Perhaps Michael Connell Biehn's most memorable role was that of Kyle Reese in the 1984 movie The Terminator, one of four films directed by James Cameron that he has appeared in, the other three being Aliens (where he played the level-headed Corporal Hicks), The Abyss, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (in which his small, reprised role as Reese was cut from the theatrical release). Biehn has also played a Navy SEAL in three different films: The Abyss, Navy SEALs, and The Rock. For his role as Lt. Coffey in The Abyss, the studio lobbied hard to get Biehn nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, but to no avail.

A picture of Biehn as Kyle Reese in The Terminator was reproduced as the cover art of the 1987 video game, Metal Gear, which was meant to portray the game's protagonist, Solid Snake.

In the 2000s, Biehn has taken acting roles ranging from big budget movies such as The Art of War and Clockstoppers, to video games like Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun, and independent movies, such as Havoc. He also starred in three TV series, including the CBS drama The Magnificent Seven (1998-2000), the Tribune Entertainment syndicated TV series Adventure, Inc. (2002-2003), and the NBC TV series Hawaii (2004). Biehn is currently being considered for a role in James Cameron's new sci-fi epic movie, Avatar (2009).