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...
Known For
Complete Filmography

Superman
2025
as Superman Robot #5 (voice)
Superman, a journalist in Metropolis, embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent.

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2
2024
as Sgt. Major Riordan
Explore the lure of the Old West and how it was won—and lost—through the blood, sweat and tears of many. Spanning 15 years before, during, and followi...

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1
2024
as Sgt. Major Thomas Riordan
In 1859, families discover the lure of the Old West as they settle in territories from Wyoming to Kansas. Meanwhile, a gruff cowboy soon finds himself...

The Out-Laws
2023
as Agent Oldham
A straight-laced bank manager is about to marry the love of his life. When his bank is held up by infamous Ghost Bandits during his wedding week, he b...

Fast X
2023
as Buddy (uncredited)
Over many missions and against impossible odds, Dom Toretto and his family have outsmarted, out-nerved and outdriven every foe in their path. Now, the...

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
2023
as Yondu
Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mi...

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
2022
as Yondu
On a mission to make Christmas unforgettable for Quill, the Guardians head to Earth in search of the perfect present.

White Elephant
2022
as Gabriel Tancredi
An ex-marine enforcer must battle his conscience and code of honor when he is forced to do things for the mob.

Corrective Measures
2022
as Warden Devlin
Set in San Tiburon, the world's most dangerous maximum-security penitentiary and home to the world's most treacherous superpowered criminals, where te...

Vivo
2021
as Lutador (voice)
A music-loving kinkajou named Vivo embarks on the journey of a lifetime to fulfill his destiny and deliver a love song for an old friend.

The Suicide Squad
2021
as Savant
Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X...

Renegades: The Bad Boys of NASCAR
2021
as Self
A look at the history of renegade drivers in NASCAR and the outlaw spirit ingrained in the sport.

F9
2021
as Buddy
Dominic Toretto and his crew battle the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver they've ever encountered: his forsaken brother.

Clerk
2021
as Self
A look at Kevin Smith's life and career from his childhood in New Jersey, to the day they cemented his footprints at the world famous TCL Chinese Thea...

Love and Monsters
2020
as Clyde
Seven years since the Monsterpocalypse began, Joel Dawson has been living underground in order to survive. But after reconnecting over radio with his ...

The Golden Hour: Making of Days of Thunder
2020
as Self
An in-depth, two-part documentary by FOX Sports on the making of the 1990 film "Days of Thunder" a few months after its 30th anniversary. The behind-t...
The Dark Tower
2020
as Elred Jonas
Young Roland Deschain investigates a treacherous plot in the town of Mejis, far from his hometown of Gilead. Here he finds love and learns of his true...

Fantasy Island
2020
as Damon
A group of contest winners arrive at an island hotel to live out their dreams, only to find themselves trapped in nightmare scenarios.

Brightburn
2019
as The Big T
What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister?

Bolden
2019
as Pat McMurphy
A mythical account of the life of Buddy Bolden, the first Cornet King of New Orleans.

The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who's Walking
2017
as Merle Dixon / Lucille's Father (voice)
Seth Green and Matthew Senreich serve up hilarious Walking Dead-inspired satire in this special featuring the zany stop-motion animation of Adult Swim...

Life After Flash
2017
as Self
A look at the roller coaster life of Sam J. Jones since his role as Flash Gordon, his struggles and successes, and the aftermath of when he went up ag...

Guardians Inferno
2017
Music video, produced for the release of the film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
2017
as Yondu
The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill's true parentage.

The Belko Experiment
2016
as Bud Melks
A group of eighty American workers are locked in their office and ordered by an unknown voice to participate in a twisted game.

Guide to the Galaxy with James Gunn
2014
as Self
The director and his 8-bit avatar lead you on a galactic adventure through the making of this epic movie, from vibrant concept art, elaborate makeup a...
The Sparrows Are Flying Again! - The Making of the Dark Half
2014
as Himself
Documentary covering the making of The Dark Half.

The Driving Dead
2014
as Trooper
In a post apocalyptic Illinois, tough men survive against zombies utilizing an ingeniously put- together vehicle to move, explore, defend and fight. P...

Guardians of the Galaxy
2014
as Yondu Udonta
Light years from Earth, 26 years after being abducted, Peter Quill finds himself the prime target of a manhunt after discovering an orb wanted by Rona...

Elwood
2014
as Condello
Elwood is a parallel world in which animal genetics have evolved equally to humans.

Brother's Keeper
2013
as Chief Carver
Identical twins Andy and Pete Goodwynn have been side-by-side since the womb. But that’s about to change… As their high school graduation nears, Pete ...

Pennhurst
2012
as Dr. Death
A local television show embarks to capture the paranormal activity at Pennhurst, an abandoned psychiatric hospital well known to ghost hunters across ...

Pennhurst
2012
Director
A local television show embarks to capture the paranormal activity at Pennhurst, an abandoned psychiatric hospital well known to ghost hunters across ...

Hypothermia
2012
as Ray Pelletier
Two families' idyllic ice-fishing vacation turns deadly when they awaken a creature beneath the frozen lake, forcing them to rely on each other if the...

Rogue River
2012
as Gas Attendent
When a young woman takes a trip down Rogue River, her car mysteriously disappears. Lost without transport or communication, she accepts the hospitalit...

Mysteria
2011
as Captain McCarthy
A once famous and now a washed-up Hollywood screenwriter fighting to finish his latest script with an unrealistic deadline. He finds himself in the ce...

Cell 213
2011
as Ray Clement
Cocky young attorney Michael Gray finds himself framed for murder when an inmate he is defending violently kills himself during their interview at Sou...

Super
2010
as Abe
After his wife falls under the influence of a drug dealer, an everyday guy transforms himself into Crimson Bolt, a superhero with the best intentions,...

DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection
2010
as Red Doc (segment "Jonah Hex") (voice)
An anthology of DC Showcase stories consisting of a new Superman/Shazam feature and extended versions of older shorts.

Atlantis Down
2010
as Father / Alien
2025 - The Shuttle Program has been privatized and the shuttle Atlantis relegated to glorified taxi between space stations. Its crew is on a routine m...

The Making of The Walking Dead
2010
as Self
The Making of the TV Series The Walking Dead.

DC Showcase: Jonah Hex
2010
as Red Doc (voice)
When a ruthless brothel madame murders Jonah Hex's current quarry, the disfigured bounty hunter plans to make her pay.

Blood Done Sign My Name
2010
as Defense attorney Billy Watkins
A drama based on the true story in which a black Vietnam-era veteran is allegedly murdered by a local white businessman who is later exonerated. The p...
Matadors
2010
as John Canterna
Two wealthy families in Chicago find themselves in an on-going struggle of pride and power.

Louis
2010
as Pat McMurphy
A silent film about Louis Armstrong as a young boy and how he acquired his first cornet.

The Marine 2
2009
as Church
Rebels seize control of the hotel where a Marine sniper and his wife are staying. Can he save the day?

Freeway Killer
2009
as Det. St. John
For years he terrorized California motorists as he rode the endless highways searching for his next victim. The discarded bodies turned up beaten, sex...
Meteor
2009
as Calvin Stark
Following an unparalleled series of meteor fireballs plummeting toward Earth, a renowned scientist, his assistant, and an on-target conspiracy theoris...

Penance
2009
as Mann
A young mother decides to become a stripper to earn some fast cash only to find her worst nightmares are about to begin

Super Capers
2009
as Judge / Dark Winged Vesper
Would-be superhero, Ed Gruberman, who possesses no super powers must join a team of misfit heroes-in-training known as The Super Capers. Having only f...

Humanzee!
2008
as Priest
Half human, half chimpanzee. 100% abomination.
This Man's Life
2008
as Richard Crummly
A magical tale about a man traveling home to claim his estranged father's inheritance when he encounters a peculiar stranger that seems to know everyt...

Jumper
2008
as William Rice
David Rice is a man who knows no boundaries, a Jumper, born with the uncanny ability to teleport instantly to anywhere on Earth. When he discovers oth...

Whisper
2007
as Sydney Braverman
Sinister things begin happening to kidnappers who are holding a young boy for ransom in a remote cabin.

Slither
2006
as Grant Grant
A small town is taken over by an alien plague, turning residents into zombies and all forms of mutant monsters.

Lenexa, 1 Mile
2006
as Russ
The film tells the story of five childhood friends during their last summer together in Lenexa before going to college. Their bond is tested when a di...
Repo! The Genetic Opera
2006
A teenage girl raised in a world of addiction to drugs, cosmetic surgery and artificial organ transplant and upgrades.

Portrait: The Making of Henry
2005
as Self
Making of documentary from the Ultra HD Blu-ray edition of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer released on the movie's 30th anniversary.

Erection of an Epic - The Making of Mallrats
2005
as Himself
The outrageous insider's look at the creation of a cult classic.

Chasing Ghosts
2005
as Mark Spencer
A serial killer targeting the city's mobsters taunts police with clues and photos left behind at the crime scenes. A veteran cop takes on a rookie par...

The Eliminator
2004
Former LAPD cop, Dakota Varley, enters a power boat race seeking the prize of $250,000, but immediately discovers, first hand, that this race's risk m...

Skeleton Man
2004
as Captain Leary
A co-ed group of Special Forces agents search the wilderness for a predator type creature that has been on a killing spree.

Saving Jessica Lynch
2003
as Colonel Curry
Based on the true story of the rescue of Private Jessica Lynch, by the United States army, in Iraq.

On Thin Ice
2003
as Roger Hopkins
Patsy McCartle is a widow with two sons trying to gather all the money she has to pay for her car, bills, and her son's medication, all of which she c...

The Box - 2003
2003
as Detective Stafford
An ex-con tries to go straight but also wants to get back money he's owed for the job that put him in prison. He meets a waitress who's also seen her ...

The Outer Limits: The New Series - Time Travel and Infinity
2002
as Colonel Beckett
The consequences of time travel are the thematic framework for this compilation of episodes from the revamped Outer Limits anthology series, produced ...

Undisputed
2002
as A.J. Mercker
Monroe Hutchens is the heavyweight champion of Sweetwater, a maximum security prison. He was convicted to a life sentence due to a passionate crime. I...

Replicant
2001
as Jake
Scientists create a genetic clone of a serial killer in order to help catch the killer, teaming up with two cops.

The 6th Day
2000
as Robert Marshall
A world of the very near future in which cattle, fish, and even the family pet can be cloned. But cloning humans is illegal - that is until family man...

Newsbreak
2000
as John McNamara
A reporter risks his life to get to the bottom of a stack of lies, corruption and murder surrounding the opening of a local power plant.

Here on Earth
2000
as Malcolm Arnold
Three lives of three young people intersect over the course of one summer. A rich student and a young working-class man accidentally destroy a diner w...

Table One
2000
as Rowdy
Four friends (Stephen Baldwin, Michael Rooker, Luis Guzman and David Herman) who are misfits in the New York City social scene have trouble meeting av...

Wicked Ways
1999
as Matt Draper / Dr. Matthew Swan
A wife, her two-timing husband and a flirting neighbor are unpredictable competitors in a warped game that turns into a life-or-death affair.

Wicked Ways
1999
Co-Executive Producer
A wife, her two-timing husband and a flirting neighbor are unpredictable competitors in a warped game that turns into a life-or-death affair.

The Bone Collector
1999
as Captain Howard Cheney
Lincoln Rhyme was the department's top homicide detective and leading expert in criminal forensics until an injury left him paralyzed, depressed, and ...

Renegade Force
1998
as Matt Cooper
An FBI Agent and a female cop join forces to stop renegade cops who are offing the bad guys. Robert Patrick is the leader of the renegades and Louis M...

Brown's Requiem
1998
as Fritz Brown
Fritz Brown is an ex-LAPD, recovering alcoholic who now splits his time repossessing cars for a used car lot and staffing his one-man private detectiv...

Shadow Builder
1998
as Father Vassey
A demon is summoned to take the soul of a young boy who has the potential to become a saint. By doing this he will open a doorway to hell and destroy ...

Brown's Requiem
1998
Associate Producer
Fritz Brown is an ex-LAPD, recovering alcoholic who now splits his time repossessing cars for a used car lot and staffing his one-man private detectiv...

The Replacement Killers
1998
as Stan 'Zeedo' Zedkov
Hired assassin John Lee is asked by Chinatown crime boss Terence Wei to murder the young son of policeman Stan Zedkov. Lee has the boy in his sights, ...

Deceiver
1997
as Detective Edward Kennesaw
The gruesome death of a prostitute brings suspicion on one of her clients, James Wayland, a brilliant, self-destructive and epileptic heir to a textil...

Song of Hiawatha
1997
as Bertrand
This adaptation of the epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow tells the tale of a mighty Ojibwe leader as he falls in love and strives for peace.

Keys to Tulsa
1997
as Keith Michaels
Richter Boudreau is on a bad streak: Languishing in the shadow of his celebrity mother, he loses his job as a film critic for the town paper, and now ...

Rosewood
1997
as Sheriff Walker
Spurred by a white woman's lie, vigilantes destroy a black Florida town and slay inhabitants in 1923.

Meet Wally Sparks
1997
as Michael Rooker
Wally Sparks is a tabloid TV show reporter who's trying to boost ratings on his show. He goes to the governor's mansion to uncover a sex scandal.

Bastard Out of Carolina
1996
as Uncle Earle
A poor, struggling South Carolinian mother and daughter face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her ti...

The Trigger Effect
1996
as Gary
A blackout leaves those affected to consider what is necessary, what is legal, and what is questionable, in order to survive in a predatory environmen...

American Yakuza II
1996
as Bob Malone
An ex-cop finds himself caught up in a battle between Japanese mobsters and local gangland thugs and discovers that he was framed for wrong-doings by ...

Mallrats
1995
as Svenning
Both dumped by their girlfriends, two best friends seek refuge in the local mall. Eventually, they decide to try and win back their significant others...

Johnny and Clyde
1995
as Frank Tennant
When a young boy dogsits Clyde, a criminal canine trying to go straight, he ends up facing down the school bully, catching a criminal, and learning va...

The Hard Truth
1994
as Jonah Mantz
A suspended cop and his girlfriend blackmail an electronics expert into helping them break into the safe of the girlfriend's boss, a corrupt city coun...

Suspicious
1994
as Attendet
A woman drives down an eerie highway at night in search of hospitality and come across some suspicious townsfolk and a little more than she bargained ...

Tombstone
1993
as Sherman McMasters
Legendary marshal Wyatt Earp, now a weary gunfighter, joins his brothers Morgan and Virgil to pursue their collective fortune in the thriving mining t...

Cliffhanger
1993
as Hal Tucker
A year after losing his friend in a tragic 4,000-foot fall, former ranger Gabe Walker and his partner, Hal, are called to return to the same peak to r...

The Dark Half
1993
as Sheriff Alan Pangborn
Thad Beaumont is the author of a highly successful series of violent pulp thrillers written under the pseudonym of ‘George Stark’, but when he decides...

Afterburn
1992
as Casey 'Z' Zankowski
Based on a true story, one woman takes on the U.S. military and General Dynamics; maker of the F-16, thought to be the very best tactical fighter in t...

JFK
1991
as Bill Broussard
Follows the investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy led by New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison.

Days of Thunder
1990
as Rowdy Burns
Talented but unproven stock car driver Cole Trickle gets a break and with the guidance of veteran Harry Hogge turns heads on the track. The young hots...

Music Box
1989
as Karchy Laszlo
A lawyer defends her father accused of war crimes, but there is more to the case than she suspects.

Sea of Love
1989
as Terry
Seen-it-all New York detective Frank Keller is unsettled - he has done twenty years on the force and could retire, and he hasn't come to terms with hi...

L.A. Takedown
1989
as Bosko
Michael Mann's gutsy telefilm tells the tale of two skilled professionals--one a cop, the other a criminal--who aren't as different as they think. Vin...

Mississippi Burning
1988
as Frank Bailey
Two FBI agents investigating the murder of civil rights workers during the 60s seek to breach the conspiracy of silence in a small Southern town where...

Eight Men Out
1988
as Chick Gandil
Buck Weaver and Hap Felsch are young idealistic players on the Chicago White Sox, a pennant-winning team owned by Charles Comiskey - a penny-pinching...

Above the Law
1988
as Man in Bar
Nico Toscani is an Italian immigrant, American patriot, ex-CIA agent, aikido specialist and unorthodox Chicago policeman. He is as committed to his jo...

Retreads
1988
A biker reunion is hassled by IRA men.

Rent-a-Cop
1987
as Joe
Detective Tony Church is forced to retire and become a store rent-a-cop when his drug sting operation comes to a tragic end by a masked killer. He joi...

Light of Day
1987
as Oogie
Cleveland siblings rise with a rock band while coping with personal problems.

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
1986
as Henry
Arriving in Chicago, Henry moves in with ex-con acquaintance Otis and starts schooling him in the ways of the serial killer.
Road Rage
N/A
as Stony
The film in the vein of Dexter and the great avenger films of the '70s will center on a serial killer who only kills those who deserve to die-presenti...

The Underneath: In Fortune's Shadow
N/A
as The Man with the Answers
A knight of the underworld has three days to find his adversary and his answer.
Pig Village
N/A
as Steve

Table for One
N/A
as Matt Draper
A wife, her two-timing husband and a flirting neighbor are unpredictable competitors in a warped game that turns into a life-or-death affair.