Jason Momoa biography, height, kids, age, dating history, family 2025

Jason Momoa Biography

Jason Momoa is an American actor, model, producer, and screenwriter. He shot to fame through his roles in the series Baywatch: Hawaii, Stargate Atlantis, Game of Thrones, and the film Conan the Barbarian. His portrayal of Aquaman in the DC Extended Universe also catapulted him to stardom; he first appeared in this role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). Net worth: $14 million.

Jason Momoa, American actor of Hawaiian descent

Jason Momoa's Childhood

Jason Momoa was born on August 1, 1979, in Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii. He is the only child of Joseph Momoa, a painter, and Coni Lemke, a photographer. Jason's father is of Native Hawaiian descent, and his mother is of German, Irish, and Native American ancestry. This unique heritage gave the actor his striking appearance and impressive natural physique, with his towering height being one of his most distinctive features (Momoa stands 193 cm tall). However, those muscles that countless fans admire are, of course, the result of his dedicated hard work.

This is how the brutal Jason Momoa looked like a kid

Momoa's parents divorced when he was still a child. Jason stayed with his mother and they relocated to Iowa. The future actor, who showed his athletic talents early on, spent most of his free time outdoors. As Momoa grew older, he developed interests in mountaineering and ax throwing. After graduating high school, Jason enrolled at a local college where he studied marine biology.

Jason Momoa was born in Hawaii and grew up in Iowa

In his youth, Momoa traveled extensively and focused on broad personal development. As a student, he traveled half the world, took up painting in Paris, and studied Buddhist teachings in Tibet. Before earning his bachelor's degree, he returned to Hawaii to reconnect with his father.

Career

Jason Momoa's striking good looks, athletic build, and towering height caught the eye of Japanese designer Takeo Kobayashi in 1998. Kobayashi essentially launched the charismatic heartthrob into the modeling world, which proved to be a stepping stone to his acting career. Between competing in local beauty contests, Momoa also worked at a surf shop.

In 1999, Momoa was cast in the well-known series Baywatch Hawaii. The directors selected him over 1,300 other hopefuls, despite his complete lack of on-set experience. Momoa's character Jason Ioane appeared in 40 episodes, and after the series wrapped, he starred in the feature-length spin-off Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (2003).

Jason Momoa at the time of Baywatch Hawaii

In 2004, the actor landed a role in North Shore, a series that delighted viewers with stunning ocean views and scantily clad models. That same year, Momoa had a small part in the comedy Johnson Family Vacation, and in 2005, he landed the role of Ronon Dex, a key character in the sci-fi series Stargate Atlantis, which ran until 2009.

Momoa's appearance in the movie Johnson Family Vacation

By then, Momoa bore little resemblance to the fresh-faced young man who'd graced teen magazine covers just five years earlier. His signature dreadlocks became his trademark, but he ditched them by the final season because the heavy hairstyle was causing neck and back pain. To keep fans happy, Jason had a custom wig made.

A snapshot from the series Stargate Atlantis

According to Zoomboola.com, in 2010, Momoa played the title character in the feature film Conan the Barbarian. The film bombed at the box office and was savaged by critics. Jason inevitably faced comparisons to a young Arnold Schwarzenegger, and as often happens in these situations, the comparisons weren't particularly kind to Momoa.

Jason Momoa in the role of Conan the Barbarian

The flop didn't derail Momoa's career trajectory, though. That same year, he was cast in a new HBO project that promised to revolutionize television. The legendary Game of Thrones more than delivered on that promise – it became a cultural phenomenon. Momoa got the role of Khal Drogo, the leader of the fearsome Dothraki. Early in the series, he purchases young Daenerys Targaryen (played by Emilia Clarke) as his bride to bear his heir.

Jason Momoa at the beginning of the Game of Thrones

Interestingly, Momoa landed the role of Drogo not because of his physique, but thanks to his dancing. He decided to stand out from the crowd of competitors by performing a traditional New Zealand war dance – a move that definitely caught the casting director's attention.

Back-to-back disasters hit Momoa's filmography in 2013 and 2014: the action film Wolves (where he played the werewolf) and the horror film Debug. In 2014, the actor wrote and directed the thriller Road to Paloma, exploring the friendship between two rebellious characters: Robert seeking revenge for his mother's murder and Cash, a disenfranchised biker.

The actor confessed that most of all he likes to play good guys with not so good reputation. He thinks that the audience likes that kind of characters the most.

Another noteworthy Momoa project hit screens in 2016. It's The Bad Batch – a post-apocalyptic drama. The film takes place in the near future. Americans who don't meet society's standards get banished to desert wastelands, but not everyone makes it to safety – cannibal gangs roam the territory. Momoa plays one of the gang members, a cannibal who falls in love with his victim (Suki Waterhouse).

The Bad Batch: Jason Momoa and Suki Waterhouse

In 2016, Jason Momoa entered the DC Extended Universe, taking on the superhero role of Aquaman. Armed with his magical trident, he commands water and sea creatures while achieving incredible underwater speeds.

Momoa first appeared as Aquaman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which chronicles the epic showdown between Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck's characters. Together with Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Flash (Ezra Miller), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Aquaman joined the Justice League to save humanity from death.

In 2018, Aquaman got his own solo film, diving deeper into the hero's backstory. That same year brought the drama Braven, where Momoa played a forester waging war against drug dealers threatening his territory.

In 2019, Jason Momoa joined the cast of the series See, with its continuation slated for 2020. The same year will see the premiere of Dune, where Momoa takes on the role of Duncan Idaho.

During quarantine, Jason Momoa has been spending time with his family and kids. The actor admitted he'd been waiting ages for a chance to stay home with his family and watch his kids grow up.

Jason Momoa's Personal Life

During the filming of Baywatch: Hawaii, Momoa met Simmone Mackinnon and they became very close. In 2004, they announced their engagement, but the wedding never happened and they broke up in 2006.

Simmone Mackinnon and Jason Momoa were engaged

In 2005, while still with Simmone, the actor met Lisa Bonet, ex-wife of musician Lenny Kravitz. The new couple didn't see any obstacles to their relationship: neither Jason's engagement nor the age difference (Lisa is 12 years older than him).

Lisa Bonet is 12 years older than Jason Momoa

Although the general public thought that Jason and Lisa got married in 2007, the couple didn't actually marry until 2017. By then, they already had two kids together: a daughter named Lola Iolani (born July 23, 2007) and a son named Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha (born December 15, 2008). There's a story behind this unusual name: Nakoa means "the warriors," Mana stands for "strength of the spirit," Kaua denotes "rain," and Po represents "dark," as the boy was born during a fierce storm in Los Angeles. Besides these two kids, Jason Momoa is also stepfather to actress and singer Zoë Kravitz, Lisa's daughter from her first marriage.

Early 2022 brought sad news to the couple's fans. Momoa and Bonet decided to file for divorce. After 16 years together, their feelings had cooled, but they remain good friends.

At the 2022 Oscar Vanity Fair after-party, Momoa flirted with Kate Beckinsale. They talked and laughed together, then Jason hugged her and she smiled. They left the party together. According to the insider, Momoa took off his jacket and covered Kate's shoulders.

Momoa has a scar on his left eyebrow, and it's become his trademark. He got it in a bar fight. Someone broke a glass against his head and a shard got stuck in his eyebrow. Luckily, it didn't hurt the eye.

Jason Momoa's scar is as famous as his beard and hair

Religion plays a big role in Momoa's life. He's a Buddhist and often visits Tibetan temples where he always discovers something new.

In real life, the actor is a calm and peaceful person

In his spare time, Momoa enjoys mountain hiking, kayaking, cycling, roller skating, and snowboarding; he also loves playing guitar and raising his children.

Although Momoa works in the film industry, he doesn't like watching movies at all. He prefers reading books, especially Japanese poetry and Charles Baudelaire's works. Jason Momoa almost never watches TV, doesn't use e-mail, and does not like talking on the phone.

Jason Momoa Now

2021 saw the release of two Momoa vehicles. First up was "Sweet Girl," a thriller where Momoa's character and his on-screen daughter seek revenge for the death of their wife and mother. Then came the big-screen adaptation of "Dune." In the first film, Jason's character—armorer Duncan Idaho from House Atreides—didn't get much screen time. But the sequel promises to expand his role significantly.

Despite Momoa's experience with massive projects like "Game of Thrones" and "Justice League," he was still blown away by "Dune" director Denis Villeneuve's vision.

In Dune, I'm truly in those places. It's just me being so stoked at being in these worlds… there's so many different worlds on this planet and I'm thankful to go to these spots.

In 2023 the Aquaman sequel will be released.

Curtis Torres

Well, after Aquaman Momoa became incredibly famous :) Not to mention about how many girls are in love with him :)

2021-05-15 19:18:05
Chase Jayden Kelly

There is a not bad action movie with him Braven, he was killing drug traffickers. Let`s wait for his new roles.

2021-04-05 08:13:53
Shelly Pierce

It is Aquaman! I can`t say about other roles because I watched only one movie with him but he is good actor.

2021-03-11 19:08:15
Katherine Martinez

Oh yeah! I love this tall, with nice color of skin and so muscular! It doesn`t matter what roles he play, he is just the best!

2021-03-10 22:24:55
Anthony William Parker

The role of Aquaman was good for him, he played excellent. I`m not a big fan of DC but this movie is not so bad.

2021-02-21 10:10:19

Photos: Jason Momoa

Jason Momoa Biography

Jason Momoa's Childhood

Career

Jason Momoa's Personal Life

Jason Momoa Now