Biography and Filmography:

With a lead role in “The Terminator” and notable roles in “Aliens,” and “The Abyss,” the coarse Michael Biehn created a faithful following of science fiction and action adventure film audiences, specially in those movies directed by his good friend, James Cameron. Always turning in highly believable performances as soldiers, cops or other men of action, he played Navy SEALS in three movies, and regularly stole the scenes he was in, either with an inspiring speech or cunning remarks to ranking officials. 

The fact that he was gorgeous in a Hollywood, movie idol way, was not lost on the female fans either. Although he never reached A-list status, he remained a staple of genre movies, often taking roles as authority figures, playing sheriffs in both the alternative horror films “Cherry Falls” and in the movie, “Grindhouse,” from filmmakers Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino.

Biehn (pronounced “Bean”) was born on July 31, 1956, in Anniston, Alabama, but grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska before relocating at age 14 to Lake Havasu, Arizona. After graduating from high school, he enlisted at the University of Arizona with a drama scholarship, but left for Hollywood before finishing his studies. Thanks to his good looks and a robust characteristic, he had no trouble landing a variety of television parts. 

One of his first appearances was in the pilot episode of the science fiction series, “Logan’s Run,” (1977-78), based on the sensational movie of the same name. He played the role of a “Sandman”, part of a advanced police force tasked with rounding up citizens for extermination when they reach the ripe old age of 30.

He on to land small roles in episodes of “The Runaways” (1978-79), the drama, “Family” (1976-1980) and an of “The ABC After School Special” called “The Big Secret.” He also had an appearance in the 1978 feature film “Grease,” playing a high school athlete as an extra. It was his portrayal of an zealous stalker of Lauren Bacall in the 1981 thriller “The Fan” that first gained the actor notoriety, as he shoed the kind of passion that would pay off in his later projects. He followed that film with a supporting role in the 1983 drama, “The Lords of Discipline,” and took a recurring role as Officer Randall Buttman on the police drama, “Hill Street Blues,” (1981-87) during the show’s fifth season.

But it was his role in the 1984 “The Terminator” that shot the actor into stardom. He auditioned for the role of Kyle Reese, a protector from the future, sent back in time to stop a deadly robot, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, from killing an guiltless woman, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), who will give birth to a resistance leader intended to save mankind. Despite his leading role, he never actually shared any scenes with Schwarzenegger, even though he was regularly asked about his co-star. The most important relationship onset, one which would make his Hollywood career, would be between the actor and his loyal director friend James Cameron.

In what many thought to be his best role, Michael teamed with Cameron for the director’s next project, “Aliens” with Sigourney Weaver (1986), playing futuristic hard ass Corporal Dwayne Hicks. Managing to be both somber and doubtful at the same time, he almost stole the show. 

His next project was the 1988 horror adventure thriller, “The Seventh Sign”, a showcase for Demi Moore. Michael then appeared in a run of boring movies such as “In a Shallow Grave” and “Rampage,” before again working with James Cameron, in his undersea action epic, 1989’s “The Abyss.”  

Despite the fan base he had created with his tough guy roles throughout the 1980's, by the early 1990's, his star had faded. He just missed being cast in high profile roles that could have put him back on track - he was in the running to play the title superhero and his alter ego, Bruce Wayne, in “Batman” (1989), as well as was an early choice to play Peter Parker in "Spider-Man", when Cameron was still attached to the film, but lost out to Tobey Maguire.

After again portraying his normal role of soldier in “Navy SEALS,” (1990), he appeared in the sequel “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991), but his scenes were cut from the final movie. He did manage to do well in the role of Johnny Ringo in the popular Wyatt Earp western, “Tombstone” in 1993 After another small role, in the detective thriller “Jade” (1995) it was his role as a soldier, in the Nicholas Cage and Sean Connery action adventure “The Rock” (1996) that was one of his last big screen hits for audiences. Playing a Navy SEAL for a third time, his speech to a group of United States military defectors was a the high point in the movie.

He then played a town sheriff suffering a moral impasse in the 2000 wacky horror film, “Cherry Falls.” Delivering a run of the mill performance, he played Sheriff Brent Marken, in the perverted tale of a serial killer who targets only young virgins, leaving the neighborhood kids with only one way to save themselves. His role in “Cherry Falls” was one of the first parts to make the most of his talents.

After roles in films like “Art of War” (2000), about an operative for the United Nations' covert sabotage squad, who uses espionage and immoral tactics to secure peace and cooperation. Next was the sci-fi thriller “Clockstoppers” (2002), about a teenager who accidentally activates a machine that enables him to speed up his body so that other people seem to be standing still. And finally that year he appeared in the independent film “Havoc” (2005) with Anne Hathaway, about two rich suburban girls who collide with the Latino gang culture of East Los Angeles. 

The star then returned to television, playing the part of a police commissioner on a 2006 episode of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and then as the lead role of Judson Cross in the Canadian movie, “Adventure, Inc.,” He also appeared in several episodes of the soap series “Hawaii” (2004). 

Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, next hired the actor to appear in their bloody B-movie piece, “Grindhouse” (2007). As the snickering Sheriff Hague. He then took roles in both the Robert Rodriguez film, “Planet Terror” (2007) a story that takes place after an experimental bio-weapon is released, and then a small role in the parody horror film “Thanksgiving”,  directed by Eli Roth. 

Biehn was then hired and cast in the horror thriller "The Wait" (2008), about a young mother and her six-year-old son who come face to face with the mysteries of two murders and a great crime against the Chinese community into which they have just arrived from Shanghai. He started out the next year with the crime thriller "Stiletto" (2008) about the random killings of an assassin that perplex her lover, a wealthy Greek crime boss whose organization is endangered by his love for her and the return of his ruthless criminal friend.

Moving to more family friendly projects, the actor was cast in the role of a cop in ""Kids In America" (2008) with Topher Grace, a story that follows an aimless college grad who pursues his dream girl at a wild Labor Day weekend party. Next was a starring role in the strange crime thriller "Malevolence: Bereavement" (2008), about the horrific odyssey of an abducted 6 year old as he's forced to witness the brutal crimes of his tormentor and teacher Graham Sutter. 

Next, he moved onto a more dramatic role in "Saving Grace" (2008) with Tatum O'Neal, a story set in a 1950s-era Missouri town about the life of a couple that is thrown into chaos when the husband's sister is released from the local asylum and comes to live with the family. He rounded out the year with the historical thriller "Fire Bay" (2008), where the JFK White House and the CIA plan the black op invasion of Cuba, and seven men are recruited into a "secret army" from the streets of Miami and join their Brigade's brutal and valiant battles on the bloody beaches of Cuba.

[Get FREE Product Samples At FreeLance Free Stuff!]