Happy Happy Birthday Michael Rooker!!!
Today, April 6, marks the 62nd birthday of the oldest Dixon brother, Michael Rooker. Michael played Merle Dixon, Daryl’s older brother on AMC’s The Walking Dead from seasons 1-3. His character was killed by the Governor and then when he turned, killed again by Daryl.
Born in 1955 in Jasper, Alabama, Michael had 8 siblings and studied at the Goodman School of Drama now The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. He made his feature film debut in the 1986 film, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Some other film’s have included, Mallrats, Cliffhanger, Tombstone, Days of Thunder, Mississippi Burning and Eight Men Out.
In June of 2010, he announced that he was cast in The Walking Dead, appearing as a guest star before becoming a cast regular for the third season. He also played Merle in the video game The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct which is based on the series. He played himself in Call of Duty: Black Ops and Mike Harper in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.
Besides the character of Merle Dixon, Rooker is more notably known for his role as Yondu in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and yet-to-be released, Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
Michael lives in California with his wife and the couple has two daughters.
Join us in wishing Michael the happiest of birthdays!!!
Micajah McGregor, Editor in Chief of FanFest.com and renowned entertainment journalist, graduated from USC with a focus on Journalism and Film Studies. With an MBA from The Wharton School, he began his career at “PopCulture Pulse” and has been instrumental in shaping FanFest into a prime entertainment news source. Known for his financial analysis of celebrity net worths, Micajah received the ‘Digital Editor of the Year’ award in 2018. He’s also an active blogger, sharing his passion for superhero films and ’90s TV. Contact him at [email protected] for engaging entertainment insights.
