Jason Momoa

Early life

Momoa was born on August 1, 1979, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Coni (), a photographer, and Joseph Momoa, a painter. He is an only child. His father is Native Hawaiian, while his mother is of German, Irish, and Pawnee ancestry. 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 and was a member of the school's soccer team alongside Brandon Routh. Momoa attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

In his early teen years, Momoa became a rock climber and boulderer when his mother took him to Custer State Park where Sylvan Lake and the Needles of South Dakota lie.

Career

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

In 2004, Momoa appeared in the road comedy film Johnson Family Vacation. From 2005 to 2009, Momoa appeared as Ronon in Stargate Atlantis, for which he learned martial arts.

In 2009, he 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 fame for his role of Khal Drogo on HBO's Game of Thrones. In his audition for the role, he performed a Haka, one of many intimidating Māori dances traditionally used to convey a challenge to an opponent, or a welcome to a visitor.

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. It premiered at the 2014 Sarasota Film Festival in April 2014. The film had a limited theatrical release on July 15, 2014, in New York City and Los Angeles and a VOD release.

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. He also starred as Phillip Kopus, a Ramapough Mountain Indian, on the SundanceTV drama series The Red Road (2014–2015).

In June 2014, Momoa was reported to have been cast in the role of Arthur Curry / Aquaman, after he auditioned for Bruce Wayne / Batman. He first played the role in a cameo in the superhero film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, 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. He also reprised this role in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.

In August 2014, Momoa portrayed Connor in the Canadian horror action film Wolves, 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 in the drama thriller film The Bad Batch. 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.

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.

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

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

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.

In 2023, Momoa made his final outings as Aquaman, beginning with an uncredited cameo in the post-credits scene of The Flash, and then reprising his main character role in his solo films sequel Aquaman and the lost Kingdom.

In June 2024, he was cast in the upcoming comedy film Carnival: At the End of Days.

In December 2024, Momoa was announced to play Lobo in the DC Universe film Supergirl, scheduled to be released on June 26, 2026.

In May 2025, Momoa was confirmed for the role of Blanka in the Street Fighter reboot film.

In August 2025, Momoa starred as Kaʻiana in Apple's historical drama series Chief of War. Momoa is also the series' co-creator and executive producer.

Music

Momoa is a fan of heavy metal music and has noted that he "build[s] [his] characters off of metal songs". 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. On October 30, 2020, Momoa was featured in the song "Doom" by black metal band Scour. Momoa is a hobby musician and plays bass guitar, mandolin, ukulele and guitar in his spare time, the first of which he took up after listening to Tool's song "Sober". In 2024, Momoa formed the power trio ÖOF TATATÁ alongside longtime friends Kenny Dale Borill and Mike Hayes, performing at Nashville's Cannery Hall in May. The band performed a one-off show in Auckland, New Zealand in August.

In July 2025 he hosted Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne's farewell concert, "Back to the Beginning" in Birmingham, England.

Personal life

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

Although it was previously believed that Momoa and Bonet had married on November 15, 2007, the couple did not marry until October 2017. Daughter Lola Iolani was born in July 2007, was born in December 2008. In January 2022, Momoa and Bonet announced their split. In January 2024, Bonet filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences and listing their date of separation as October 7, 2020. On July 9, 2024, the divorce was finalized. As of 2024, Momoa is in a relationship with actress Adria Arjona.

In 2017, Momoa began practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

In 2019 he participated in protests against the building of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea, a holy spiritual site for native Hawaiians.

Momoa has numerous tattoos, including a half sleeve on his left forearm, a tribute to his family god, or .

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 Los Angeles, California. He received approximately 140 stitches during reconstructive surgery and the scar through his left eyebrow is apparent in his later work. The assailant was sentenced to five years in prison for the attack.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. (December 16, 2018). "Hawaii-born actor Jason Momoa's 'Aquaman' role parallels own upbringing". Star Advertiser.
2. Rampell, Ed. (January 3, 2019). "'Aquaman': The life aquatic with Hawaiian Polynesian Power superhero Jason Momoa". Peoples World.
3. (August 19, 2019). "How Jason Momoa's Hawaiian and Polynesian Roots Have Impacted His Career". Oprah Daily.
4. Schilling, Vincent. (November 5, 2021). "Indigenous Love for Jason Momoa". Ict News.
5. Leimkuehler, Matthew. (December 18, 2018). "Yes, Aquaman and Superman played high school soccer together in Iowa". Des Moines Register.
6. Ahmad, Sophia. (February 19, 2010). "Interview with Norwalk's 'Conan' star Jason Momoa". [[Des Moines Register]].
7. (January 12, 2023). "Jason Momoa and Chris Sharma on Creating Reality Competition Show 'The Climb'".
8. {{YouTube. pJerUCY1DhQ. Jason Momoa (Aquaman / Justice League) climbing
9. ""Game of Thrones" Star Jason Momoa". KatieCouric.com.
10. Kelly, Helen. (May 5, 2016). "Game of Thrones: Jason Momoa is unrecognisable as young model before Khal Drogo role". Daily Express.
11. (August 14, 2009). "Jason Momoa on Martial Arts".
12. (January 20, 2017). "''Game of Thrones''' Jason Momoa Tells the Origin Story Behind His Viral Audition".
13. (1996). "Kapa Haka". maori.org.nz/.
14. (August 16, 2011). "Exclusive: Jason Momoa Talks CONAN; Reveals He's Writing and Directing ROAD TO PALOMA". [[Collider (website).
15. (March 12, 2014). "Jason Momoa's 'Road to Paloma' to Premiere at Sarasota Film Festival". [[Variety (magazine).
16. Schwartz, Terri. (February 26, 2014). "Jason Momoa landed 'The Red Road' thanks to his directorial debut 'Road to Paloma'". Zap2it.
17. Lesnick, Silas. (March 12, 2014). "Cary Elwes and Jason Momoa to Climb Sugar Mountain". ComingSoon.net.
18. Ford, Rebecca. (March 12, 2014). "Cary Elwes, Jason Momoa Join Indie 'Sugar Mountain'". The Hollywood Reporter.
19. (May 23, 2015). "The Red Road Cancelled By SundanceTV After Two Seasons".
20. Dumaraog, Ana. (December 3, 2018). "Jason Momoa Describes His Batman Audition for Zack Snyder".
21. Sciretta, Peter. (June 14, 2014). "Jason Momoa Is Aquaman in 'Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice'". [[/Film]].
22. McWeeny, Drew. (June 14, 2014). "Jason Momoa Will Play Aquaman in 'Dawn of Justice', and We Know how It Will Happen". Hitfix.
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24. Dice, Andrew. (October 15, 2014). "It's Official: Jason Momoa is 'Aquaman'; Solo Movie Coming 2018". Screen Rant.
25. (October 15, 2014). "DC Comics Movies Announced: 'Suicide Squad,' 'Wonder Woman,' 'Justice League,' 'The Flash,' 'Aquaman'". Slashfilm.
26. Kroll, Justin. (June 3, 2015). "James Wan to Direct 'Aquaman' for Warner Bros.". Variety.
27. Hughes, William. (December 29, 2018). "Jason Momoa's Aquaman will splash around in ''The Lego Movie 2''".
28. Jones, Gareth. (February 28, 2015). "UK Exclusive: Wolves Gag Reel Serves Up a Few Howlers". DreadCentral.com.
29. Barton, Steve. (February 6, 2015). "Jason Momoa Eats a Bad Batch of Human Flesh".
30. Sneider, Jeff. (February 6, 2015). "Jason Momoa in Talks to Star in Cannibal Love Story 'The Bad Batch' for Annapurna, Vice (Exclusive)".
31. McNary, Dave. (March 7, 2017). "'Aquaman's' Jason Momoa to Star in 'Just Cause' Film Adaptation". Variety.
32. (August 3, 2017). "Jason Momoa lands Just Cause movie lead". [[Newshub]].
33. Wagmeister, Elizabeth. (November 16, 2015). "Jason Momoa to Star in Netflix Adventure Drama 'Frontier' from 'San Andreas' Director".
34. Levine, Daniel S.. (November 3, 2019). "Netflix's Reported Cancellation of Jason Momoa Series 'Frontier' Has Fans Irked".
35. Goldberg, Lesley. (July 10, 2018). "Jason Momoa to Star in Apple Drama 'See'". The Hollywood Reporter.
36. Otterson, Joe. (July 10, 2018). "Jason Momoa to Star in Apple Sci-Fi Series 'See'". Variety.
37. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (February 14, 2019). "'Aquaman's Jason Momoa Joins Killer Cast Of Denis Villenueve's 'Dune'". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
38. Kroll, Justin. (February 14, 2019). "Jason Momoa Joins Timothee Chalamet, Javier Bardem in 'Dune' Reboot".
39. Kroll, Justin. (January 28, 2022). "Jason Momoa Joins 'Fast And Furious 10'". Deadline Hollywood.
40. Scott, Ryan. (June 16, 2023). "The Flash's Goofy Credits Scene Actually Serves A Grander Purpose".
41. (December 21, 2023). "‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ Review: Back With a Trident and Dad Jokes (Published 2023)".
42. Booth, Ned. (June 7, 2024). "'The Carnival At The End Of Days': Terry Gilliam's Latest Stars Johnny Depp As Satan, Jeff Bridges As God, Adam Driver & Jason Momoa".
43. Jackson, Angelique. (December 30, 2024). "Jason Momoa Sets DC Return as Lobo in 'Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow'".
44. (May 21, 2025). "Andrew Koji, Jason Momoa, Noah Centineo & Roman Reigns In Talks For Legendary's 'Street Fighter'". Deadline.
45. Richardson, Mahealani. (July 22, 2025). "‘Talk about representation’: Jason Momoa describes uphill battle to produce ‘Chief of War’".
46. (April 4, 2022). "Jason Momoa To Headline ''Chief Of War'' Limited Series For Apple TV+".
47. (June 13, 2019). "Actor Jason Momoa Hung Out with Slayer and Anthrax".
48. (December 11, 2018). "Jason Momoa Drew Inspiration for Playing Aquaman from Metallica, Black Sabbath, and Tool".
49. (November 2, 2019). "Jason Momoa Recruits Archspire Members for New Apple TV+ Show".
50. (November 19, 2019). "Jason Momoa Trained with Archspire Vocalist to Learn War Cry for 'See'".
51. (October 30, 2020). "Jason Momoa Performs Gutturals With Philip Anselmo on New Song".
52. (February 4, 2021). "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"".
53. (November 7, 2019). "Jason Momoa: "I just want to grow old, and learn the blues"".
54. (February 8, 2021). "Jason Momoa credits Tool song with igniting his love of bass".
55. (May 18, 2024). "'Aquaman' Star Jason Momoa Forms New Band ÖOF TATATÁ, Announces May 21 Show at Cannery Hall".
56. (August 22, 2024). "'It's hot as hell in here and I'm not talking temperature' - Jason Momoa's band Oof Tatata heat up Auckland".
57. Archer-Fox, Megan. (July 5, 2025). "Jason Momoa takes to stage for Black Sabbath gig - 'most epic day in the history of heavy metal'".
58. Kingston, Jessica. (January 8, 2019). "Before marrying Lisa Bonet, Aquaman's Jason Momoa was engaged to a McLeod's Daughter star.".
59. Allin, Olivia. (August 20, 2011). "Jason Momoa of 'Conan the Barbarian' talks about his horse fears". OnTheRedCarpet.com.
60. (November 2, 2017). "Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet Just Got Officially Married: Details on Their Secret Wedding". Us Weekly.
61. Teti, Julia. "Jason Momoa's Kids: Facts About The 'Aquaman' Star's Kids Lola, Nakoa-Wolf, & Even Zoë". [[Hollywood Life]].
62. (January 9, 2009). "Lisa Bonet's New Baby's Name Is a Mouthful". [[Access Hollywood]].
63. (January 12, 2022). "Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet announce split". CNN.
64. (January 8, 2024). "Lisa Bonet files for divorce from Jason Momoa two years after their split". [[The Guardian]].
65. VanHoose, Benjamin. (January 8, 2024). "Lisa Bonet Files for Divorce from Jason Momoa 2 Years After Announcing Breakup". People.
66. (July 9, 2024). "Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet finalize their divorce".
67. Tannenbaum, Emily. (May 21, 2024). "Jason Momoa just hard-launched his relationship with Adria Arjona on Instagram".
68. Rivera, Briannah. (May 31, 2024). "All About Adria Arjona, Jason Momoa's Actress Girlfriend".
69. "Jason Momoa Trains Jiu-Jitsu".
70. "Jason Momoa's Instagram post".
71. Criss, Doug. (August 2, 2019). "Jason Momoa joins protesters trying to keep a telescope off Hawaii's tallest mountain".
72. "15 Celebrities sending supportive messages to Mauna Kea Hawaii 2019".
73. Friedman, Megan. (July 23, 2018). "Are Jason Momoa's 'Aquaman' Tattoos Actually Real?".
74. (July 17, 2009). "Man Pleads Not Guilty To Assaulting "Stargate Atlantis" Actor". [[KNBC]].
75. Winton, Richard. (October 7, 2009). "Five-year sentence for man who attacked 'Stargate Atlantis' actor Jason Momoa". [[Los Angeles Times]].
76. Kit, Borys. (June 16, 2015). "Jason Momoa, Thomas Middleditch and Famke Janssen Join Bruce Willis in Action Comedy (Exclusive)". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
77. Casanovas, Marc. (December 1, 2020). "Por qué Gather ya es el mejor documental del año en Estados Unidos".
78. Grossberg, Josh. (April 5, 2021). "Slumberland first look finds Jason Momoa sporting a full set of not-so-sleepy horns". [[Syfy Wire]].
79. Rhodes, Diane A.. (October 19, 2019). "Jason Momoa's upcoming film, shot in Banning, revives tale of Willie Boy". [[The Press-Enterprise]].
80. Kroll, Justin. (January 28, 2022). "Jason Momoa Joins 'Fast And Furious 10'".
81. Kroll, Justin. (October 16, 2023). "Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa & Gerard Butler To Lead Julian Schnabel's 'In The Hand Of Dante'".
82. Gonzalez, Umberto. (August 21, 2023). "'Blue Beetle' Director Ángel Manuel Soto to Direct 'The Wrecking Crew' at MGM (Exclusive)".
83. (April 18, 2023). "Ryan Reynolds, Jason Momoa, Vince Vaughn & Aubrey Plaza Set For Legendary's Live-Action/Animation Hybrid ''Animal Friends''; Peter Atencio Directing R-Rated Road Trip Adventure Pic".
84. Daniels, Nia. (January 13, 2025). "DC's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow shoots in the UK with Jason Momoa".
85. Grobar, Matt. (May 21, 2025). "Andrew Koji, Jason Momoa, Noah Centineo & Roman Reigns In Talks For Legendary's 'Street Fighter'".
86. McPherson, Chris. (March 31, 2025). "Jason Momoa Returns to Arrakis as 'Fast X' Star Joins 'Dune: Messiah'".
87. (August 17, 2021). "Jason Momoa Reveals Which of His Past Roles He'll Never Let His Kids See".
88. "Game of Thrones: Cast". [[HBO]].
89. (November 19, 2023). "'S.N.L.' Mocks George Santos and Welcomes a Sassy Panda". [[The New York Times]].
90. Andreeva, Nellie. (July 10, 2018). "Jason Momoa To Star In Apple Series 'See' From Steven Knight & Francis Lawrence". Deadline.
91. Petski, Denise. (April 4, 2022). "Jason Momoa To Headline 'Chief Of War' Limited Series For Apple TV+".