Michael Rooker: The actor, known for roles in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” turns 70.

On April 6, 2025, actor Michael Rook­er cel­e­brates his 70th birth­day. Born in Jasper, Alaba­ma, Rook­er has built a dis­tin­guished career por­tray­ing com­plex char­ac­ters in film and tele­vi­sion.​the-walking-dead-tv-film-univers.fandom.com+4Empire+4IMDb+4

Rook­er’s break­out role was the tit­u­lar char­ac­ter in the 1986 film Hen­ry: Por­trait of a Ser­i­al Killer, which show­cased his abil­i­ty to delve into dark and nuanced per­for­mances. He gained fur­ther recog­ni­tion as Mer­le Dixon in AMC’s The Walk­ing Dead (2010–2013), a char­ac­ter that became a fan favorite for its unpre­dictabil­i­ty and depth. In the Mar­vel Cin­e­mat­ic Uni­verse, Rook­er por­trayed Yon­du Udon­ta in the Guardians of the Galaxy series, bring­ing a unique blend of gruff­ness and heart to the blue-skinned Rav­ager.​Wikipedia+2Famous Birthdays+2Wikipedia+2the-walking-dead-tv-film-univers.fandom.com+3Wikipedia+3Wikipedia+3

Reflect­ing on his col­lab­o­ra­tions with Rook­er, direc­tor James Gunn shared pho­tos from two decades ago, cel­e­brat­ing Rook­er’s 50th birth­day on the set of Slith­er, Gun­n’s direc­to­r­i­al debut. Gunn rem­i­nisced about their long-stand­ing part­ner­ship and Rook­er’s ded­i­ca­tion to his craft. ​Threads+1Instagram+1

Beyond his notable roles, Rook­er’s fil­mog­ra­phy includes per­for­mances in Sea of Love (1989), Days of Thun­der (1990), JFK (1991), and Cliffhang­er (1993). His ver­sa­til­i­ty has made him a respect­ed fig­ure in Hol­ly­wood, adept at por­tray­ing both antag­o­nists and com­plex sup­port­ing char­ac­ters.​WikipediaWikipedia

As he reach­es this mile­stone, Rook­er’s endur­ing pres­ence in the enter­tain­ment indus­try con­tin­ues to cap­ti­vate audi­ences, reflect­ing a career marked by mem­o­rable per­for­mances and a com­mit­ment to his art.