Michael Rooker
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).
Movies
Replicant
2001
as Jake
Slither
2006
as Grant Grant
The Replacement Killers
1998
as Stan 'Zeedo' Zedkov
The Dark Half
1993
as Sheriff Alan Pangborn
Cliffhanger
1993
as Hal Tucker
The Bone Collector
1999
as Captain Howard Cheney
The 6th Day
2000
as Robert Marshall
Sea of Love
1989
as Terry
Whisper
2007
as Sydney Braverman
Undisputed
2002
as A.J. Mercker
Jumper
2008
as William Rice
JFK
1991
as Bill Broussard
Super
2010
as Abe
Days of Thunder
1990
as Rowdy Burns
Guardians of the Galaxy
2014
as Yondu Udonta
Mississippi Burning
1988
as Frank Bailey
Above the Law
1988
as Man in Bar
Mallrats
1995
as Svenning
Tombstone
1993
as Sherman McMasters
Web Series
Thief
2006
as Detective John Hayes
Friday the 13th: The Series
1987
as Karchy Laszlo