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).

Most Known For

The Rookie

as Frank Teska

Law & Order

as Jamie Yost

Criminal Minds

as Chief Carlson

The Walking Dead

as Merle Dixon

Stargate SG-1

as Colonel Edwards

True Detective

as Edward Hoyt

CSI: Miami

as Marty Jones

Psych

as Garth Lawnmore

SEAL Team

as Big Chief

Archer

as Sheriff E. Z. Ponder (voice)

Crossing Jordan

as Shawn Curaco

What If...?

as Yondu (voice)

What If...?

as Yondu Udonta (voice)

Superman

as Superman Robot #1 (voice)

Las Vegas

as Marcus Wexler

Chuck

as Mauser

The Outer Limits

as Colonel Beckett

Peacemaker

as Red St. Wild

Burn Notice

as Dale Lawson

The Equalizer

as Bill Whitaker