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).
104 movies · 36 shows
Superman
2025·7.3
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2
2024·7.0
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1
2024·6.8
The Out-Laws
2023·6.0
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
2023·7.9
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
2022·7.1
White Elephant
2022·5.8
Corrective Measures
2022·5.0
Vivo
2021·7.2
The Suicide Squad
2021·7.5
Renegades: The Bad Boys of NASCAR
2021·2.0
F9
2021·7.0
Clerk
2021·6.1
Love and Monsters
2020·7.3
The Golden Hour: Making of Days of Thunder
2020·6.2
The Dark Tower
2020·4.0
Fantasy Island
2020·5.8
Brightburn
2019·6.2
Bolden
2019·4.1
The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who's Walking
2017·7.0
Life After Flash
2017·5.6
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
2017·7.6
The Belko Experiment
2017·6.2
The Sparrows Are Flying Again! - The Making of the Dark Half
2014·2.0
The Driving Dead
2014·2.0
Guardians of the Galaxy
2014·7.9
Elwood
2014·2.3
Brother's Keeper
2013·4.9
Pennhurst
2012·3.1
Hypothermia
2012·3.9
Rogue River
2012·4.7
Mysteria
2011·3.8
Cell 213
2011·5.0
Super
2010·6.5
DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection
2010·7.0
Atlantis Down
2010·2.6
The Making of The Walking Dead
2010·7.8
DC Showcase: Jonah Hex
2010·6.9
Blood Done Sign My Name
2010·5.4
Matadors
2010·4.7
Louis
2010·3.0
The Marine 2
2009·6.0
Freeway Killer
2009·4.6
Penance
2009·3.6
Super Capers
2009·3.4
Humanzee!
2008·4.5
This Man's Life
2008·2.0
Jumper
2008·6.2
Whisper
2007·6.3
Slither
2006·6.5
Lenexa, 1 Mile
2006·4.0
Repo! The Genetic Opera
2006·3.0
Portrait: The Making of Henry
2005·6.2
Erection of an Epic - The Making of Mallrats
2005·2.0
Chasing Ghosts
2005·5.5
The Eliminator
2004·4.2
Skeleton Man
2004·3.3
Saving Jessica Lynch
2003·4.4
On Thin Ice
2003·4.9
The Box
2003·4.3
The Outer Limits: The New Series - Time Travel and Infinity
2002·4.7
Undisputed
2002·6.5
The Making of 'Tombstone'
2002·5.0
Replicant
2001·5.8
The 6th Day
2000·6.0
Newsbreak
2000·4.3
Table One
2000·3.6
Here on Earth
2000·5.8
Wicked Ways
1999·5.1
The Bone Collector
1999·6.8
Renegade Force
1998·5.4
Brown's Requiem
1998·4.5
Shadow Builder
1998·4.7
The Replacement Killers
1998·6.3
Deceiver
1997·6.0
Song of Hiawatha
1997·5.8
Keys to Tulsa
1997·4.7
Rosewood
1997·6.5
Meet Wally Sparks
1997·4.7
Bastard Out of Carolina
1996·7.1
The Trigger Effect
1996·5.9
Back to Back
1996·5.4
Mallrats
1995·6.8
Johnny and Clyde
1995·4.0
The Hard Truth
1994·3.8
Suspicious
1994·4.3
Tombstone
1993·7.6
Cliffhanger
1993·6.5
The Dark Half
1993·6.0
Stallone on the Edge: The Making of Cliffhanger
1993·0.0
Afterburn
1992·4.2
JFK
1991·7.6
Days of Thunder
1990·6.4
Music Box
1989·7.1
Sea of Love
1989·6.6
L.A. Takedown
1989·5.5
The Edge
1989·4.0
Mississippi Burning
1988·7.7
Eight Men Out
1988·6.8
Above the Law
1988·6.1
Retreads
1988·4.7
Rent-a-Cop
1987·4.8
Light of Day
1987·5.5
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
1986·6.7