Lance Henriksen

Has two daughters: Sage Ariel (12 October 1999) and Alcamy.

Was illiterate until the age of thirty, when he learned to read by studying movie scripts.

His father was a Merchant Marine seaman nicknamed "Icewater".

Parents divorced when he was two.

Dropped out of school and left home at age 12.

Served in the United States Navy.

There was talk of having him reprise his role as Detective Vukovich in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines . The idea was to have his character bound in a wheelchair (after having survived the events of the original film). However, that idea was eventually rejected.

Was considered for the title role in The Terminator , but was ruled out when it was decided that Arnold Schwarzenegger (who was reading for the role of Kyle Reese) would be the perfect choice as the Terminator.

Has had at least two franchise characters written for him over the years. James Cameron originally wrote The Terminator character with him in mind, as did Victor Salva with the Creeper from the Jeepers Creepers movies.

In addition to having faced off against lethal aliens in the "Alien" and "Predator" films, he has also appeared in a film about more benevolent aliens: Close Encounters of the Third Kind .

As a young man, he hitchhiked across the United States.

He was James Cameron s original choice for the title role in The Terminator when the concept was for a machine that could blend into a crowd. Cameron had even made concept drawings of Henriksen as the Terminator. When the concept was changed, and Arnold Schwarzenegger was cast, Henriksen was re-cast as Det. Vukovich. When Cameron made Aliens , he cast Henriksen as Bishop, an android.

Lived in Borneo for three years when he was a kid.

Enjoys pottery and has been doing it for over 40 years.

He has filmed over seven movies in Romania.

He was walking through a hotel lobby in Romania (where he was wrapping up another film) when he was offered One Point O .

Is a big fan of Eminem s music.

Loves to vacation in Hawaii.

He and Bill Paxton are the only two actors to face off against a Terminator, an Alien and a Predator.

He is the only actor besides Sigourney Weaver to appear in more than one "Alien" movie.

The Irish electronica group Machines of Love have a song entitled "Lance Henriksen". The groups frontman P.A.L.A.S has said that hes a huge fan of his films and says that hes "criminally underrated".

Bears a striking resemblance to actor Stephen McHattie, with whom he is often confused. They even once played twin brothers, on an episode of the television series "Beauty and the Beast" called "Snow".

Lives in Santa Clarita, California.

The part of Frank Black in "Millennium" (1996/I) was written with him in mind.

Claims to have improvised his entire role in Stone Cold. He still believes it to be among his best roles.

Broke his hand while filming Piranha Part Two: The Spawning in Jamaica after jumping 40 feet out of a helicopter doing his own stunts. A crew member took him to the local hospital, but the sight of chickens rooting in a dumpster full of bloody bandages prompted him to reconsider medical treatment. He finished the shoot (in extreme pain) with a broken hand.

Spent four and a half months in Miamis Dade County Jail at age 17 for being an accomplice to a vehicle theft and eluding police in a car chase (the man driving, and guilty of the crime, was a person that had picked him up hitchhiking). Also spent a short stint in a Tucson, Arizona, jail for vagrancy in 1960.

The western The Big Sky (1952) was one of his biggest influences to get into film as a young man.

By the time he was 8 years old, he had spent time in two orphanages, a boarding school and a foster home.

Did not start acting until he was 30 years old.

Along with Charles Nelson Reilly , David Fredericks and Brittany Tiplady , he is one of only four actors to play the same character (Frank Black) in both "The X Files" and "Millennium" (1996/I) .

As of 2015, has appeared in three films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Dog Day Afternoon , Network and The Right Stuff .

Was cast as the voice of Kerchak in Tarzan because the filmmakers felt that his powerfully deep voice was perfect to fill the size of the character.

His father was a Norwegian immigrant, born in Tnsberg.

When you do a low-budget film, you gotta let your intuition fly.

[on leaving his role as Frank Black in "Millennium" (1996/I),behind him] Man, it took me a year to get out of that. With effort. The,first thing I did was go to Hawaii and get two tattoos. One is a shark,the other dolphins. I felt attacked, and I felt like a beast. It was,dark stuff. I think if we had gone on another year, it really would,have taken hold.

It does seem like some of my films have become cult movies and have done,very well in the long run. In several cases, they have proven,themselves without any help at all.

And not only was she a great actress, but she was so sexy that she made,me shy.

(2011, on his character in Hard Target) I was in a bar once with this,guy who was provoking everyone around him, including me. He pushed,people right to the point where they were ready to fight. Then he would,get happy - because when everybody around him was operating at a,certain adrenaline level, he felt normal. That was my motivation for,the character in Hard Target.

(2011, on working with Uma Thurman on Jennifer 8) At one point, we were,shooting in an old abandoned mental institution. Uma brought a Ouija,board and we went up into the scariest part of the building. We asked,it: "Who killed Kennedy?" And the thing almost leaped out of our hands.

(2011) Every love affair you ever have, that chick leaves a mark on you.

They were staying in the same hotel I was staying at. And one of the,soldiers gave me some Saddam money. I was very touched by it. He was,trying to give me the only thing he had to offer. And I felt really,grateful that they were sitting there - alive, not dead. So we used,that in the movie.

(2011, on Mangler 2) I had to pay some bills.

In every respect, fantasy is like doing abstract paintings.