Acting · Anniston, Alabama, USA · Born July 31, 1956
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.
MovieOnslaught
2026
MoviePredator: Killer of Killers
2025
as Vandy (voice)
MovieRippy
2024
as Uncle Schmitty
MovieThe Lockdown
2024
as Max Hightower
MovieAliens Expanded
2024
as Self
MovieTerminator: Hunter Killer
2021
as Kyle Reese (voice) (archive footage)
TVLaw & Order: Organized Crime
2021
as David Carver
MovieRed Handed
2020
as Reynolds
MovieKiller Weekend
2020
as Dr. Carol
MovieClapboard Jungle: Surviving the Independent Film Business
2020
as Self
TVThe Mandalorian
2019
as Lang
Movie#NoJoke
2019
as Self
MovieShe Rises
2017
as Daddy Longlegs
MovieThe Shadow Effect
2017
as Sheriff Hodge
MovieThe Night Visitor 2: Heather's Story
2016
as Agent Walker
MovieThe Night Visitor
2015
as Agent Walker
MovieThe Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power
2015
as King Yannick
MovieHidden in the Woods
2014
as Oscar Crocker
MovieThe Girl
2014
as Father
MovieTapped Out
2014
as Reggie
MovieThe Legend of DarkHorse County
2014
as Future Jon Ford
MovieTreachery
2013
as Henry
MovieSushi Girl
2012
as Mike
TVMetal Hurlant Chronicles
2012
as Shérif Biehn
MovieAmong Friends
2012
as Actor in hallucination scene
MovieThe Divide
2012
as Mickey
MovieFrom Darkness
2011
as Agent Doug Albright
MovieYellow Rock
2011
as Tom Hanner
MovieJacob
2011
as Lawrence Kell
MoviePuncture
2011
as Red
MovieThe Victim
2011
as Kyle
MovieTake Me Home Tonight
2011
as Bill Franklin
TVThe Walking Dead
2010
as Ian
MovieBereavement
2010
as Jonathan Miller
MovieThe Blood Bond
2010
as John Tremayne
MoviePsych:9
2010
as Det. Marling
TVDark Blue
2009
as Lt. Jay Frye
MovieStreets of Blood
2009
as Agent Brown
MovieSaving Grace B. Jones
2009
as Landy Bretthorst
MovieStiletto
2008
as Lee
MovieThey Wait
2007
as O'Connell
MoviePlanet Terror
2007
as Sheriff Hague
MovieGrindhouse
2007
as Sheriff Hague (segment "Planet Terror")
MovieSpin
2007
as Tony Russo
MovieThe Insatiable
2006
as Strickland
MovieThe Legend of Butch & Sundance
2006
as Mike Cassidy
MovieDragon Squad
2005
as Petros Angelo
MovieHavoc
2005
as Stuart Lang
TVCriminal Minds
2005
as Detective Ron Fullwood
TVHawaii
2004
as Sean Harrison
MovieSuperior Firepower: Making 'Aliens'
2003
as Self
MovieWreckage and Rage: Making 'Alien³'
2003
as Self
MovieBorderline
2002
as Det. Macy Kobacek
MovieThe Alien Saga
2002
as Self
TVAdventure Inc.
2002
as Judson Cross
MovieClockstoppers
2002
as Henry Gates
MovieThe Making of 'Tombstone'
2002
as Self
MovieAlien Evolution
2001
as Self / 'Cpl. Dwayne Hicks'
TVLaw & Order: Criminal Intent
2001
as Leland Dockerty
MovieMegiddo: The Omega Code 2
2001
as David Alexander
MovieOther Voices: Creating 'The Terminator'
2001
as Self
MovieCherry Falls
2000
as Sherrif Brent Marken
MovieThe Art of War
2000
as Robert Bly
MovieChain of Command
2000
as Craig Thornton
MovieSilver Wolf
1999
as Roy McLean
MovieSusan's Plan
1998
as Bill
MovieAmerican Dragons
1998
as Detective Tony Luca
TVThe Magnificent Seven
1998
as Chris Larabee
MovieThe Ride
1997
as Smokey Banks
MovieDead Men Can't Dance
1997
as Robert Hart
MovieAsteroid
1997
as FEMA Director Jack Wallach
Asteroid
1997
as Jack Wallach
MovieMojave Moon
1996
as Boyd
MovieThe Rock
1996
as Commander Charles Anderson
MovieConundrum
1996
as Det. Stash Horvak
MovieJade
1995
as Bob Hargrove
MovieBlood of the Hunter
1995
as Philip Thorton / Blake
MovieIn the Kingdom of the Blind, the Man with One Eye Is King
1995
as Jackie Ryan
MovieBreach of Trust
1995
as Casey Woods
MovieDeep Red
1994
as Joe Keyes
MovieTombstone
1993
as Johnny Ringo
MovieDeadfall
1993
as Joe Donan
MovieUnder Pressure: Making 'The Abyss'
1993
as Self
MovieStrapped
1993
as Matthew McRae
MovieT2: More Than Meets the Eye
1993
as Self
MovieA Taste for Killing
1992
as Bo Landry
TVThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
MovieK2
1991
as Taylor Brooks
MovieTimebomb
1991
as Eddy Kay / Oliver Dykstra
TVThe Word
1990
MovieNavy Seals
1990
as Lt. James Curran
MovieThe Abyss
1989
as Lieutenant Hiram Coffey
MovieIn a Shallow Grave
1988
as Garnet Montrose
MovieThe Seventh Sign
1988
as Russell Quinn
MovieRampage
1987
as Anthony Fraser
MovieAliens
1986
as Corporal Hicks
MovieDeadly Intentions
1985
as Dr. Charles Raynor
MovieDie Nacht aus Blei
1985
as Eseleine
MovieThe Making of the Terminator
1985
as Self
MovieThe Terminator
1984
as Kyle Reese
MovieThe Martyrdom of St. Sebastian
1984
as Sébastien
MovieChina Rose
1983
as Daniel Allen
MovieThe Lords of Discipline
1983
as John Alexander
TVAmerican Playhouse
1982
as Garnet Montrose
MovieThe Fan
1981
as Douglas Breen
TVHill Street Blues
1981
MovieHog Wild
1980
as Tim Warner
MovieThe Paradise Connection
1979
as Larry DeWitt
MovieA Fire in the Sky
1978
as Tom Rearden
MovieZuma Beach
1978
as J.D.
MovieGrease
1978
as Mike (uncredited)
MovieNo Prince for My Cinderella
1978
as Mark Johnson
TVThe Runaways
1978
as Mark Johnson
MovieCoach
1978
as Jack
TVLogan's Run
1977
as Sandman
MovieJames at 15
1977
as Tony
TVFamily
1976
as Jake
TVABC Afterschool Special
1972
as Seth
The Dark Forest
as Peter
The Kellys
