Lance Henriksen

This article is written from a Real World perspective.

Lance James Henriksen
Gender	Male
Date of birth	May 5, 1940
Place of birth	New York City, New York, USA
Character(s)	General Tesler
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Lance James Henriksen is an American actor and artist best known to film and television audiences for his roles in science fiction, action, and horror films such as the Alien film franchise, and on television shows such as Millennium. Henriksen is also a voice actor, noted for his deep, commanding voice. He provides the voice for the character of General Tesler in TRON: Uprising.

Biography

Henriksen was born in New York City. His father, James Henriksen (born as Jim Marino Henriksen in Tønsberg in 1910), was a Norwegian merchant sailor and boxer nicknamed "Icewater" who spent most of his life at sea. His mother, Margueritte, struggled to find work as a dance instructor, waitress, and model. His parents divorced when he was two years old, and he was raised by his mother. As he grew up, Henriksen found himself in trouble at various schools and even saw the inside of a children's home. He would not learn to read until he was 30, when he taught himself by studying film scripts.

Career

Henricksen was considered for the lead role in The Terminator; the role was written with him in mind, but eventually went to Arnold Schwarznegger. He nonetheless appeared in the film as Detective Hal Vukovich. He is perhaps best known for portraying the android Bishop, an artificial life-form, in Aliens (1986) and Alien 3 (1992). He would go on to play Charles Bishop Weyland, the man Bishop's appearance was based on, in Alien vs. Predator (2004). He has appeared in such noteworthy films as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and The Right Stuff, as well as Hard Target, which he remembers fondly for the opportunity to work with director John Woo. His performances on Chris Carter's Millennium earned him critical acclaim, a People's Choice Award nomination for Favorite New Male TV Star, and three consecutive Golden Globe nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series (1997–1999).

As a voice actor, he has featured in movies, cartoons, and games from Disney's Tarzan to the Mass Effect series, and still has an active career in live action film and television.

Personal life

Henriksen married Mary Jane Evans in 1985, and they had one child Alcamy Henriksen (born 1987), and they divorced in 1989. Henriksen then married Jane Pollack in 1995, and they had another child, Sage Ariel Henriksen (born 1999), before they divorced in 2006.