Jason Momoa

Momoa met actress Simmone Jade Mackinnon on the set of Baywatch: Hawaii in 1999. The couple became engaged in 2004 but broke off their relationship in 2005. That same year, Momoa began dating actress Lisa Bonet. The couple had their daughter, Lola Iolani, in July 2007. Their son, Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha, was born in December 2008.

Momoa and Bonet married in October 2017. They announced their separation in January 2022. Bonet filed for divorce in January 2024, citing irreconcilable differences and listing their separation date as October 2020. The divorce was finalized in July 2024. Momoa later began dating actress Adria Arjona.

In November 2008, Momoa was assaulted with a broken beer glass during an altercation at the Birds Cafe in Los Angeles. The attack required reconstructive surgery and roughly 140 stitches. The injury left a scar running through his left eyebrow. His assailant received a five-year prison sentence.

Momoa has practiced Brazilian jiu-jitsu since 2017. He is also a rock climber, a hobby he took up in South Dakota during his teenage years.

Momoa grew up in Norwalk, Iowa, raised by his mother after his parents divorced. In high school, he played soccer on the same team as future Superman actor Brandon Routh. He later moved back to Hawaii to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa and study marine biology. In 1998, fashion designer Takeo Kobayashi noticed him and encouraged him to model.

Acting soon followed. At 19, Momoa won the role of Jason Ioane on Baywatch: Hawaii after auditioning against more than 1,000 competitors. He stayed with the series from 1999 to 2001. A regular role as Frankie Seau on North Shore followed in 2004.

His profile rose when he joined the cast of Stargate Atlantis in 2005 as Ronon Dex. He learned martial arts for the part and kept the role for four seasons. During this period, he wore dreadlocks for the character. He cut them before the final season due to neck strain and wore a wig to keep the character's appearance consistent.

In 2011, Momoa took on the lead in Conan the Barbarian. That same year, he landed the role of Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo on HBO's Game of Thrones. During his audition, he performed a Maori Haka. The portrayal brought him international recognition.

Director Zack Snyder originally brought Momoa in to audition for Batman. Instead, Snyder cast him as Arthur Curry, also known as Aquaman. Momoa made his first brief appearance in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016.

He reprised the role in Justice League in 2017 before headlining the standalone film Aquaman in 2018. The film crossed $1.1 billion worldwide at the box office. Momoa returned for the 2023 sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, for which he also contributed to the story.

Momoa expanded into directing and writing with the 2014 indie road drama Road to Paloma, which premiered at the Sarasota Film Festival. He produced the film through his banner, Pride of Gypsies.

Between 2016 and 2018, Momoa starred as Declan Harp in the Canadian historical series Frontier, also serving as executive producer. He took the lead role of Baba Voss in Apple TV's science-fiction series See from 2019 to 2022. On the big screen, he played Duncan Idaho in Denis Villeneuve's 2021 adaptation of Dune.

Momoa joined the Fast & Furious franchise in 2023, playing antagonist Dante Reyes in Fast X. He went on to co-create, write, executive produce, and star in the Apple TV historical series Chief of War as Ka'iana. He also produced and starred in A Minecraft Movie as Garrett Garrison.

Music shapes Momoa's acting preparation. A heavy metal fan, he often builds his characters around specific songs. He plays bass guitar, guitar, mandolin, and ukulele. In 2024, he formed the rock trio OOF TATATA with longtime friends Kenny Dale Borill and Mike Hayes, performing shows in Nashville and Auckland.

Momoa is active in ocean preservation. He serves as an advocate for the United Nations Environment Programme, focusing on marine life and coral reef protection. He also founded Mananalu, an aluminum-bottled water company aimed at eliminating single-use plastics.