Michael Rooker

Michael Rooker (born April 6, 1955, in Jasper, Alabama) is an American screen actor celebrated for bringing grit and unpredictability to film and television—often as tough antagonists or morally complicated men. He first broke through with his chilling lead performance in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), a role that quickly marked him as a formidable character actor.

Rooker reached a new level of mainstream recognition as Merle Dixon on AMC’s The Walking Dead, before winning global audiences as Yondu Udonta in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy films (2014–2023). He’s also known as a frequent collaborator of filmmaker James Gunn, appearing across Gunn’s projects including Slither, Super, and The Suicide Squad.

Across decades, Rooker has built an eclectic résumé spanning prestige dramas and crowd-pleasing action. Highlights include Mississippi Burning (Frank Bailey), Days of Thunder (Rowdy Burns), JFK (Bill Broussard), Music Box (Karchy Laszlo), and Mallrats (Svenning). More recent credits include Replicant (Jake) and Corrective Measures (Warden Devlin), underscoring his enduring screen presence.