Jason Momoa

Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa is an American actor and film producer born on August 1, 1979, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Raised as an only child in Norwalk, Iowa, by his photographer mother of German, Irish, and Pawnee heritage, he later attended Norwalk High School and enrolled at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. His father, a painter, is of Native Hawaiian descent. During his youth, Momoa developed an interest in rock climbing and bouldering after visiting Custer State Park in South Dakota.

Momoa began his professional acting career at age 19 when he secured the role of Jason Ioane on the action television series Baywatch: Hawaii, appearing from 1999 to 2001. He went on to star in the drama series North Shore from 2004 to 2005 and made his feature film debut in the road comedy Johnson Family Vacation in 2004. Between 2005 and 2009, he portrayed Ronon Dex on the science fiction show Stargate Atlantis, a role that required him to train in martial arts. He also appeared in a four-episode arc on the series The Game in 2009.

In 2011, Momoa took on the titular lead in a reimagining of Conan the Barbarian and gained widespread public recognition for portraying Khal Drogo in the HBO fantasy drama Game of Thrones from 2011 to 2012. He made his feature directorial and co-writing debut with the 2014 drama thriller Road to Paloma, in which he also starred. During this timeframe, Momoa appeared in television series such as The Red Road and feature films including Wolves, Debug, Sugar Mountain, The Bad Batch, and Braven.

Beginning in 2016, Momoa joined the DC Extended Universe as Arthur Curry / Aquaman, first debuting in a cameo for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He went on to head the standalone film Aquaman in 2018, as well as appearing in Justice League, its director's cut, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, and concluding his portrayal in 2023 with The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Additionally, he executive produced and starred as Declan Harp in all three seasons of the historical drama series Frontier between 2016 and 2018.

Momoa subsequently headlined the Apple TV post-apocalyptic drama See from 2019 to 2022 and co-created, executive produced, and starred in the historical series Chief of War. His major film appearances include playing Duncan Idaho in Denis Villeneuve's Dune, portraying the primary antagonist Dante Reyes in Fast X, and securing roles in A Minecraft Movie, Carnival: At the End of Days, Supergirl, and a Street Fighter reboot project.

Beyond acting, Momoa plays instruments such as the bass guitar, mandolin, and ukulele, and he formed the power trio ÖOF TATATÁ in 2024. He has collaborated with heavy metal acts, featured on a track by the band Scour, and hosted a farewell concert for Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne in 2025. In his personal life, Momoa practices Brazilian jiu-jitsu, advocates for ocean and coral reef conservation as a UNEP ambassador, and participated in protests at Mauna Kea in 2019. He has two children from his marriage to actress Lisa Bonet, which ended in divorce in 2024.