Michael Biehn

*Michael Biehn
(60 years old)

31 July 1956
Anniston, Alabama, USA
6' (1,83 m)


Michael Connell Biehn was born on July 31, 1956 in Anniston, Alabama, to Marcia (Connell) and Don Biehn, a lawyer. He grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska, and at age 14 moved with his family to Lake Havasu, Arizona, where he won a drama scholarship to the University of Arizona.

He hit the big-time when he was cast as Kyle Reese, the man sent back through time to stop Arnold Schwarzenegger in James Cameron's Terminator (1984). This established a good working relationship with Cameron, a relationship that should have catapulted Biehn to international stardom. He starred in Cameron's subsequent films, Aliens (El regreso) (1986) and Abyss (1989), the latter a standout performance as unstable Navy SEAL officer Lt. Hiram Coffey. In the 1990s he starred in films like Navy Seals, comando especial (1990), K2 (1991) and was particularly memorable as Johnny Ringo in Tombstone: la leyenda de Wyatt Earp (1993). Biehn is married and the father of four sons. - IMDb Mini Biography By: André Hansson <andreh@hawkan.pp.se>


Spouse*

Gina Marsh (1 January 1988 - 2014) (divorced) (2 children)
Carlene Olson (11 July 1980 - 14 July 1987) (divorced) (2 children)


Trade Mark*

Frequently plays military soldiers or various sorts of law enforcement officials

Frequently works with James Cameron


Trivia*
Has played a Navy SEAL three times: Abyss (1989), Navy Seals, comando especial (1990) and La Roca (1996).

In James Cameron's Terminator (1984), he gets bitten on the hand by another character. He has suffered the same on-screen injury in every James Cameron film he has been in: in Terminator (1984) he is bitten by Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) in Aliens (El regreso)(1986) Rebecca "Newt" Jorden (Carrie Henn) does the same thing, and in Abyss (1989) Virgil "Bud" Brigman (Ed Harris) does the honors. This was alluding to him being bitten on the hand in James Cameron's version of Spider-Man.

Replaced actor James Remar as Corporal Dwayne Hicks in Aliens (El regreso) (1986).

He almost did not get the role of Kyle Reese in Terminator (1984) because at his first audition he spoke in a Southern accent. He had just come another audition for a stage production of "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof" and had not been able to shake the accent, and the producers did not want the character Kyle Reese to seem regionalized. After calling and talking with Biehn's agent, they gave him another audition and he got the role.

Attended the University of Arizona on a drama scholarship. He left school two years early to pursue his career in Hollywood.

Has two children with Carlene Olson: twin boys, Devon and Taylor Biehn (born 1984).

Has two sons with ex-wife Gina Marsh: Caelan Michael Biehn (born April 11, 1992) and Alexander Biehn (born March 19, 2003).

Was nominated for Best Actor at the 1986 Saturn Awards for Aliens (El regreso) (1986) and won a Special Award at the 1989 Saturn Awards for Abyss (1989).

Said that he did not get to interact with Arnold Schwarzenegger very much while filming Terminator (1984). Ironically, fans often ask him what it was like to work with Arnold.

James Cameron considered using him as the T-1000 in Terminator 2: El juicio final(1991), which would have been a reversal of the roles Biehn previously had with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original. Eventually, however, Cameron decided against the idea on the basis that it would have been too confusing for the audience.

Filmed a cameo in Terminator 2: El juicio final (1991) in which Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) fantasizes a meeting with him, but the scene was cut from the theatrical release; it later became available in the director's edition. Biehn said in an interview that he was not surprised that the scene was cut, seeing as how it had little to do with the film's overall story.

Has appeared in five films with Bill Paxton: Hombres de hierro (1983), Terminator (1984), Aliens (El regreso) (1986), Navy Seals, comando especial (1990) and Tombstone: la leyenda de Wyatt Earp (1993). They are also good friends.

Surname pronounced "Bean".

Is a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity at the University of Arizona.

Has appeared in two films with Ed Harris, in both of which he played a Navy SEAL: Abyss(1989) and La Roca (1996).

A shot of him as Kyle Reese in the movie Terminator (1984) was reproduced as the cover-art of the video game Metal Gear (1987). Biehn was chosen as a model as he was then at the peak of his fame, and would be the ideal actor to play Metal Gear's protagonist Solid Snake had Metal Gear been an action movie.

The studio pushed hard for an Academy Award nomination for Biehn as Best Supporting Actor in Abyss (1989) - an award he ultimately did not win or even got nominated for.

Cites not being asked to reprise his role as Corporal Dwayne Hicks for Alien 3 (1992) as one of the biggest disappointments of his career.

Partner is actress Jennifer Blanc.

For his role on Tombstone: la leyenda de Wyatt Earp (1993), he was trained by renowned Hollywood Gun Coach Thell Reed, who has also trained such actors as: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Bill Paxton, Sam Elliot, Russell Crowe, Brad Pitt, Girard Swan and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Friends with Brian Austin Green and Megan Fox.

Was considered for the role of Caledon Hockley in Titanic (1997) and even met with James Cameron for the role, but ultimately the role went to Billy Zane. Biehn and Zane appeared together in Tombstone: la leyenda de Wyatt Earp (1993) and El plan de Susan(1998).

Was considered for a role in James Cameron's Avatar (2009) but the role went to Stephen Lang.

His top five actors are: 1. Sean Penn 2. Denzel Washington 3. Johnny Depp 4. Jeff Bridges5. Ed Harris.

Loves basketball.

Has played basketball in high school and is shown playing basketball in three of his films: Coach (1978), Grease (1978) and El arte de la guerra (2000).

Of all the films he has done, his favorite is Tombstone: la leyenda de Wyatt Earp (1993).

Has stated in interviews that his favorite roles were Johnny Ringo and Kyle Reese.

Lives in Los Angeles, California.

Turned down roles in Los viajeros de la noche (1987) and Ocho hombres (1988).

In his two most famous roles (as Kyle Reese in Terminator (1984) and Corporal Dwayne Hicks in Aliens (El regreso) (1986)), he is injured towards the end of the film and has the film's heroine help him to walk.

Won the Exceptional Achievement Award at the 2011 STTV/ITVfest Awards.

Won the 2011 Life Career Award at the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.

He named his favorite films as Días sin huella (1945), El padrino (1972), El padrino. Parte II (1974), Alguien voló sobre el nido del cuco (1975), Taxi Driver (1976) and Sin perdón(1992).

Son-in-law of Jenise Blanc.

He has English, German and Irish ancestry.

Became a father for the fifth time. He has a son named Dashiell King Biehn, born on March 21, 2015. Child's mother is his girlfriend/partner Jennifer Blanc-Biehn.


Personal Quotes*
[on not spending much time with Arnold Schwarzenegger on Terminator (1984)] I saw him around, you know. He was doing his thing, I was doing my thing, but I didn't really get to talk to him because Linda and I spend the entire film running away from Arnold.

[on the chase scenes in Terminator (1984)] Looking back on it, I realize we were really going at some high speeds those nights. One night, my adrenaline was running so high I actually tore the steering wheel off, and I just looked over at Linda [Hamilton] and said "Here, you drive!".

I do a lot of research on most of my roles and before I start a role when I read a script I know all of the beats in the script and I know exactly how to do it because I've read about such a character or experienced similar things myself or had the same sort of relationship with people. So, when I go in to act it it's mostly technique. I'm not an actor who just lets things happen in front of the camera.

I know why they think of me as intense. It's because on the set, I'm very concentrated. I don't just walk on and do my thing and walk off. I'm very intense when I'm working. I know exactly what I'm doing before I get in there. [1990 interview]

A sense of insecurity, I think. It really comes down to not really having a full understanding of myself and my sense of self and having a real confidence in myself as a person. I seem to be able to have more confidence in some characters I play, knowing right down the line exactly the way that I feel about things about the character whereas in real life I'm more insecure. I don't really know the answers.

I do firmly believe that I've been overlooked, especially in Terminator (1984). Jim Cameron was saying to me at the time, "I don't know Michael why you are not being offered more movies now." All of us expected it, you know? But now, five or six years later, when everyone has seen the movie five or six times on video people are beginning to realize how good it was and what a good performance it was. But I have to say I don't feel shortchanged and I don't resent anything. I think it's best in the long run. Look at the Brat Pack: those guys got so much so fast that they were never allowed to really struggle and know what good chances they had in much of the work they were doing. So even though I felt that some of my work was overlooked at times I know that it has made me stronger and better and it has made me work harder to get other jobs and be good in them. [1989 interview]

[on Christian Bale's rant on the set of Terminator Salvation (2009)] I thought it was kinda sad. [...] I'll tell you what: he wouldn't talk to me like that.

I want to be in the best movies I can be in, but if I can't be in the best movies, then I want to be the best I can be in whatever I am in.

I try not to think of my art as a career, because the only time in my life I feel very good about standing on this earth is when I'm acting. That's why I do it: for those few moments when everything just feels so good. [August 1986 interview]

I almost never get to play heroes like Corporal Hicks [from Aliens (El regreso) (1986)]. It must be the glint in my eyes. People think something wicked is going on. [August 1986 interview]

[on Alien 3 (1992)] I demanded there were no shots of Hicks' (his character from Aliens (El regreso) (1986)) dead body laying there with his chest burst open. After all the time and effort I put into it, I just thought that was not the way for Hicks to go out. I've never even seen it. But I don't think there's any doubt that the first two Alien, el octavo pasajero (1979) movies are the great ones. They haven't dated. Hell, Aliens (El regreso)(1986) looks better than the Alien films that came after it.

[when asked if he ever thought about doing cameos in the Terminator movie series] Well, I've thought about it but nobody else did.

I always used to tell my agent I didn't want to be a movie star. I just wanted to be an actor and it kinda worked out that way. The problem was I didn't get paid as much and I didn't get the choice of scripts that I wanted. [February 2011 interview]

Producers and directors seem to like me because I'm a pretty good story editor and I've got a pretty good BS meter and I'm pretty good at saying: "This doesn't make sense. Maybe we could do this?". I'm pretty good at not only pointing out problems in a script but having solutions for them, as well, and I've gotten good to the point I'm now directing myself. [February 2011 interview]

[on The Victim (2011)] I negotiated to have - within my budget - full authority to hire who I want, cast who I want, shoot where and how I want, and cut the film the way I want. I get to decide when to release the film, when to sell it and for how much. I have the James Cameron contract on the Roger Corman budget. [July 2012 interview]

People think that 'It's the Alien sequel so it'll just be great' but they forget it was Ridley Scott and James Cameron, y'know? You just don't follow those guys. You really don't. You've really got to be good to follow those those guys... And Fincher (David Fincher) ended up being a great filmmaker but his Aliens was not, I don't think, as good as the rest of them.

I don't know why I never got round to watching Terminator (1984) three or four... I actually saw a little bit of four in my hotel room once. I actually watched about 30 minutes of it and I just turned it off because I didn't know what was going on, bombs were blowing up all over the place, there was no dialogue, everybody was shooting everybody... I was like "Ah man, this is not for me.".

Ridley's (Ridley Scott) a guy that'll do something interesting and he's been making interesting, wonderful movies all his life. I mean when you go back and look at something like Blade Runner (1982), and from Blade Runner (1982) on he's just made great films.

The reason Tombstone: la leyenda de Wyatt Earp (1993) was such a good movie is because it had a great script by Kevin Jarre. It had great characters. And it had great actors to play them. Kurt was great. I don't think Val has been better in any other movie. It's his greatest performance. You have Sam Elliott, you have Bill Paxton, you have Powers Boothe, you have Thomas Haden Church. You've got Jason Priestley and Billy Zane. Billy Bob Thornton and Frank Stallone. Everywhere you look, there is a new face that pops up. They are a celebrity, but they fit into this world. I think our film was the bubblegum version.

We had to take a hundred and thirty-five page script and shoot it in twelve weeks. Kurt Russell and Jim Jacks really saved the movie. I believe they did it by tearing scenes out. So Powers Boothe would lose a scene. I would lose a scene. Bill Paxton would lose a scene. Or two scenes. Or three scenes. Everybody's ego had to be messaged at that point. We were watching our characters disappear. Without Kurt's leadership, that movie would have folded at that point. I give Kurt Russell a lot of credit for managing everybody's egos. And making the right decisions on what needed to be cut and what didn't need to be cut.

[on refusing money to lend his body likeness for Alien 3 (1992)] I was really stupid back then.

(2012, on Navy Seals, comando especial (1990)) That is a movie which... I was really disappointed with that movie, because we had the Navy behind us, we had a really, really good producer, Bernie Williams, we had a great crew and a great cast. We had Charlie [Sheen] and [Bill] Paxton and me and Joanne Whalley, Dennis Haysbert... just a great cast. We had a script that could've been worked on, could've been made a lot better, but they wanted to make this kind of silly movie about Charlie Sheen running and jumping on the back of a car, putting it in reverse, and driving it off a ramp. The director wanted to make... I don't know what he wanted to make. A comedy or something. I guess he considered it like an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. I wanted to do Top Gun (Ídolos del aire) (1986), and Paxton wanted to do Top Gun (Ídolos del aire) (1986). We wanted to make a really good movie, and it really turned out to be kind of a mish-mash and not a very good movie at all. So it's really kind of... yeah, it's probably the worst experience of my life, working on that movie.