Michael Connell Biehn ( or ; born July 31, 1956) is an American actor, primarily known for his roles in science fiction films directed by James Cameron; as Sgt. Kyle Reese in The Terminator (1984), Cpl. Dwayne Hicks in Aliens (1986), and Lt. Hiram Coffey in The Abyss (1989). His other films include The Fan (1981), The Seventh Sign (1988), Navy SEALs (1990), Tombstone (1993), The Rock (1996), Mojave Moon (1996), Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 (2001), Clockstoppers (2002), and Planet Terror (2007). On television, he has appeared in Hill Street Blues (1984), The Magnificent Seven (1998–2000), and Adventure Inc. (2002–2003). He also provided the voice for Sergeant Rex "Power" Colt in Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.

Early life

Biehn was born in Anniston, Alabama, the second of three boys born to Marcia (née Connell) and Don Biehn, a lawyer. His surname is of German origin.

When Biehn was young, he moved with his family to Lincoln, Nebraska, and then to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where he was a member of the high school drama club before graduating.

Career

Biehn got his start in films with a small part in Grease (1978). He appears in two scenes; in one scene, John Travolta's character, Danny, hits Biehn's uncredited character in the stomach while playing basketball. Shortly thereafter, he appeared in the 1978 made for television movie, A Fire in the Sky. He had his first leading role when he played a deranged stalker in the 1981 thriller The Fan, opposite Lauren Bacall. On television, Biehn made a guest appearance on Hill Street Blues.

In 1984, Biehn played Kyle Reese, a soldier sent back in time by John Connor to save his mother, Sarah Connor, in the film The Terminator. Biehn appeared opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton; the film was directed by James Cameron. Biehn stated in 2019 that he was initially not enthusiastic about appearing in a Schwarzenegger film, as he had hoped to act alongside the likes of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Biehn went on to have a small role in the sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), briefly reprising his role as Reese in a scene cut from the final film but restored for the Director's Cut version. In 2019, Biehn confirmed in an interview that he would not be reprising the role for Terminator: Dark Fate or any other future installments. Sigourney Weaver, who portrayed protagonist Ellen Ripley in Aliens, praised Biehn for bringing "a sensitivity to the role of Hicks, an alpha male who had no problem following a woman's lead".

In an early draft of Alien 3 written by William Gibson, Biehn's character Hicks, who had survived the events of Aliens, was to become the protagonist, replacing Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). Walter Hill and David Giler wrote the final script, which had Hicks killed off in the opening scene. Biehn, furious upon learning of his character's demise, demanded and received almost as much money for the use of his likeness in one scene as he had been paid for his entire role in Aliens. Biehn reprised the role of Hicks by voicing the character in the video game Aliens: Colonial Marines and again in 2019 for an audio drama adaptation of Gibson's un-filmed script for Alien 3 released by Audible.

Biehn had his third collaboration with James Cameron in The Abyss (1989), portraying Lieutenant Hiram Coffey who has high-pressure nervous syndrome. Biehn received strong reviews for his performance, with the studio lobbying unsuccessfully for him to be nominated for an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor.

Biehn played the role of Johnny Ringo in Tombstone, including in the showdown scene with Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday.

Biehn portrayed a Navy SEAL for the third time in the action film The Rock (1996). While The Rock was the most successful film of Biehn's career in terms of box office gross, it saw his billing and screen time diminished, and after that he never landed another part in a big-budget Hollywood film. He starred in three TV series including the CBS drama The Magnificent Seven (1998–2000), the Tribune Entertainment syndicated TV series Adventure Inc. (2002–2003), and the NBC TV series Hawaii (2004). All three shows were cancelled because of low ratings.

Biehn directed the 2010 film The Blood Bond. In 2011 he wrote, directed and starred in The Victim. In 2020, Biehn was cast as the villain Lang in the second season of the Star Wars television series The Mandalorian. In 2022, he portrayed Ian in the eleventh season of the AMC horror series The Walking Dead.

In 2025, Biehn returned to the Alien/Predator franchise by voicing the character Vandy in the animated film Predator: Killer of Killers.

Personal life

thumb|upright|Biehn and his future wife, actress [[Jennifer Blanc, in 2012, promoting The Victim, which they co-produced, and which Biehn starred in and directed]]

Coinciding with the decline of his acting career during the 1990s, Biehn suffered from alcoholism until the mid-2000s. When questioned on why he did not attain stardom despite having lead roles in well-regarded hit films like The Terminator and Aliens, Biehn told the Hollywood Reporter "People always talk about me being an '80s star. I was not an '80s star. Bruce Willis was an '80s star. Tom Cruise was an '80s star. Schwarzenegger and Stallone. Mel Gibson. Those guys were making $20 million [a picture]. I never even got $1 million. I kind of liked it that way." As of 2016, Biehn is married to actress Jennifer Blanc, who co-produced and starred alongside him in The Victim. The couple has one son, Dashiell King Biehn.

Accolades

{| class="wikitable sortable"

!Institution

!Year

!Category

!Work

!Result

|-

| rowspan="4" |Saturn Awards

|1987

|Best Actor

|Aliens

|

|-

|1991

|Special Award

|

|

|-

|2011

|Life Career Award

|

|

|-

|2022

|Best Guest Starring Role on Television

|The Walking Dead

|

|-

|Sitges Film Festival

|2011

|Time-Machine Honorary Award

|

|

|}

References

  • Phoenix – Michael Biehn Archive