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).
When Katie Elder died in Clearwater, Texas, her four sons, John, Tom, Matt, and Bud came home to pay their respects. They learn that their father was a drunk who gambled away the family ranch on the night he was killed; however, the only witnesses were Morgan Hastings and his son, Dave. The two decide to cover their tracks by murdering Sheriff Billy Wilson and pinning the blame on John Elder and his brothers. Soon they are railroaded by the local townspeople, but John convinces the local judge of the facts and he agrees to bring in a U.S. Marshal. Meanwhile, Tom Elder kidnaps Dave to extract a confession from him; both are mortally wounded by Morgan, but Dave's deathbed confession is overheard by the judge, clearing the brothers.
