Name
Michael Biehn
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1956-07-31 (70 years old)
Place of Birth
Anniston, Alabama, USA
Biography
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
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Two doctors find their graveyard shift inundated with townspeople ravaged by sores. Among ...
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Neil Shaw is both agent and weapon - a critical line of defense for the Secretary General ...
- 1984 The Terminator as Kyle Reese
- 1986 Aliens as Corporal Hicks
- 2007 Planet Terror as Sheriff Hague
- 1989 The Abyss as Lieutenant Hiram Coffey
- 2021 Terminator: Hunter Killer as Kyle Reese (voice) (archive footage)
- 1988 The Seventh Sign as Russell Quinn
- 1996 Mojave Moon as Boyd
- 1991 K2 as Taylor Brooks
- 1993 Tombstone as Johnny Ringo
- 2006 The Insatiable as Strickland
- 1993 Strapped as Matthew McRae
- 2000 Cherry Falls as Sherrif Brent Marken
- 1996 The Rock as Commander Charles Anderson
- 1993 Deadfall as Joe Donan
- 1997 Asteroid as FEMA Director Jack Wallach
- 2012 Sushi Girl as Mike
- 2002 Clockstoppers as Henry Gates
- 2008 Stiletto as Lee
- 2011 The Victim as Kyle
- 1991 Timebomb as Eddy Kay / Oliver Dykstra
- 2012 The Divide as Mickey
- 2007 They Wait as O'Connell
- 1983 The Lords of Discipline as John Alexander
- 2005 Dragon Squad as Petros Angelo
- 2011 Take Me Home Tonight as Bill Franklin
- 2009 Saving Grace B. Jones as Landy Bretthorst
- 2002 Borderline as Det. Macy Kobacek
- 2009 Streets of Blood as Agent Brown
- 1978 Zuma Beach as J.D.
- 2003 Superior Firepower: Making 'Aliens' as Self
- 2011 Puncture as Red
- 2010 Psych:9 as Det. Marling
- 1998 Susan's Plan as Bill
- Soon The Dark Forest as Peter
- 1997 Dead Men Can't Dance as Robert Hart
- 2010 The Blood Bond as John Tremayne
- 2010 Bereavement as Jonathan Miller
- 1981 The Fan as Douglas Breen
- 2007 Spin as Tony Russo
- 2000 Chain of Command as Craig Thornton
- 1999 Silver Wolf as Roy McLean
- 1994 Deep Red as Joe Keyes
- 1998 American Dragons as Detective Tony Luca
- 1978 No Prince for My Cinderella as Mark Johnson
- 1987 Rampage as Anthony Fraser
- 2012 Among Friends as Actor in hallucination scene
- 2011 Yellow Rock as Tom Hanner
- 1997 The Ride as Smokey Banks
- 2013 Treachery as Henry
- 1980 Hog Wild as Tim Warner
- 2011 From Darkness as Agent Doug Albright
- 2011 Jacob as Lawrence Kell
- 1988 In a Shallow Grave as Garnet Montrose
- 2001 Alien Evolution as Self / 'Cpl. Dwayne Hicks'
- 1985 Die Nacht aus Blei as Eseleine
- 2014 Tapped Out as Reggie
- 2014 Hidden in the Woods as Oscar Crocker
- 2001 Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 as David Alexander
- 1978 Coach as Jack
- 1996 Conundrum as Det. Stash Horvak
- 2007 Grindhouse as Sheriff Hague (segment "Planet Terror")
- 2015 The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power as King Yannick
- 1995 Breach of Trust as Casey Woods
- 1977 James at 15 as Tony
- 2024 Rippy as Uncle Schmitty
- 1995 Jade as Bob Hargrove
- 1983 China Rose as Daniel Allen
- 1978 A Fire in the Sky as Tom Rearden
- 2017 The Shadow Effect as Sheriff Hodge
- 2014 The Girl as Father
- 2000 The Art of War as Robert Bly
- 2024 Aliens Expanded as Self
- 1985 Deadly Intentions as Dr. Charles Raynor
- 2002 The Alien Saga as Self
- 2015 The Night Visitor as Agent Walker
- 1990 Navy Seals as Lt. James Curran
- 2024 The Lockdown as Max Hightower
- 2020 Clapboard Jungle: Surviving the Independent Film Business as Self
- 1995 In the Kingdom of the Blind, the Man with One Eye Is King as Jackie Ryan
- 2005 Havoc as Stuart Lang
- 2006 The Legend of Butch & Sundance as Mike Cassidy
- 1984 The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian as Sébastien
- 2014 The Legend of DarkHorse County as Future Jon Ford
- 2017 She Rises as Daddy Longlegs
- 1995 Blood of the Hunter as Philip Thorton / Blake
- 1992 A Taste for Killing as Bo Landry
- 1978 Grease as Mike (uncredited)
- 1985 The Making of the Terminator as Self
- 1979 The Paradise Connection as Larry DeWitt
- 2019 #NoJoke as Self
- 2020 Red Handed as Reynolds
- 2020 Killer Weekend as Dr. Carol
- 1993 Under Pressure: Making 'The Abyss' as Self
- 2016 The Night Visitor 2: Heather's Story as Agent Walker
- 2003 Wreckage and Rage: Making 'Alien³' as Self
- 1993 T2: More Than Meets the Eye as Self
- 2001 Other Voices: Creating 'The Terminator' as Self
- 2026 Onslaught as Baylor
- 2025 Predator: Killer of Killers as Vandy (voice)
- 2002 The Making of 'Tombstone' as Self
- Soon The Kellys
- 2004 Hawaii ( 8 episodes ) as Sean Harrison
- 1992 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ( 1 episode )
- 1981 Hill Street Blues ( 3 episodes )
- 2005 Criminal Minds ( 1 episode ) as Detective Ron Fullwood
- 2001 Law & Order: Criminal Intent ( 1 episode ) as Leland Dockerty
- 1997 Asteroid ( 2 episodes ) as Jack Wallach
- 1998 The Magnificent Seven ( 23 episodes ) as Chris Larabee
- 2009 Dark Blue ( 1 episode ) as Lt. Jay Frye
- 2002 Adventure Inc. ( 22 episodes ) as Judson Cross
- 1978 The Runaways ( 17 episodes ) as Mark Johnson
- 1972 ABC Afterschool Special ( 1 episode ) as Seth
- 1977 Logan's Run ( 1 episode ) as Sandman
- 2012 Metal Hurlant Chronicles ( 1 episode ) as Shérif Biehn
- 1976 Family ( 1 episode ) as Jake
- 2010 The Walking Dead ( 1 episode ) as Ian
- 2021 Law & Order: Organized Crime ( 1 episode ) as David Carver
- 2019 The Mandalorian ( 1 episode ) as Lang
- 1982 American Playhouse ( 1 episode ) as Garnet Montrose
- 1990 The Word ( 1 episode )
