Michael Rooker

Michael Rooker is an American actor and voice actor best known for his roles in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, The Walking Dead, Mississippi Burning, Cliffhanger, and Days of Thunder.

Biography
Rooker was born in Jasper, Alabama, on April 6, 1955. He has eight brothers and sisters. His parents divorced when he was thirteen years old, and as a result, he moved with his mother and siblings to Chicago, Illinois, where he studied at the Goodman School of Drama. Rooker started his acting career in 1986, first playing the titular role in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, a film based on real-life serial killer Henry Lee Lucas. He was acting in a play when the its director, who was going to do the prosthetics for the character of Lucas, told him about the film. Rooker didn't care if the script was good or bad, but he just wanted to act in a film as it would "challenge" himself. The film, despite being controversial, turned out to be a critical success and ensured that Rooker was noticeable in the filmmaking industry.

Rooker was given roles in several films, including Eight Men Out, Mississippi Burning, and JFK, and was especially known for his roles in action and thriller films such as Sea of Love, Days of Thunder, Cliffhanger, and Tombstone. He also made recent appearances in Mallrats, Rosewood, The 6th Day, Slither, Jumper, Super, and Hypothermia. Rooker later appeared in the AMC-produced TV series The Walking Dead, portraying Merle Dixon, one of the survivors of a zombie apocalypse. He guest-starred in two episodes of the first season and one of the second season before finally becoming a series regular for the third season. Rooker also provided his voice for several video games, including Call of Duty: Black Ops (where he played as himself), Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, and The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct (a video game based on the series, in which he voices his character Merle).

On Criminal Minds
Rooker portrayed Chief Brad Carlson in the Season Four episode House on Fire.

Filmography
For an up-to-date filmography, see here.