Michael Biehn
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Jul 31, 1956 (age 70)
- Place of birth
- Anniston, Alabama, USA
- Credits
- 120
Michael Connell Biehn is an American actor whose work in 1980s and 1990s genre cinema helped define the modern action and science-fiction lead. He is most closely associated with James Cameron’s films, where he repeatedly embodied hardened, battle-tested characters grounded in realism rather than spectacle, most famously Kyle Reese in The Terminator (1984), Corporal Hicks in Aliens (1986), and Lieutenant Coffey in The Abyss (1989). Those performances became blueprints for the emotionally restrained, competent action hero and continue to influence how military and sci-fi protagonists are written and played.
Beyond his Cameron collaborations, Biehn appeared in a run of cult and mainstream genre staples, including Navy SEALs (1990), Tombstone (1993), and The Rock (1996), often bringing a grounded intensity that contrasted with larger-than-life co-stars. His portrayal of Johnny Ringo in Tombstone is frequently cited as one of the era’s most memorable villains, defined by menace, precision, and restraint rather than excess.
His cult status was later reinforced during the Tarantino–Rodriguez Grindhouse era with his appearance in Planet Terror (2007), part of the double-feature project released alongside Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof, linking Biehn’s legacy to modern exploitation-inspired genre cinema.
That legacy carried into modern franchise television with his appearance as Lang in The Mandalorian (2020), reinforcing his enduring connection to science fiction and action storytelling across generations.
Biehn’s work has earned long-standing respect among filmmakers, actors, and genre fans, with his performance in Aliens earning a Saturn Award nomination and his overall body of work achieving lasting cult recognition. While never positioned as a traditional blockbuster star, his influence spans decades of science fiction, action, westerns, and modern franchise storytelling.
Known for
Filmography
Onslaught
2026Movie
Baylor
Predator: Killer of Killers
2025Movie
Vandy (voice)
Rippy
2024Movie
Uncle Schmitty
The Lockdown
2024Movie
Max Hightower
Aliens Expanded
2024Movie
Self
Law & Order: Organized Crime
2021TV
David Carver
Red Handed
2020Movie
Reynolds
Killer Weekend
2020Movie
Dr. Carol
Clapboard Jungle: Surviving the Independent Film Business
2020Movie
Self
The Mandalorian
2019TV
Lang
#NoJoke
2019Movie
Self
She Rises
2017Movie
Daddy Longlegs
The Shadow Effect
2017Movie
Sheriff Hodge
The Night Visitor 2: Heather's Story
2016Movie
Agent Walker
The Night Visitor
2015Movie
Agent Walker
The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power
2015Movie
King Yannick
Hidden in the Woods
2014Movie
Oscar Crocker
The Girl
2014Movie
Father
Tapped Out
2014Movie
Reggie
The Legend of DarkHorse County
2014Movie
Future Jon Ford
Treachery
2013Movie
Henry
Sushi Girl
2012Movie
Mike
Metal Hurlant Chronicles
2012TV
Shérif Biehn
Among Friends
2012Movie
Actor in hallucination scene
The Divide
2012Movie
Mickey
From Darkness
2011Movie
Agent Doug Albright
Yellow Rock
2011Movie
Tom Hanner
Jacob
2011Movie
Lawrence Kell
Puncture
2011Movie
Red
The Victim
2011Movie
Kyle
Take Me Home Tonight
2011Movie
Bill Franklin
The Walking Dead
2010TV
Ian
Bereavement
2010Movie
Jonathan Miller
The Blood Bond
2010Movie
John Tremayne
Psych:9
2010Movie
Det. Marling
Dark Blue
2009TV
Lt. Jay Frye
Streets of Blood
2009Movie
Agent Brown
Saving Grace B. Jones
2009Movie
Landy Bretthorst
Stiletto
2008Movie
Lee
They Wait
2007Movie
O'Connell
Planet Terror
2007Movie
Sheriff Hague
Grindhouse
2007Movie
Sheriff Hague (segment "Planet Terror")
Spin
2007Movie
Tony Russo
The Insatiable
2006Movie
Strickland
The Legend of Butch & Sundance
2006Movie
Mike Cassidy
Dragon Squad
2005Movie
Petros Angelo
Havoc
2005Movie
Stuart Lang
Criminal Minds
2005TV
Detective Ron Fullwood
Hawaii
2004TV
Sean Harrison
Superior Firepower: Making 'Aliens'
2003Movie
Self
Wreckage and Rage: Making 'Alien³'
2003Movie
Self
Borderline
2002Movie
Det. Macy Kobacek
The Alien Saga
2002Movie
Self
Adventure Inc.
2002TV
Judson Cross
Clockstoppers
2002Movie
Henry Gates
The Making of 'Tombstone'
2002Movie
Self
Alien Evolution
2001Movie
Self / 'Cpl. Dwayne Hicks'
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
2001TV
Leland Dockerty
Megiddo: The Omega Code 2
2001Movie
David Alexander
Other Voices: Creating 'The Terminator'
2001Movie
Self
Cherry Falls
2000Movie
Sherrif Brent Marken
The Art of War
2000Movie
Robert Bly
Chain of Command
2000Movie
Craig Thornton
Silver Wolf
1999Movie
Roy McLean
Susan's Plan
1998Movie
Bill
American Dragons
1998Movie
Detective Tony Luca
The Magnificent Seven
1998TV
Chris Larabee
The Ride
1997Movie
Smokey Banks
Dead Men Can't Dance
1997Movie
Robert Hart
Asteroid
1997Movie
FEMA Director Jack Wallach
Asteroid
1997TV
Jack Wallach
Mojave Moon
1996Movie
Boyd
The Rock
1996Movie
Commander Charles Anderson
Conundrum
1996Movie
Det. Stash Horvak
Jade
1995Movie
Bob Hargrove
Blood of the Hunter
1995Movie
Philip Thorton / Blake
In the Kingdom of the Blind, the Man with One Eye Is King
1995Movie
Jackie Ryan
Breach of Trust
1995Movie
Casey Woods
Deep Red
1994Movie
Joe Keyes
Tombstone
1993Movie
Johnny Ringo
Deadfall
1993Movie
Joe Donan
Under Pressure: Making 'The Abyss'
1993Movie
Self
Strapped
1993Movie
Matthew McRae
T2: More Than Meets the Eye
1993Movie
Self
A Taste for Killing
1992Movie
Bo Landry
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992TV
The Making of 'Alien³'
1992Movie
Self
K2
1991Movie
Taylor Brooks
Timebomb
1991Movie
Eddy Kay / Oliver Dykstra
The Word
1990TV
Navy Seals
1990Movie
Lt. James Curran
The Abyss
1989Movie
Lieutenant Hiram Coffey
In a Shallow Grave
1988Movie
Garnet Montrose
The Seventh Sign
1988Movie
Russell Quinn
Rampage
1987Movie
Anthony Fraser
Aliens
1986Movie
Corporal Hicks
Deadly Intentions
1985Movie
Dr. Charles Raynor
Die Nacht aus Blei
1985Movie
Eseleine
The Making of the Terminator
1985Movie
Self
The Terminator
1984Movie
Kyle Reese
The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian
1984Movie
Sébastien
China Rose
1983Movie
Daniel Allen
The Lords of Discipline
1983Movie
John Alexander
American Playhouse
1982TV
Garnet Montrose
The Fan
1981Movie
Douglas Breen
Hill Street Blues
1981TV
Hog Wild
1980Movie
Tim Warner
The Paradise Connection
1979Movie
Larry DeWitt
A Fire in the Sky
1978Movie
Tom Rearden
Zuma Beach
1978Movie
J.D.
Grease
1978Movie
Mike (uncredited)
No Prince for My Cinderella
1978Movie
Mark Johnson
The Runaways
1978TV
Mark Johnson
Coach
1978Movie
Jack
Logan's Run
1977TV
Sandman
James at 15
1977Movie
Tony
Family
1976TV
Jake
ABC Afterschool Special
1972TV
Seth
The Kellys
Movie
The Dark Forest
Movie
Peter