Age: 71
male
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).
Grand Theft Auto V (1998) begins on a cold Christmas night in Ludendorff, North Yankton, where Michael, Trevor, and Brad carry out a daring bank robbery. The plan goes violently wrong. Both Brad and Michael are shot — Brad is presumed dead, while Michael fakes his death and vanishes. Years later in Los Santos, Michael De Santa lives in forced retirement under a new identity, surrounded by wealth but consumed by guilt and family conflict. When he meets Franklin Clinton, a young criminal searching for power and direction, Michael is drawn back into the world he tried to escape. Their partnership leads to a major jewelry store robbery. Living in poverty on the outskirts of Los Santos, Michael’s former friend Trevor Philips operates Trevor Philips Enterprises, a criminal operation built on arms dealing, drug trafficking, and pure chaos. During a television news report, Trevor learns that a massive jewelry store has been robbed and realizes that Michael is still alive. Trevor confronts Michael in Los Santos. After their tense reunion, Michael introduces Trevor to Franklin, forming a dangerous three-man partnership. Hunted by federal agents and rival criminals, the trio plans increasingly risky heists in a dark, character-driven crime drama rooted in late-1990s cinema.
