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).
The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who's Walking
2017
as Merle Dixon / Lucille's Father (voice)
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| Organization | Category | Movie |
|---|
The Walking Dead
as Merle Dixon
Episodes: 19
First Aired: Oct 31, 2010
Thief
as Detective John Hayes
Episodes: 6
First Aired: Mar 28, 2006
Marvel Studios Legends
as Yondu Udonta (archive footage) (uncredited)
Episodes: 6
First Aired: Jan 08, 2021
Meteor
as Calvin Stark
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Jul 12, 2009
What If...?
as Yondu (voice)
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Aug 11, 2021
The Rookie
as Frank Teska
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Oct 16, 2018
Crime Story
as Lieutenant
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Sep 19, 1986
Chuck
as Mauser
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 24, 2007
CSI: Miami
as Marty Jones
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 23, 2002
Crossing Jordan
as Shawn Curaco
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 24, 2001
Criminal Minds
as Chief Carlson
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 22, 2005
The Equalizer
as Bill Whitaker
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 18, 1985
Tremors
as Kinney
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Mar 28, 2003
Stargate SG-1
as Colonel Edwards
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jul 27, 1997
The Outer Limits
as Colonel Beckett
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Mar 26, 1995
CelebriD&D
as Arnold
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 19, 2015
Psych
as Garth Lawnmore
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jul 07, 2006
Burn Notice
as Dale Lawson
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jun 28, 2007
Archer
as Sheriff E. Z. Ponder (voice)
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 17, 2009
Creepshow
as Beau
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 26, 2019
Gideon Oliver
as Detective John Quinn
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Feb 20, 1989
SEAL Team
as Big Chief
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 27, 2017
What If...?
as Yondu Udonta (voice)
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Aug 11, 2021
Fallen Angels
as Babe McCloor
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Aug 01, 1993
True Detective
as Edward Hoyt
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 12, 2014
Law & Order
as Jamie Yost
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 13, 1990
Creature Commandos
as Sam (voice)
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Dec 05, 2024
Unlocked: The World of Games, Revealed
as Self
Episodes: 8
First Aired: Dec 14, 2016
Ride with Norman Reedus
as Self
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Jun 12, 2016
Shark
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 21, 2006
Las Vegas
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 22, 2003
Talking Dead
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 16, 2011
Dead Talk Live
as Self - Guest
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Apr 25, 2020
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| 2025 | 1 | 35 | 75 | 20 |
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Trending Rank
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| 2024 | 5 | 873 | 873 |
| 2024 | 6 | 632 | 632 |
| 2025 | 3 | 628 | 566 |
| 2025 | 7 | 699 | 616 |
| 2025 | 8 | 545 | 487 |