Michael Rooker is an American actor and producer popularly known for his roles in the movies Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), Eight Men Out (1988), and Cliffhanger (1993). He is also a popular face on television and has portrayed the character of Merle Dixon on the acclaimed TV series The Walking Dead. In 2014, he was cast to play the character of Yondu in the movie adaptation of Marvel Comics’ Guardians of the Galaxy. He reprised the role in 2017 in the sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Early Life
Rooker was born in Alabama, USA and has nine siblings. He was 13 when had to move in with his mother after his parents divorced and the family then settled in Illinois. It was in Illinois that Rooker studied at the Goodman School of Drama.
Personal Life
Michael Rooker is married to Margot Rooker and the couple has two daughters.
Movie Career
As an Actor
Rooker made his acting debut in 1986 with John McNaughton’s psychological horror crime movie Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. The actor essayed the titular role of the serial killer Henry, whose character is loosely based on the real-life serial killer Henry Lee Lucas. Rooker delivered a poised performance in his debut role, receiving critical acclaim. Being passionate about the role, Rooker made sure he remained in character even when he was not shooting and did not socialize with any of the cast and crew for the entire duration of the shoot. He went on to win the Best Actor Award at the Fantasporto and Golden Space Needle Awards.
His next substantial role came in 1988 with the movie Eight Men Out directed by John Sayles. Rooker played another dramatic character in Chick Gandil and was once again appreciated for his performance. In the same year, the actor essayed another negative character of Frank Bailey in the critically acclaimed movie Mississippi Burning (1988). Rooker later described the character as “"very evil and tough” and also commented “Mississippi Burning was one of those movies where there was not a lot of joking (on the set). It was a pretty heavy, heavy piece”. However, in subsequent years, Rooker came to be known for his roles in thriller and action movies starting with Sea of Love (1989) directed by Harold Becker. He next starred in Days of Thunder (1990) which also feature Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, and Robert Duvall.
In 1993, Rooker was seen portraying the role of Hal Tucker, a mountain-ranger, in the action adventure film Cliffhanger, alongside Sylvester Stallone, Janine Turner, and John Lithgow. In the same year, he starred in another action movie, Tombstone, a western directed by George P. Cosmatos. Although the movie was a financial success and impressed the critics, it failed to receive any award nominations. While enjoying the success of action movies, he also experimented with different genres including comedy: the actor appeared in the comedy movie Mallrats (1995) directed by Kevin Smith. Following which, he was seen in the historical fiction drama Rosewood (1997), which was screened at the 47th Berlin International Film Festival.
In 2000, Rooker appeared in the movie The 6th Day, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger in the titular role. Much was expected from the sci-fi movie however it turned out to be a box office failure. In subsequent years, the actor starred in movies such as Undisputed (2002), The Box (2003), The Eliminator (2004), and Chasing Ghosts (2005). Rooker then played the character of Grant Grant in the sci-fi horror comedy Slither directed by James Gunn. The film bombed at the box office after its release in spite of receiving positive reviews from the critics. However, in years to come, the movie went on to become a cult film.
2008 saw him appear in The Lena Baker Story, an adaptation of the book by Lela Bond Phillips that showcases the life of Lena Baker, an African-American, who was the only woman in Georgia to be executed by electric chair. Baker, 60 years after her death was posthumously pardoned. Some of Rooker’s other film credits include Penance (2009), Cell 213 (2010), Super (2010), and Hypothermia (2012). One of his most prominent roles came with the movie Guardians of Galaxy (2014), wherein he was cast as Yondu Udonta, a blue-skinned leader of the Ravagers. In 2017, he reprised his role as Yondu in Guardians of Galaxy Vol.2, a sequel to the 2014 movie.
As a Producer
In 1998, Rooker turned producer with the movie Brown’s Requiem directed by Jason Freeland. The following year he was credited as a co-producer in the movie A Table for One (1999).
TV Career
Rooker made his television debut in 1986 with the TV show Crime Story, appearing in the episode ‘Pilot’. In the next two decades, Rooker only appeared in guest roles on TV shows such as L.A. Takedown (1989), Fallen Angels (1995), Tremors (2003), CSI: Miami (2003), Numb3rs (2005), Chuck (2008), Psych (2009), and Burn Notice (2010). However, his most prominent role came with TV show The Walking Dead (2010 - ‘13) in which he essayed the character of Merle Dixon.