Michael Rooker was born on the 6th April 1955, in Jasper, Alabama, USA and is an actor who is most famous for starring in several high profile Hollywood movies such as “Mississippi Burning” (1988), “JFK” (1991), “Cliffhanger” (1993), “Jumper” (2008) and “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014), as well as “The Walking Dead” TV series.
Have you ever wondered how much wealth this successful actor has accumulated so far? How rich Michael Rooker is? According to sources, it is estimated that the total amount of Michael Rooker’s net worth, as of mid-2016, is $3 million, acquired throughout his acting career, abundant with film and TV series roles, which is now spanning over 30 years.
Michael Rooker Net Worth $3 Million
Michael Rooker was raised in Chicago, Illinois to where he moved in his early teens with his mother and his eight siblings, after the divorce of his parents. During his teens, Michael discovered his passion for acting and decided to pursue that dream. He attended the Goodman School of Drama (or The Theatre School at DePaul University, as it is now referred to). Michael made his big screen debut in 1986 when he appeared in “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer”, a psychological horror film in which he played the title role. This role, apart from providing the basis for his later wealth, certainly helped him in establishing himself as a promising actor.
In the course of the next several years, Michael Rooker had managed to maintain a continuous string of small but memorable roles in movies as well as in TV series. In 1988 he appeared in two films, a sports drama “Eight Men Out” and a crime drama “Mississippi Burning”, in which he starred opposite Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman. This was followed in 1989 by a role in “Sea of Love”, with Al Pacino featuring in the main role. Michael also appeared in the 1991 Hollywood’s blockbuster “JFK”. It is certain that all these engagements made a positive impact on Michael Rooker’s net worth.
The real breakthrough in Rooker’s career came with roles in action movies, which include “Days of Thunder” (1990), and “Cliffhanger” and “Tombstone”, both in 1993, in which Michael performed alongside Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sylvester Stallone, Val Kilmer and Kurt Russell, and apart from increments to his wealth, brought him international glory, and more profitable roles.
In his career so far, Michael Rooker has acted in over 115 projects which include movies, TV series and even video games. Apart those mentioned above, Michael Rooker has also appeared in “The Bone Collector” (1999), “The 6th Day” (2000), “Replicant” (2001), “Undisputed” (2002) and “Jumper” (2008). Michael Rooker has also starred as Yondu Udonta, a blue skin thug in the 2014 “Guardians of the Galaxy” as well as in its sequel, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” which is now in production and is expected to hit the theaters in 2017. Another famous role of Michael Rooker is certainly that of Merle Dixon, one of the survivors of the zombie apocalypse pictured in “The Walking Dead” TV series. This is not his first TV series appearance – in his portfolio there are side roles in “CSI: Miami”, “Las Vegas”, “JAG”, “Numb3rs”, “Law & Order” and “The Archer”. We should also mention voice acting engagements in popular video games “The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay” and several games from the “Call of Duty” franchise. All these involvements have helped Michael Rooker to add a significant sum to his overall net worth, as well as to build a quite successful acting career.
Although in the majority of his roles he played brutes, thugs, psychos and villains, Michael Rooker’s occasional “good guy” performances have shown his real acting talent, and have brought him international movie fame and respectable wealth.
Throughout his professional career, Michael Rooker has been honored and rewarded with several awards, of which the most important are a 1990 Golden Space Needle Award, 1991 International Fantasy Film Award and 2014 Critics Choice Award.
When it comes to his personal life, Michael Rooker has been married since 1980 to Margot Tsuru LaRose with whom he has two children; they currently reside in Tujunga, California.
