What happened to his career?
He was in The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Tombstone, The Rock, Grindhouse and then nothing.
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MovieChat Forums > Michael Biehn Discussion > What happened to his career?
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shareIf you scroll down a bit there's a totally similar topic with discussion. You might find your answer there.
shareNothing??!!! Is it a joke?
PLEASE, DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS!!
http://lebeauleblog.com/2014/03/08/what-the-hell-happened-to-michael-b iehn/
Michael Biehn has starred in some classic science fiction/action movies. Even if you don’t know his name (and odds are you don’t) you know his characters from James Cameron’s early hit movies. If things had gone just a little bit differently, he would have been a household name. Instead, he’s doing voice work for video games.
What the hell happened?
http://lebeauleblog.com/2014/03/08/what-the-hell-happened-to-michael-b iehn/9/
So, what the hell happened?
Currently, Biehn is still working steadily. He appears in another TV show called 24-Hour Rental which is in post-production. He could always pop up in those Avatar sequels. He’s also rumored to appear in a future installment of The Expendables franchise. But despite his action icon status, Biehn never made it to A-list stardom.
Even though Biehn and Cameron remain on good terms, the uber-successful director hasn’t cast Biehn in anything since 1989. Without Cameron, there wasn’t much to prop up Biehn’s career.
Being passed over for Alien 3 was a huge missed opportunity. There’s no telling how the proposed sequel would have turned out. But it almost certainly would have extended Biehn’s career and raised his profile.
Although Biehn had roles in memorable movies like The Terminator and Aliens, he was rarely ever the most memorable thing about them. The Terminator belonged to Schwarzenegger. Aliens belonged to Weaver. Biehn was upstaged by his old friend Bill Paxton in that movie.
It didn’t help that Biehn missed a couple of opportunities because he found the scripts difficult to read. The Usual Suspects, had he been offered a part, would have helped revive his career. And although Near Dark wasn’t a huge hit, it could have lead to future work with Bigelow such as Point Break.
On one hand, Biehn failed to capitalize on the opportunities The Terminator and Aliens gave him. On the other, he’s managed to work steadily for several decades on the backs of those two movies.
You know what, Biehn had his time, it was in the 1980's, early 1990's. And that is fine. We will always look fondly on him for his great performances.
On the one hand it is too bad his career didn't take off to mega stardom, because he does tend to dominate most of the movies he did appear in, despite never being the main character.
On the other hand, I can't remember seeing him in a role that destroyed his career either, so that is kind of a good thing we don't reminisce about his one legendary terrible performance or movie. He's probably got some bad ones, but I haven't seen them. All actors have bad movies.
I personally disagree with Biehn not being the most memorable thing about The Terminator. That movie is nothing without him. Yes, Arnold was great as the machine that barely talked and shot up everything. But, without Michael Biehn there is no understanding of Judgment Day, the war against the machines, why Sarah Conner MUST live, and no sense of urgency every single time the Terminator finds them. He completely makes that film and carries the story on his back. The entire franchise was built on the foundation his performance laid.
shareWhat happened to Michael Biehn, you ask?
Nothing. It would appear that his career is stronger than ever. Just look at
the number of forthcoming projects he has.
Number one, typecasting. With the notable exception of Johnny Ringo in Tombstone, most of his most high-profile roles were as some sort of soldier or military guy — The Terminator (resistance fighter), Aliens (Marine), The Abyss (Navy SEAL), Navy SEALs (guess), The Rock (SEAL again). So while he was a capable actor (and a serious one), he eventually became typecast to the degree that it became hard for audiences to not see him as a soldier.share
He also didn't necessarily choose his projects wisely. He was the first choice for the role of McManus in The Usual Suspects, but turned it down because he felt the script was convoluted, and signed on to make the colossal bomb Jade instead. (Stephen Baldwin ended up playing McManus.) He also initially turned down The Terminator, because he found the story absurd — James Cameron, who really wanted him for the part, talked him into changing his mind.
>He also initially turned down The Terminator, because he found the story absurd —
Not a smart man is he.
Arnold didn't appreciate The Terminator either because before filming he said this about it: "Oh some shit movie I'm doing, take a couple weeks."
I know its been a few years, but yeah, didn't the whole industry think Terminator was shit before it was made? Meaning, IIRC, James Cameron had trouble securing funding for this project of his. So, that doesn't really make Michael Biehn look stupid if you ask me.
shareYou're talking about Kyle Reese, not Biehn's performance. You could have said the exact same thing no matter who played him. I think he was very good as Kyle though, but I didn't find him particularly good in the Abyss or Aliens.
shareAlong with Clint Eastwood, Michael Biehn is my favorite actor of all time. It blows my mind that he never made it to the A-list.
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