Michael Rooker

Michael Rooker (born April 6, 1955) is an American actor known primarily for his roles as antagonists. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the titular character in *Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer* (1986) and is best known for his roles 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).