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 (199...
Superman
2025
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
2017
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
2023
The Suicide Squad
2021
Keys to Tulsa
1997
Cliffhanger
1993
Guardians of the Galaxy
2014
Tombstone
1993
The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who's Walking
2017
Chasing Ghosts
2005
F9
2021
Jumper
2008
Love and Monsters
2020
Mississippi Burning
1988
Days of Thunder
1990
Life After Flash
2017
Guide to the Galaxy with James Gunn
2014
The Out-Laws
2023
The Bone Collector
1999
Brightburn
2019
Elwood
2014
JFK
1991
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
2022
Fantasy Island
2020
Freeway Killer
2009
Erection of an Epic - The Making of Mallrats
2005
Here on Earth
2000
The Belko Experiment
2016
Undisputed
2002
The 6th Day
2000
Corrective Measures
2022
Shadow Builder
1998
The Hard Truth
1994
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
1986
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1
2024
The Dark Half
1993
Slither
2006
Wicked Ways
1999
White Elephant
2022
The Eliminator
2004