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Michael Connell Biehn (born July 31, 1956) is an American actor, director, producer and writer who played Corporal Hicks in the 1986 film Aliens, replacing James Remar. He later lent his voice and likeness to the character in the 2013 video game Aliens: Colonial Marines and its expansion pack Stasis Interrupted, and reprised the role again in the 2019 audio drama Alien III. Other notable films Biehn has appeared in include The Terminator (1984), The Abyss (1989), Tombstone (1993), The Rock (1996) and Planet Terror (2007).

For his role in Aliens, Biehn was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actor. He is known for his work in the films of James Cameron; he has appeared in four of the director's movies. On the set of Planet Terror, Biehn was encouraged by director Robert Rodriguez to make his own film, and Biehn's directorial debut, The Blood Bond, was realized in 2010.

Awards and Nominations[]

Year Film Notes
1986 Aliens Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actor

Filmography[]

Year Title Functioned as Notes
Director Actor
1978 Grease RedCross GreenTick Uncredited
Coach RedCross GreenTick
1980 Hog Wild RedCross GreenTick
1981 The Fan RedCross GreenTick
1983 The Lords of Discipline RedCross GreenTick With Valerie Colgan, William Hope, Stuart Milligan and Bill Paxton
1984 The Terminator RedCross GreenTick With Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton and Arnold Schwarzenegger, directed by James Cameron
1985 Deadly Intentions RedCross GreenTick
1986 Aliens RedCross GreenTick
1987 Rampage RedCross GreenTick
1988 The Seventh Sign RedCross GreenTick
In a Shallow Grave RedCross GreenTick
1989 The Abyss RedCross GreenTick Directed by James Cameron
1990 Navy SEALs RedCross GreenTick With Bill Paxton
1991 Timebomb RedCross GreenTick
Terminator 2: Judgement Day

[1]

RedCross GreenTick With Jenette Goldstein, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sven-Ole Thorsen and Gerard G. Williams, directed by James Cameron
K2 RedCross GreenTick
1993 Deadfall RedCross GreenTick
Tombstone RedCross GreenTick With Bill Paxton
1995 In the Kingdom of the Blind RedCross GreenTick
Jade RedCross GreenTick With William H. Burton, Jr. and Holt McCallany
Breach of Trust RedCross GreenTick
1996 Mojave Moon RedCross GreenTick
The Rock RedCross GreenTick With Raymond Cruz and Henry Kingi
1997 Dead Men Can't Dance RedCross GreenTick
The Ride RedCross GreenTick
1987 Rampage RedCross GreenTick
1998 Susan's Plan RedCross GreenTick With Bill Duke
American Dragons RedCross GreenTick
2000 Chain of Command RedCross GreenTick With María Conchita Alonso and Pat Skipper
Cherry Falls RedCross GreenTick
The Art of War RedCross GreenTick
2001 Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 RedCross GreenTick With Kent McCord
2002 Clockstoppers RedCross GreenTick With Jenette Goldstein
Borderline RedCross GreenTick
2005 Havoc RedCross GreenTick With Raymond Cruz
Dragon Squad RedCross GreenTick
2007 The Insatiable RedCross GreenTick
You Are Here RedCross GreenTick
Planet Terror RedCross GreenTick With Danny Trejo, directed by Robert Rodriguez
They Wait RedCross GreenTick
2008 Stiletto RedCross GreenTick
2009 Saving Grace RedCross GreenTick
Streets of Blood RedCross GreenTick With John Cann
2010 Psych 9 RedCross GreenTick
Bereavement RedCross GreenTick
The Blood Bond GreenTick GreenTick
2011 Puncture RedCross GreenTick
The Divide RedCross GreenTick
Take Me Home Tonight RedCross GreenTick With Topher Grace
The Victim GreenTick GreenTick
Yellow Rock RedCross GreenTick
2012 Sushi Girl RedCross GreenTick With Danny Trejo
2013 Treachery RedCross GreenTick
2014 The Dark Forest RedCross GreenTick
Hidden in the Woods RedCross GreenTick With Ricco Ross
Tapped Out RedCross GreenTick
2015 The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power RedCross GreenTick With Rutger Hauer and Ian Whyte

Documentary Appearances[]

Trivia[]

  • Biehn replaced James Remar in the role of Hicks when the latter was caught in possession of illegal substances and was fired from the production of Aliens.[2] Cameron knew Biehn from filming The Terminator two years previously, and he was subsequently cast as Hicks.
    • As a result of his late casting, Biehn did not get to customise his own combat armor as the other Marine actors had done; the motifs on his battledress had already been created by Remar.
  • Contrary to popular belief, Biehn did not have a problem with Hicks dying in Alien3, but he did strongly object to callousness of his death in the opening of the film. He was, however, initially apprehensive with the news that Hick's character would be killed by a Chestburster, and got into a confrontational phone call with David Fincher.[3] The actor has since proposed that his character should have appeared alongside Ripley in the movie so that their relationship could be further developed, before he was killed later in the film.[4] Biehn later went on to demand and receive substantial compensation for his character's likeness in the film[5]
  • Biehn recalled asking Robert Rodriguez during the production of Planet Terror why the director had cast him. Rodriguez responded,"I wanted to cast you because there's a certain moment in that movie where all hell is breaking loose, and I wanted to see you coming through these hospital doors, to see you bang through these double doors, and I want the audience to stand up and cheer." Biehn was dubious, but later recalled, "Anyway, we're at the big screen downtown, a thousand people, and the movie starts, blah blah blah happens, Josh Brolin's doing his thing. All of a sudden, I come crashing through the front door with a shotgun in my hand... and fucking everybody goes crazy. Everybody stands up and cheers. Here comes the fucking cavalry, which I guess I represented. Which I guess he knew I represented. That's Robert. He knew that moment was going to happen if he cast me in that role, as opposed to somebody else, I think, because of all the stuff that I had done back in the 80s I guess was kind of heroic."[6]
  • Biehn has stated in an interview that he did not enjoy his involvement in Aliens: Colonial Marines, explaining that voicing Hicks "wasn't fun at all" before going on to describe how the game "seemed kind of passionless."[7]

Gallery[]

External Links[]

References[]

  1. Biehn's appearance in Terminator 2: Judgement Day was cut from the theatrical release, but later reinstated in the extended Special Edition
  2. "Strange Shapes - The Other Hicks: James Remar". Retrieved on 2013-05-13.
  3. Was Michael Biehn Paid More to NOT Be in Alien 3 Than to Be In Aliens? (cbr.com)
  4. Michael BiehnHicks' Alternate Future (2010), 20th Century Fox [Blu-ray].
  5. Was Michael Biehn Paid More to NOT Be in Alien 3 Than to Be In Aliens? (cbr.com)
  6. "Lebeau's Le Blog - What the Hell Happened to Michael Biehn?". Retrieved on 2015-01-20.
  7. Michael Biehn: voicing Hicks in Aliens Colonial Marines "wasn't fun at all"
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