Michael Rooker
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- 6 April 1955 · 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).
Known for
Acting 115
- 2026Survive the Night
- 2026The Underneath: In Fortune's Shadow as The Man with the Answers
- 2026Izzi as Sheriff Blackstone
- 2026Pig Village as Steve
- 2026Road Rage as Stony
- 2026Scott's Dead as Mitch
- 2025Peacemaker: Fever Dream 1 and 2 as St red
- 2025Table for One as Matt Draper
- 2025Superman as Superman Robot #1 (voice)
- 2024Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2 as Sgt. Major Riordan
- 2024Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 as Sgt. Major Thomas Riordan
- 2023The Out-Laws as Agent Oldham
- 2023Fast X as Buddy (uncredited)
- 2023Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as Yondu
- 2022The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special as Yondu
- 2022White Elephant as Gabriel Tancredi
- 2022Corrective Measures as Warden Devlin
- 2021Vivo as Lutador (voice)
- 2021The Suicide Squad as Savant
- 2021Renegades: The Bad Boys of NASCAR as Self
- 2021F9 as Buddy
- 2021Clerk as Self
- 2020Love and Monsters as Clyde
- 2020The Golden Hour: Making of Days of Thunder as Self
- 2020The Dark Tower as Elred Jonas
- 2020Fantasy Island as Damon
- 2019Brightburn as The Big T
- 2019Bolden as Pat McMurphy
- 2018The Rookie as Frank Teska · 2 episodes
- 2017The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who's Walking as Merle Dixon / Lucille's Father (voice)
- 2017Life After Flash as Self
- 2017Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as Yondu
- 2017The Belko Experiment as Bud Melks
- 2014Guide to the Galaxy with James Gunn as Self
- 2014The Sparrows Are Flying Again! - The Making of the Dark Half as Himself
- 2014The Driving Dead as Trooper
- 2014Guardians of the Galaxy as Yondu Udonta
- 2014Elwood as Condello
- 2013Brother's Keeper as Chief Carver
- 2012Pennhurst as Dr. Death
- 2012Hypothermia as Ray Pelletier
- 2012Rogue River as Gas Attendent
- 2011Mysteria as Captain McCarthy
- 2011Cell 213 as Ray Clement
- 2010Super as Abe
- 2010DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection as Red Doc (segment "Jonah Hex") (voice)
- 2010Atlantis Down as Father / Alien
- 2010The Making of The Walking Dead as Self
- 2010DC Showcase: Jonah Hex as Red Doc (voice)
- 2010Blood Done Sign My Name as Defense attorney Billy Watkins
- 2010Matadors as John Canterna
- 2010Louis as Pat McMurphy
- 2009The Marine 2 as Church
- 2009Freeway Killer as Det. St. John
- 2009Penance as Mann
- 2009Super Capers as Judge / Dark Winged Vesper
- 2008Humanzee! as Priest
- 2008This Man's Life as Richard Crummly
- 2008Jumper as William Rice
- 2007Whisper as Sydney Braverman
- 2006Slither as Grant Grant
- 2006Lenexa, 1 Mile as Russ
- 2006Repo! The Genetic Opera
- 2005Portrait: The Making of Henry as Self
- 2005Erection of an Epic - The Making of Mallrats as Self
- 2005Chasing Ghosts as Mark Spencer
- 2004The Eliminator
- 2004Skeleton Man as Captain Leary
- 2003Saving Jessica Lynch as Colonel Curry
- 2003On Thin Ice as Roger Hopkins
- 2003The Box as Detective Stafford
- 2002The Outer Limits: The New Series - Time Travel and Infinity as Colonel Beckett
- 2002Undisputed as A.J. Mercker
- 2002The Making of 'Tombstone' as Self
- 2001Replicant as Jake
- 2000The 6th Day as Robert Marshall
- 2000Newsbreak as John McNamara
- 2000Table One as Rowdy
- 2000Here on Earth as Malcolm Arnold
- 1999Wicked Ways as Matt Draper / Dr. Matthew Swan
- 1999The Bone Collector as Captain Howard Cheney
- 1998Renegade Force as Matt Cooper
- 1998Brown's Requiem as Fritz Brown
- 1998Shadow Builder as Father Vassey
- 1998The Replacement Killers as Stan 'Zeedo' Zedkov
- 1997Deceiver as Detective Edward Kennesaw
- 1997Song of Hiawatha as Bertrand
- 1997Keys to Tulsa as Keith Michaels
- 1997Rosewood as Sheriff Walker
- 1997Meet Wally Sparks as Michael Rooker
- 1996Bastard Out of Carolina as Uncle Earle
- 1996The Trigger Effect as Gary
- 1996Back to Back as Bob Malone
- 1995Mallrats as Svenning
- 1995Johnny and Clyde as Frank Tennant
- 1994The Hard Truth as Jonah Mantz
- 1994Suspicious as Attendant
- 1993Tombstone as Sherman McMasters
- 1993Cliffhanger as Hal Tucker
- 1993The Dark Half as Sheriff Alan Pangborn
- 1993Stallone on the Edge: The Making of Cliffhanger as Self
- 1992Afterburn as Casey 'Z' Zankowski
- 1991JFK as Bill Broussard
- 1990Days of Thunder as Rowdy Burns
- 1989Music Box as Karchy Laszlo
- 1989Sea of Love as Terry
- 1989L.A. Takedown as Bosko
- 1989The Edge as Deputy Sheriff (Indian Poker)
- 1988Mississippi Burning as Frank Bailey
- 1988Eight Men Out as Chick Gandil
- 1988Above the Law as Man in Bar
- 1988Retreads
- 1987Rent-a-Cop as Joe
- 1987Light of Day as Oogie
- 1986Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer as Henry
Directing 1
- 2012Pennhurst · director
crew 1
- 2008Repo! The Genetic Opera · thanks
Production 2
- 1999Wicked Ways · co-executive producer
- 1998Brown's Requiem · associate producer