Block-faced character actor, whose malleable looks helped him segue from menacing characters ("Sea of Love" 1989) to reassuring ones ("The Dark Half" 1993). Rooker began on the Chicago stage, appearing in "Union Boys" and "Moon Children". He made the transition to features playing small character roles. In 1988 alone, he appeared in four films: John Sayles' "Eight Men Out", as a member of the Chicago "Black" Sox; Alan Parker's "Mississippi Burning", as a Klansman; "Rent-A-Cop"; and "Above the Law".
Rooker garnered critical acclaim for his disturbing performance in John McNaughton's "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" (1990). Filmed in 1986, and shelved until 1990, the film was finally released with an "X" rating due to its intensely realistic violence. Rooker's performance suggested the inner workings of a deeply disturbed yet outwardly normal man. Eschewing flashy characterization, Rooker crafted a human monster that truly unnerved the viewer. He has since been given strong supporting roles in the Tom Cruise vehicle "Days of Thunder" (1990), Oliver Stone's "JFK" (1991) and "The Dark Half" and "Cliffhanger" (both 1993).
Education
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Goodman Theater School of Drama, Chicago, Illinois, acting, BFA, 1982
Milestones
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1984 Feature acting debut, Streets of Fire
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1986 TV acting debut, Lady Blue
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1989 TV movie debut, Sleep Well, Professor Oliver
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1990 Feature debut as a lead, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer filmed in 1986
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1990 Played fellow race car driver Rowdy Burns opposite Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder directed by Tony Scott
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1991 Cast opposite Kevin Costner in Oliver Stone s JFK
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1993 Acted opposite Sylvester Stallone in the thriller Cliffhanger directed by Renny Harlin
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1996 Cast in Anjelica Huston s directorial debut Bastard Out of Carolina
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1998 Appeared opposite Yun-Fat Chow and Mira Sorvino in The Replacement Killers
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1999 Played Captain Howard Cheney in The Bone Collector starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie
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2000 Cast opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in the futuristic thriller The 6th Day
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2003 Appeared in the TV movie Saving Jessica Lynch based on the true story of the rescue of Private Jessica Lynch, by the United States army, in Iraq
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Cast as a detective leaving the force in FX s drama Thief (lensed 2004)
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Moved to Chicago at age 12
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Studied Aikido, a Japanese martial art