Michael Biehn

Michael Connell Biehn is an American actor best known for his roles in prominent science fiction films directed by James Cameron. His most recognized portrayals include Sergeant Kyle Reese in The Terminator, Corporal Dwayne Hicks in Aliens, and Lieutenant Hiram Coffey in The Abyss. Over his career, he has appeared in numerous feature films, television series, and video games.

Biehn was born on July 31, 1956, in Anniston, Alabama, to Marcia and Don Biehn, a lawyer. He grew up as the second of three boys in a family with a surname of German origin. During his youth, he moved with his family to Lincoln, Nebraska, and later to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where he was a member of his high school drama club. He later attended the drama program at the University of Arizona and was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity before moving to Hollywood.

Biehn began his film career with a small uncredited role in Grease in 1978, followed by an appearance in the television movie A Fire in the Sky. He secured his first leading role playing a deranged stalker in the 1981 thriller The Fan opposite Lauren Bacall. In 1984, he achieved major recognition playing Kyle Reese in James Cameron's science fiction action film The Terminator alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton. Biehn later reprised his role as Reese in a scene cut from the theatrical release of Terminator 2: Judgment Day but included in its Director's Cut.

He collaborated with Cameron again in Aliens, stepping into the role of Corporal Dwayne Hicks as a last-minute replacement. His performance earned him a nomination for a Saturn Award for Best Actor. Although Hicks was killed off in Alien 3, Biehn later reprised the character by providing voice work for the video game Aliens: Colonial Marines and a 2019 audio drama adaptation of William Gibson's un-filmed Alien 3 script. Biehn teamed with Cameron a third time in The Abyss, playing Lieutenant Hiram Coffey, a performance that received strong reviews.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Biehn appeared in a variety of film projects. He played Johnny Ringo in Tombstone and portrayed a Navy SEAL in the action film The Rock. His film work extended to productions such as Clockstoppers and Havoc, alongside voice acting for video games like Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. Behind the camera, he directed the 2010 film The Blood Bond and wrote, directed, and starred in the 2011 film The Victim.

On television, Biehn appeared in series such as Hill Street Blues, The Magnificent Seven, Adventure Inc., and Hawaii. Later in his career, he was cast as the villain Lang in the second season of The Mandalorian in 2020 and portrayed Ian in the eleventh season of The Walking Dead in 2022. In 2025, he voiced the character Vandy in the animated project Predator: Killer of Killers.

In his personal life, Biehn has been married three times and is the father of five sons. Following a second marriage to Gina Marsh, he married actress Jennifer Blanc, who co-produced and starred alongside him in The Victim, and with whom he shares a son.