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Michael Biehn

Michael Biehn

Acting
Born: Jul 31, 1956
From: Anniston, Alabama, USA
Credits: 30 titles

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 …

Filmography

Title Character Year Rating
Terminator: Hunter Killer Kyle Reese (voice) (archive footage) 2021 8.5
Sushi Girl Mike 2012 5.5
The Divide Mickey 2012 5.885
The Victim Kyle 2011 4.8
Take Me Home Tonight Bill Franklin 2011 6.0
Saving Grace B. Jones Landy Bretthorst 2009 5.3
Streets of Blood Agent Brown 2009 4.3
Stiletto Lee 2008 4.7
Planet Terror Sheriff Hague 2007 6.7
They Wait O'Connell 2007 5.3
The Insatiable Strickland 2006 4.859
Dragon Squad Petros Angelo 2005 5.703
Superior Firepower: Making 'Aliens' Self 2003 7.548
Clockstoppers Henry Gates 2002 5.309
Borderline Det. Macy Kobacek 2002 5.18
Cherry Falls Sherrif Brent Marken 2000 5.365
Asteroid FEMA Director Jack Wallach 1997 5.816
Mojave Moon Boyd 1996 4.909
The Rock Commander Charles Anderson 1996 7.1
Tombstone Johnny Ringo 1993 7.583
Strapped Matthew McRae 1993 5.929
Deadfall Joe Donan 1993 4.107
K2 Taylor Brooks 1991 5.708
Timebomb Eddy Kay / Oliver Dykstra 1991 5.196
The Abyss Lieutenant Hiram Coffey 1989 7.347
The Seventh Sign Russell Quinn 1988 5.987
Aliens Corporal Hicks 1986 7.962
The Terminator Kyle Reese 1984 7.678
The Lords of Discipline John Alexander 1983 6.644
Zuma Beach J.D. 1978 5.333
Quick Facts
Known forActing
Credits30
Born1956
FromAnniston, Alabama, USA