn appeared in a run of cult and mainstream genre staples, including Navy SEALs (1990), Tombstone (1993), and The Rock (1996), often bringing a grounded intensity that contrasted with larger-than-life co-stars. His portrayal of Johnny Ringo in Tombstone is frequently cited as one of the era’s most memorable villains, defined by menace, precision, and restraint rather than excess. His cult status was later reinforced during the Tarantino–Rodriguez Grindhouse era with his appearance in Planet Terror (2007), part of the double-feature project released alongside Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof, linking Biehn’s legacy to modern exploitation-inspired genre cinema. That legacy carried into modern franchise television with his appearance as Lang in The Mandalorian (2020), reinforcing his enduring connection to science fiction and action storytelling across generations. Biehn’s work has earned long-standing respect among filmmakers, actors, and genre fans, with his performance in Aliens earning a Saturn Award nomination and his overall body of work achieving lasting cult recognition. While never positioned as a traditional blockbuster star, his influence spans decades of science fiction, action, westerns, and modern franchise storytelling.
Known For
Filmography
Onslaught
Predator: Killer of Killers
Vandy (voice)
Rippy
Uncle Schmitty
The Lockdown
Max Hightower
Aliens Expanded
Self
Terminator: Hunter Killer
Kyle Reese (voice) (archive footage)
Law & Order: Organized Crime
David Carver
Red Handed
Reynolds
Killer Weekend
Dr. Carol
Clapboard Jungle: Surviving the Independent Film Business
Self
The Mandalorian
Lang
#NoJoke
Self
Altered Perception
Executive Producer
She Rises
Daddy Longlegs
Fetish Factory
Executive Producer
The Shadow Effect
Sheriff Hodge
Psychophonia
Executive Producer
The Night Visitor 2: Heather's Story
Agent Walker
The Night Visitor
Agent Walker
The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power
King Yannick
Hidden in the Woods
Oscar Crocker
The Girl
Father
Mindless
Executive Producer
Tapped Out
Reggie
The Legend of DarkHorse County
Future Jon Ford
Treachery
Henry
Sushi Girl
Mike
Metal Hurlant Chronicles
Shérif Biehn
Among Friends
Actor in hallucination scene
The Divide
Mickey
From Darkness
Agent Doug Albright
Yellow Rock
Tom Hanner
Jacob
Lawrence Kell
Puncture
Red
The Victim
Kyle
Take Me Home Tonight
Bill Franklin
The Walking Dead
Ian
Bereavement
Jonathan Miller
The Blood Bond
John Tremayne
Psych:9
Det. Marling
Dark Blue
Lt. Jay Frye
Streets of Blood
Agent Brown
Saving Grace B. Jones
Landy Bretthorst
Stiletto
Lee
They Wait
O'Connell
Planet Terror
Sheriff Hague
Grindhouse
Sheriff Hague (segment "Planet Terror")
Spin
Tony Russo
The Insatiable
Strickland
The Legend of Butch & Sundance
Mike Cassidy