COME WITH ME IF YOU WANT TO LIVE: A Tribute to Michael Biehn
Although it's true that he hasn't really had such a good role since The Rock in 1996, I have always had the feeling that Michael Biehn is one of Hollywood's unsung action heroes. He starred alongside Wesley Snipes in The Art of War in 2000 (the sequel of which is released on DVD this week), but more importantly, he has been involved in a couple of the biggest action/sci fi franchises ever, The Terminator series and the best one of the Alien films.He's probably best known from the original Terminator in his role as Kyle Reese, the time-travelling father of John Connor (who is soon to be portrayed in a third Terminator sequel by Christian Bale), to which all succeeding roles are arguably compared. But even though Biehn formed a close working relationship with James Cameron while making The Terminator - which led to his role in Aliens and his stand-out role in The Abyss - he has clearly suffered from the after-effects of starring in a wildly successful film as a relatively unknown actor. You may have noticed that Robert Patrick, after his role as the T-1000, didn't fare so well...
Unfortunately, even after major roles in these tremendously successful movies, Biehn remains unable to attain the international fame that many people feel he deserves. The majority of his bigger roles are as military officers or some kind of law enforcement (he's played the role of a soldier 10 times), so the typecasting is hard to ignore, but there is something that is far more watchable about him than most other actors. When he says in The Rock, "You compromise my men in the field, and I'll bury you out there," man you really believe it!
Okay, now check this out. In 1994 he was cast in the role of Peter Parker/Spiderman in James Cameron's attempt to bring Spidey to the big screen. The project was, however, abandoned because it was deemed too technically challenging for early 90s movie magic (which says something for Cameron's vision for the movie, since he had made T2 a couple years earlier), so Cameron made True Lies instead, while Biehn, who's last role was the remarkably convincing Ringo in Tombstone, made the instantly forgettable sci fi flick Deep Red. Oops
[caption id="attachment_7666" align="alignleft" width="266" caption=""I DO NOT GIVE THAT ORDER!!""]
[/caption]Possibly the closest that Biehn ever came to major recognition, as far as awards, was in 1989, when the studio pushed hard for him to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in The Abyss. Sadly, he wasn't even nominated. That honors went to Martin Landau, Marlon Brando, Danny Aiello, and Dan Aykroyd. Denzel Washington won for his work in Glory.
All too often, Biehn seems to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, or came within a hair's breadth of a career-launching role but narowly missed it. He was considered, for example, for the role of Caledon Hockley in Titanic, for example, before the role went to Billy Zane.
So given that he's a clearly talented and interesting actor, what is it that has prevented him from really getting the respect and recognition that he deserves? Or at least more good roles? I have a theory that it could be something as simple as name recognition...
[caption id="attachment_7671" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="My first car, "the bean.""]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_7673" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Hollywire's mascot, Bean."]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_7713" align="aligncenter" width="280" caption="Bernie Mac, at the age when his mother nicknamed him "Beanie.""]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_7674" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Can you guess the two words the nurse says when she calls Michael out of the waiting room at the doctor's office?"]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_7676" align="aligncenter" width="267" caption="Then again, it could just be fate..."]
[/caption]In any case, Michael is aware of an acute sense of having been overlooked, but seems to make the best of the situation. In an interview 5 years after The Terminator, he says, "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."
Good work, Mr. Biehn. We Michaels have to stick together...
