Michael Rooker
| Michael Rooker | |
|---|---|
 Michael Rooker at the 2010 Comic Con |
|
| Born |
April 6, 1955 Jasper, Alabama United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1986-present |
Michael Rooker (born April 6, 1955) is an American actor. He currently stars as Merle Dixon in the AMC television series The Walking Dead based on the comic book series of the same name.
Biography
Early life
Rooker, who has eight brothers and sisters, was born in Jasper, Alabama and studied at the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, where he moved with his mother and siblings at the age of thirteen, after his parents divorced.[1][2][3]
Movie career
He made his film debut in 1986 playing the title role in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, a film based on the confessions of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas.[4] He has since appeared in numerous films over the years including Mississippi Burning, Sea of Love, Days of Thunder, JFK, Cliffhanger,[5]Tombstone,[6]Mallrats, Rosewood, The 6th Day and Jumper.[7] He has also guest starred in the TV series Stargate SG-1 and Crime Story.
In 2010, he starred in James Felix McKenney's horror film Hypothermia,[8] which was co-produced by Larry Fessenden and set in New York.[9] In June 2010 he revealed via Twitter that he was to appear in the AMC television series The Walking Dead.[10] In the series, he portrays Merle Dixon, one of the survivors of a zombie apocalypse.[11]
Filmography
Film
- Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
- Light of Day (1987)
- Rent-A-Cop (1987)
- Above the Law (1988)
- Eight Men Out (1988)
- Mississippi Burning (1988)
- L.A. Takedown (1989) (TV film)
- Sea of Love (1989)
- Music Box (1989)
- Days of Thunder (1990)
- JFK (1991)
- Afterburn (1992) (TV film)
- The Dark Half (1993)
- Cliffhanger (1993)
- Tombstone (1993)
- The Hard Truth (1994)
- Johnny & Clyde (1995) (TV film)
- Mallrats (1995)
- Back to Back (1996) (TV film)
- The Trigger Effect (1996)
- Bastard out of Carolina (1996)
- Song of Hiawatha (1997)
- Keys to Tulsa (1997)
- Deceiver (1997)
- Rosewood (1997)
- Brown's Requiem (1998)
- The Replacement Killers (1998)
- Shadow Builder (1998)
- Rogue Force (1998)
- A Table for One (1999)
- The Bone Collector (1999)
- Table One (2000)
- NewsBreak (2000)
- Here on Earth (2000)
- The 6th Day (2000)
- Replicant (2001)
- Undisputed (2002)
- The Box (2003)
- Saving Jessica Lynch (2003) (TV film)
- The Eliminator (2004)
- Skeleton Man (2004) (TV film)
- Chasing Ghosts (2005)
- Full Count (2006)
- Slither (2006)
- Repo! The Genetic Opera (2006)
- Whisper (2007)
- Jumper (2008)
- The Lena Baker Story (2008)
- Super Capers (2009)
- Penance (2009)
- The Marine 2 (2009)
- Freeway Killer (2010)
- Blood Done Sign My Name (2010)
- Louis (2010)
- Bolden! (2010)
- Hypothermia (2010)
- Atlantis Down (2010)
- Rogue River (2010)
- Cell 213 (2010)
- Super (2011)
- Pennhurst (2011)
Television
- Crime Story (1986)
- The Equalizer (1988)
- Gideon Oliver (1989)
- Fallen Angels (1995)
- The Outer Limits (2001)
- Jeremiah (2002)
- Tremors (2003)
- Lucky (2003)
- Stargate SG-1 (2003)
- CSI: Miami (2003)
- Las Vegas (2004)
- JAG (2005)
- Thief (2006)
- Crossing Jordan (2007)
- Law & Order (2008)
- Scream Queens (2008)
- Shark (2008)
- Chuck (2008)
- Criminal Minds (2009)
- Meteor (2009) (mini-series)
- Psych (2009)
- Burn Notice (2010)
- The Walking Dead (2010-present)
- Archer (2012)
Video Games
- The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (2004) (voice only)
- Scarface: The World Is Yours (2006) (voice only)
- Days of Thunder (2011) (voice only)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops (as a playable character in the zombie map "Call of the Dead") (2011)
- Lollipop Chainsaw (2012) ) (voice only)
References
- ^ http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/feature/133
- ^ Michael Rooker Biography - Yahoo! Movies
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Dark Sky's Hypothermia is Rolling! Full Casting News". DreadCentral. http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/35803/dark-skys-hypothermia-rolling-full-casting-news.
- ^ "A Chat with Horror Icon Michael Rooker". DreadCentral. http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/38597/a-chat-with-horror-icon-michael-rooker.
- ^ "TV: Michael Rooker Becomes One of 'The Walking Dead'!". BloodyDisgusting. http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/20522.
- ^ "Blood-Soaked Snow in First Hi-Res Look at 'Hypothermia'". BloodyDisgusting. http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/19835.
- ^ "Michael Rooker Scores Leading Role in Dark Sky's 'Hypothermia'!". BloodyDisgusting. http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/18920.
- ^ "First Look at Michael Rooker on the Set of 'Hypothermia'!". BloodyDisgusting. http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/19274.
- ^ "Michael Rooker Joining AMC's The Walking Dead". DreadCentral. http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/37941/michael-rooker-joining-amcs-the-walking-dead.
- ^ "Michael Rooker interview (Merle Dixon on "The Walking Dead")". The Desk of Brian. http://deskofbrian.com/2010/11/michael-rooker-interview-merle-dixon-on-the-walking-dead.
