Michael Biehn

Acting · 2.7 popularity

Age

Movies

101

Born: July 31, 1956
From: 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.

Works

101 films

The Terminator

19847.7

Aliens

19868.0

The Rock

19967.2

Predator: Killer of Killers

20257.8

Grease

19787.4

The Abyss

19897.4

Tombstone

19937.6

Planet Terror

20076.7

The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power

20155.1

Grindhouse

20077.0

Onslaught

2026

The Divide

20125.9

Havoc

20055.3

The Art of War

20005.7

Clockstoppers

20025.3

Navy Seals

19905.4

Puncture

20116.7

Take Me Home Tonight

20116.0

The Seventh Sign

19886.0

Timebomb

19915.2

19915.7

From Darkness

2011

The Lockdown

20245.9

Stiletto

20084.7

Jade

19955.5

Cherry Falls

20005.4

Sushi Girl

20125.5

Streets of Blood

20094.3

Bereavement

20105.3

The Shadow Effect

20175.0

The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian

19845.0

Dragon Squad

20055.8

Deadfall

19934.1

The Insatiable

20064.8

The Making of 'Tombstone'

20026.7

#NoJoke

20196.2

The Fan

19815.9

They Wait

20075.3

The Lords of Discipline

19836.6

Dead Men Can't Dance

19973.9

Blood of the Hunter

19958.0

Susan's Plan

19984.8

The Alien Saga

20026.3

Rampage

19876.0

Megiddo: The Omega Code 2

20014.6

Asteroid

19975.7

The Girl

20143.7

Tapped Out

20145.6

Mojave Moon

19964.9

The Legend of DarkHorse County

2014

Red Handed

20204.5

Chain of Command

20005.4

Wreckage and Rage: Making 'Alien³'

20037.8

Under Pressure: Making 'The Abyss'

19938.2

Strapped

19935.9

Superior Firepower: Making 'Aliens'

20037.5

Borderline

20025.2

The Legend of Butch & Sundance

20067.0

Silver Wolf

19996.4

The Victim

20114.7

Aliens Expanded

20248.9

Other Voices: Creating 'The Terminator'

20015.9

A Fire in the Sky

19785.8

T2: More Than Meets the Eye

19936.8

China Rose

19837.5

Breach of Trust

19954.9

Hidden in the Woods

20144.6

American Dragons

19985.0

Treachery

20134.2

Rippy

20244.8

The Kellys

2026

The Ride

19976.7

Psych:9

20104.7

The Making of the Terminator

19858.0

Saving Grace B. Jones

20095.4

Coach

19783.5

Hog Wild

19803.7

Alien Evolution

20015.9

Yellow Rock

20115.5

A Taste for Killing

19925.4

Zuma Beach

19785.3

Deep Red

19944.2

The Paradise Connection

19798.0

Conundrum

19965.9

The Blood Bond

20102.3

Spin

20075.2

Deadly Intentions

19856.5

Among Friends

20124.3

In the Kingdom of the Blind, the Man with One Eye Is King

19954.5

Killer Weekend

20204.6

She Rises

20177.0

Jacob

20114.1

The Night Visitor

20155.0

In a Shallow Grave

19884.8

No Prince for My Cinderella

1978

The Night Visitor 2: Heather's Story

20164.8

Clapboard Jungle: Surviving the Independent Film Business

20203.0

Die Nacht aus Blei

19858.5

The Dark Forest

2026

James at 15

19777.0

Terminator: Hunter Killer

20218.5