Jason Momoa
Momoa at San Diego Comic-Con in 2018
Born
Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa

(1979-08-01) August 1, 1979
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Occupations
  • Actor
  • filmmaker
Years active1999–present
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2017, div. 2024)​
Children2
Signature

Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa (/məˈmoʊə/; born August 1, 1979[1]) is an American actor. He made his acting debut as Jason Ioane on the syndicated action drama series Baywatch: Hawaii (1999–2001), which was followed by portrayals of Ronon Dex on the Syfy science fiction series Stargate Atlantis (2005–2009), and Khal Drogo in the first two seasons of the HBO fantasy drama series Game of Thrones (2011–2012). He went on to play the lead roles in the Discovery Channel historical drama series Frontier (2016–2018) and the Apple TV+ science fiction series See (2019–2022).

From 2016 to 2023, Momoa portrayed Aquaman in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), including in the solo feature Aquaman (2018) and its sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). Momoa has also played Duncan Idaho in the science fiction film Dune (2021), and has starred in the action film Fast X (2023).

Early life

An only child, Momoa was born on August 1, 1979, in Honolulu, Hawaii,[2] to Coni (Lemke), a photographer, and Joseph Momoa, a painter. His father is Native Hawaiian,[3][4] while his mother is of German, Irish, and Pawnee[2] ancestry.[5] Shortly after his birth, his parents divorced and he and his mother moved to Norwalk, Iowa, where he was raised. He graduated from Norwalk High School where he was part of the soccer team alongside Brandon Routh.[6] He attended the University of Hawaii.[1]

Career

Momoa during the filming of Stargate Atlantis in 2006

At 19 years old, while living and working in Honolulu, Momoa decided to audition for the television series Baywatch Hawaii,[1][7] in which he was cast as Jason Ioane (1999–2001).[8] He was in the main cast on the 2004-2005 Fox drama North Shore as Frankie.

In addition to his appearances in Johnson Family Vacation (2004) and Stargate: Atlantis (2005–2009), Momoa was cast as Roman in four episodes of the comedy-drama television series The Game (2009). He portrayed the title protagonist in Conan the Barbarian (2011), a reimagining of the 1982 film of the same name and a role made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Momoa gained his role of Khal Drogo on HBO's Game of Thrones through his audition, in which he performed a Haka,[9] one of many intimidating Māori dances traditionally used to convey a challenge to an opponent, or a welcome to a visitor.[10]

Momoa directed and co-wrote Road to Paloma (2014), an American drama thriller film, together with writers Jonathan Hirschbein and Robert Homer Mollohan. The film stars Momoa, Sarah Shahi, Lisa Bonet, Michael Raymond-James and Wes Studi.[11] It premiered at the 2014 Sarasota Film Festival in April 2014.[12] The film had a limited theatrical release on July 15, 2014, in New York City and Los Angeles and a VOD release.[13]

Momoa in 2014

In March 2014, Momoa joined the dark comedy/thriller indie Sugar Mountain alongside Cary Elwes and Haley Webb; its principal photography was done in Alaska.[14][15] He also starred as Phillip Kopus, a Ramapough Mountain Indian, on the SundanceTV drama series The Red Road (2014–2015).[16]

In June 2014, Momoa was reported to have been cast in the role of Arthur Curry / Aquaman, after he auditioned for Bruce Wayne / Batman.[17] He first played the role in a cameo in the superhero film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,[18][19][20] marking Aquaman's live action film debut. Momoa played the character in a leading role in the 2017 ensemble film Justice League and its director's cut; Zack Snyder's Justice League. He then starred in the Aquaman solo film, which was released in late 2018.[21][22][23] He also reprised this role in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.[24]

In August 2014, Momoa portrayed Connor in the Canadian horror action film Wolves,[25] and starred in the Sci-fi horror movie Debug; it was written and directed by Momoa's former Stargate Atlantis co-star, British-born Canadian actor David Hewlett. In February 2015, it was announced that he would portray a cannibal[26] in the drama thriller film The Bad Batch.[27] In 2015, Momoa was cast in the Canadian action film Braven, which was released on February 2, 2018.

In March 2017, it was announced that Momoa would play Rico Rodriguez in the official Just Cause film series.[28][29]

Between 2016 and 2018, Momoa portrayed Declan Harp in all three seasons of the Canadian historical drama television series Frontier and was an executive producer on the show. The series chronicles the North American fur trade in late 1700s Canada, and follows Declan Harp, a part-Irish, part-Cree outlaw who is campaigning to breach the Hudson's Bay Company's monopoly on the fur trade in Canada, which has become corrupt and engages in illegal activities to enrich itself.[30][31]

In July 2018, Momoa was cast for Apple's post-apocalyptic drama series See.[32][33]

In February 2019, Momoa was cast as Duncan Idaho in the Denis Villeneuve film Dune.[34][35]

In February 2020, Momoa appeared in a halftime commercial for Rocket Mortgage for Super Bowl LIV. He also appeared in the teaser for "Scary Little Green Men" by Ozzy Osbourne from his album Ordinary Man.

In January 2022, it was announced that Momoa joined the cast of the tenth Fast & Furious film titled Fast X as the main villain, Dante Reyes, the son of Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), the main antagonist killed by Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) in Fast Five. Fast X is produced by and stars Vin Diesel.[36]

Personal life

Momoa in July 2017

Momoa met his first fiancee, actress Simmone Jade Mackinnon, on the set of Baywatch in 1999. They were together for 6 years and became engaged in 2004. Mackinnon and Momoa called off their engagement after Momoa began a relationship with actress Lisa Bonet in 2005.[37][38]

Although it was previously believed that Momoa and Bonet had married on November 15, 2007, the couple did not marry until October 2017.[39] Daughter Lola Iolani was born in July 2007,[40][38] and son Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha[40] was born in December 2008.[41] In January 2022, Momoa and Bonet announced their split.[42] In January 2024, Bonet filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences and listing their date of separation as October 7, 2020.[43][44] The divorce was granted one day later, and on July 9, 2024, they will be legally single.[45]

Momoa learned martial arts for his role as Ronon in Stargate Atlantis.[46] In 2017, Momoa started practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu.[47][48]

He is a fan of heavy metal music[49] and has noted that he "build[s] [his] characters off of metal songs".[50] He invited members of Archspire for cameo appearances in the first episode of the TV series See, and he also practiced proper screaming technique with the vocalist of Archspire, Oli Peters, for a significant scene in the series.[51][52] On October 30, 2020, Momoa was featured in the song "Doom" by black metal band Scour.[53] Momoa is a hobby musician and plays bass guitar, mandolin, ukulele[54] and guitar[55] in his spare time, the first of which he took up after listening to Tool's song "Sober".[56]

Jason became a rock climber and boulderer in his teens when his mother took him to Sylvan Lake in the Needles of South Dakota[57][58]

Momoa has numerous tattoos, including a halfsleeve on his left forearm, a tribute to his family god, or "aumakua".[59]

He participated in protests against the building of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea, a holy spiritual site for native Hawaiians.[60][61]

Facial scar

On November 15, 2008, Momoa was slashed across the face with a broken beer glass during an altercation at the Birds Cafe, a tavern in Hollywood, California.[62][63] He received approximately 140 stitches during reconstructive surgery and the scar through his left eyebrow is apparent in his later work.[62] The assailant was sentenced to five years in prison for the attack.[63]

Filmography

Film

Key
† Denotes productions that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2004 Johnson Family Vacation Navarro
2007 Pipeline Kai
2010 Brown Bag Diaries: Ridin' the Blinds in B Minor Mikey Short film; director, screenwriter and executive producer
2011 Conan the Barbarian Conan
2012 Bullet to the Head Keegan
2014 Road to Paloma Robert Wolf Director, producer, co-writer [11]
Debug I Am
Wolves Connor
2016 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Arthur Curry / Aquaman Cameo [21]
Sugar Mountain Joe Bright [14]
2017 Once Upon a Time in Venice Spider [64]
The Bad Batch Miami Man [27]
Justice League Arthur Curry / Aquaman
2018 Braven Joe Braven Producer
Aquaman Arthur Curry / Aquaman
2019 The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part Voice role
2020 Gather Himself Documentary; executive producer [65]
2021 Zack Snyder's Justice League Arthur Curry / Aquaman Director's cut of Justice League
Sweet Girl Ray Cooper Producer
Dune Duncan Idaho
2022 Slumberland Flip [66]
The Last Manhunt Big Jim Executive producer [67]
2023 Fast X Dante Reyes [68]
The Flash Arthur Curry / Aquaman Uncredited post credits appearance
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Co-story writer
TBA In the Hand of Dante † Filming [69]

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1999–2001 Baywatch: Hawaii Jason Ioane Main role [70]
2003 Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding Jason Television film
Tempted Kala
2004–2005 North Shore Frankie Seau Main role
2005–2009 Stargate Atlantis Ronon Dex Main role
2009 The Game Roman 4 episodes
2011–2012 Game of Thrones Khal Drogo Recurring role [71]
2014–2015 The Red Road Phillip Kopus Main role [16]
Drunk History Various roles 2 episodes
2016–2018 Frontier Declan Harp Main role; also executive producer [30]
2018–2023 Saturday Night Live Himself (host) 4 episodes [72]
2019 The Simpsons Himself (voice) Episode: "The Fat Blue Line"
2019–2022 See Baba Voss Main role [73]
2022 Peacemaker Arthur Curry / Aquaman Episode: "It's Cow or Never", uncredited cameo
2023 The Climb Himself 8 episodes
TBA Chief of War[74] TBA Miniseries, also co-creator and executive producer

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2011 CinemaCon Awards Male Rising Star Conan the Barbarian & Game of Thrones Won
Scream Awards Best Ensemble Game of Thrones Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
2017 Canadian Screen Awards Best Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role Frontier
2019 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Movie Actor Aquaman
Favorite Superhero
MTV Movie & TV Awards Best Kiss (shared with Amber Heard)
Teen Choice Awards Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movie Actor

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ahmad, Sophia (February 19, 2010). "Interview with Norwalk's 'Conan' star Jason Momoa". Des Moines Register. Iowa. Archived from the original on April 8, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Hawaii-born actor Jason Momoa's 'Aquaman' role parallels own upbringing". Star Advertiser. December 16, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  3. ↑ Rampell, Ed (January 3, 2019). "'Aquaman': The life aquatic with Hawaiian Polynesian Power superhero Jason Momoa". Peoples World. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  4. ↑ "How Jason Momoa's Hawaiian and Polynesian Roots Have Impacted His Career". Oprah Daily. August 19, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  5. ↑ Schilling, Vincent (November 5, 2021). "Indigenous Love for Jason Momoa". Ict News. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  6. ↑ Leimkuehler, Matthew (December 18, 2018). "Yes, Aquaman and Superman played high school soccer together in Iowa". Des Moines Register. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  7. ↑ ""Game of Thrones" Star Jason Momoa". KatieCouric.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  8. ↑ Kelly, Helen (May 5, 2016). "Game of Thrones: Jason Momoa is unrecognisable as young model before Khal Drogo role". Daily Express. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Game of Thrones' Jason Momoa Tells the Origin Story Behind His Viral Audition". Time.com. January 20, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Kapa Haka". maori.org.nz/. 1996. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  11. 1 2 "Exclusive: Jason Momoa Talks CONAN; Reveals He's Writing and Directing ROAD TO PALOMA". Collider. August 16, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Jason Momoa's 'Road to Paloma' to Premiere at Sarasota Film Festival". Variety. March 12, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  13. ↑ Schwartz, Terri (February 26, 2014). "Jason Momoa landed 'The Red Road' thanks to his directorial debut 'Road to Paloma'". Blog.zap2it.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  14. 1 2 Lesnick, Silas (March 12, 2014). "Cary Elwes and Jason Momoa to Climb Sugar Mountain". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  15. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (March 12, 2014). "Cary Elwes, Jason Momoa Join Indie 'Sugar Mountain'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  16. 1 2 "The Red Road Cancelled By SundanceTV After Two Seasons". Seriable.com. May 23, 2015. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  17. ↑ Dumaraog, Ana (December 3, 2018). "Jason Momoa Describes His Batman Audition for Zack Snyder". Screen Rant.
  18. ↑ Sciretta, Peter (June 14, 2014). "Jason Momoa Is Aquaman in 'Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice'". /Film. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  19. ↑ McWeeny, Drew (June 14, 2014). "Jason Momoa Will Play Aquaman in 'Dawn of Justice', and We Know how It Will Happen". Hitfix. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  20. ↑ Ford, Rebecca; Kit, Borys (June 16, 2014). "Jason Momoa to Play Aquaman in 'Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  21. 1 2 Dice, Andrew (October 15, 2014). "It's Official: Jason Momoa is 'Aquaman'; Solo Movie Coming 2018". Screen Rant. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  22. ↑ "DC Comics Movies Announced: 'Suicide Squad,' 'Wonder Woman,' 'Justice League,' 'The Flash,' 'Aquaman'". Slashfilm. October 15, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  23. ↑ Kroll, Justin (June 3, 2015). "James Wan to Direct 'Aquaman' for Warner Bros". Variety. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  24. ↑ Hughes, William (December 29, 2018). "Jason Momoa's Aquaman will splash around in The Lego Movie 2". Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  25. ↑ Jones, Gareth (February 28, 2015). "UK Exclusive: Wolves Gag Reel Serves Up a Few Howlers". DreadCentral.com. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  26. ↑ Barton, Steve (February 6, 2015). "Jason Momoa Eats a Bad Batch of Human Flesh". DreadCentral.com. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  27. 1 2 Sneider, Jeff (February 6, 2015). "Jason Momoa in Talks to Star in Cannibal Love Story 'The Bad Batch' for Annapurna, Vice (Exclusive)". Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  28. ↑ McNary, Dave (March 7, 2017). "'Aquaman's' Jason Momoa to Star in 'Just Cause' Film Adaptation". Variety. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  29. ↑ "Jason Momoa lands Just Cause movie lead". Newshub. August 3, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  30. 1 2 Wagmeister, Elizabeth (November 16, 2015). "Jason Momoa to Star in Netflix Adventure Drama 'Frontier' from 'San Andreas' Director". Variety. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  31. ↑ Levine, Daniel S. (November 3, 2019). "Netflix's Reported Cancellation of Jason Momoa Series 'Frontier' Has Fans Irked". popculture.com. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  32. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (July 10, 2018). "Jason Momoa to Star in Apple Drama 'See'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  33. ↑ Otterson, Joe (July 10, 2018). "Jason Momoa to Star in Apple Sci-Fi Series 'See'". Variety. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  34. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 14, 2019). "'Aquaman's Jason Momoa Joins Killer Cast Of Denis Villenueve's 'Dune'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  35. ↑ Kroll, Justin (February 14, 2019). "Jason Momoa Joins Timothee Chalamet, Javier Bardem in 'Dune' Reboot". Variety. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  36. ↑ Kroll, Justin (January 28, 2022). "Jason Momoa Joins 'Fast And Furious 10'". Deadline Hollywood.
  37. ↑ Kingston, Jessica (January 8, 2019). "Before marrying Lisa Bonet, Aquaman's Jason Momoa was engaged to a McLeod's Daughter star". Mamamia. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  38. 1 2 Allin, Olivia (August 20, 2011). "Jason Momoa of 'Conan the Barbarian' talks about his horse fears". OnTheRedCarpet.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  39. ↑ "Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet Just Got Officially Married: Details on Their Secret Wedding". Us Weekly. November 2, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  40. 1 2 Teti, Julia. "Jason Momoa's Kids: Facts About The 'Aquaman' Star's Kids Lola, Nakoa-Wolf, & Even Zoë". Hollywood Life. In was born in December, 2008. Just like his older sister, Nakoa, who Jason refers to as "Wolfie," also lives with his mom and dad
  41. ↑ "Lisa Bonet's New Baby's Name Is a Mouthful". Access Hollywood. January 9, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  42. ↑ France, Lisa Respers (January 12, 2022). "Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet announce split". CNN. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  43. ↑ "Lisa Bonet files for divorce from Jason Momoa two years after their split". The Guardian. Associated Press. January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  44. ↑ VanHoose, Benjamin (January 8, 2024). "Lisa Bonet Files for Divorce from Jason Momoa 2 Years After Announcing Breakup". People. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  45. ↑ Saunders, Angel (January 9, 2024). "Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet's Divorce Granted Just One Day After Filing". People. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  46. ↑ "Jason Momoa on Martial Arts". August 14, 2009. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  47. ↑ "Jason Momoa Trains Jiu-Jitsu". BJJEE.com. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  48. ↑ "Jason Momoa's Instagram post". Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  49. ↑ "Actor Jason Momoa Hung Out with Slayer and Anthrax". MetalSucks. June 13, 2019.
  50. ↑ "Jason Momoa Drew Inspiration for Playing Aquaman from Metallica, Black Sabbath, and Tool". metalsucks.net. December 11, 2018.
  51. ↑ "Jason Momoa Recruits Archspire Members for New Apple TV+ Show". metalsucks.net. November 2, 2019.
  52. ↑ "Jason Momoa Trained with Archspire Vocalist to Learn War Cry for 'See'". Revolver. November 19, 2019.
  53. ↑ Hartmann, Graham (October 30, 2020). "Jason Momoa Performs Gutturals With Philip Anselmo on New Song". Loudwire. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  54. ↑ "Jason Momoa: "I always knew I wanted to play bass. I wish I'd done this when I was young – but I'm making up for lost time"". February 4, 2021.
  55. ↑ "Jason Momoa: "I just want to grow old, and learn the blues"". November 7, 2019.
  56. ↑ "Jason Momoa credits Tool song with igniting his love of bass". NME. February 8, 2021.
  57. ↑ "Jason Momoa and Chris Sharma on Creating Reality Competition Show 'The Climb'". climbing.com. January 12, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  58. ↑ Jason Momoa (Aquaman / Justice League) climbing on YouTube
  59. ↑ Friedman, Megan (July 23, 2018). "Are Jason Momoa's 'Aquaman' Tattoos Actually Real?". Men's Health. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  60. ↑ Criss, Doug (August 2, 2019). "Jason Momoa joins protesters trying to keep a telescope off Hawaii's tallest mountain". CNN. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  61. ↑ "15 Celebrities sending supportive messages to Mauna Kea Hawaii 2019". Farmers Market Hawaii. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  62. 1 2 "Man Pleads Not Guilty To Assaulting "Stargate Atlantis" Actor". KNBC. July 17, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  63. 1 2 Winton, Richard (October 7, 2009). "Five-year sentence for man who attacked 'Stargate Atlantis' actor Jason Momoa". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 24, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  64. ↑ Kit, Borys (June 16, 2015). "Jason Momoa, Thomas Middleditch and Famke Janssen Join Bruce Willis in Action Comedy (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  65. ↑ Casanovas, Marc (December 1, 2020). "Por qué Gather ya es el mejor documental del año en Estados Unidos" [Why Gather is already the best documentary of the year in the United States]. Condé Nast Traveler (in European Spanish). Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  66. ↑ Grossberg, Josh (April 5, 2021). "Slumberland first look finds Jason Momoa sporting a full set of not-so-sleepy horns". Syfy Wire. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  67. ↑ Rhodes, Diane A. (October 19, 2019). "Jason Momoa's upcoming film, shot in Banning, revives tale of Willie Boy". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  68. ↑ Kroll, Justin (January 28, 2022). "Jason Momoa Joins 'Fast And Furious 10'". Deadline. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  69. ↑ Kroll, Justin (October 16, 2023). "Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa & Gerard Butler To Lead Julian Schnabel's 'In The Hand Of Dante'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  70. ↑ "Jason Momoa Reveals Which of His Past Roles He'll Never Let His Kids See". Informone. August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  71. ↑ "Game of Thrones: Cast". HBO. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  72. ↑ Itzkoff, Dave (November 19, 2023). "'S.N.L.' Mocks George Santos and Welcomes a Sassy Panda". The New York Times. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  73. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (July 10, 2018). "Jason Momoa To Star In Apple Series 'See' From Steven Knight & Francis Lawrence". Deadline. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  74. ↑ Petski, Denise (April 4, 2022). "Jason Momoa To Headline 'Chief Of War' Limited Series For Apple TV+". Deadline. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
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