Jason Momoa Biography: Early Life, Career, Films, Wife, Net Worth

Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa is an American actor, model, and producer best known for his long-running appearances in Baywatch Hawaii and Stargate: Atlantis. His role as Khal Drogo in the television series Game of Thrones boosted his reputation and propelled his career to new heights, attracting the attention of producers and mainstream viewers.
He began his career as a model before transitioning to acting. Takeo, an international fashion designer, spotted him and pushed him to pursue a career as a model. Because of his good features and great body, he quickly reached the pinnacle of his modeling career and was crowned Hawaii’s Model of the Year. He walked the runway at numerous prominent fashion shows before pursuing an acting career.
In acting, his titular role in Conan the Barbarian paved the way for more film appearances, making him a prolific performer. In 1999, he landed the main part in Baywatch Hawaii, beating out thousands of other actors who auditioned.
After the program concluded in 2001, Momoa took time off to tour the world. During this period, he encountered Buddhism while on a tour to Tibet. He ultimately returned to acting and is presently working on forthcoming projects.
Jason Momoa Biography and Early Life
Momoa, an only child, was born on August 1, 1979, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to photographer Coni and painter Joseph Momoa. His father is Native Hawaiian, while his mother has German, Irish, and Pawnee heritage. His parents split shortly after his birth, and he and his mother relocated to Norwalk, Iowa, where he grew up.
He graduated from Norwalk High School and played soccer alongside Brandon Routh. Momoa attended the University of Hawaii in Mānoa. Momoa became a rock climber and boulderer in his teens when his mother took him to Custer State Park, where Sylvan Lake and the Needles of South Dakota are located.
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Career
Momoa decided to apply for the television series Baywatch Hawaii at the age of 19, while living and working in Honolulu (1999-2001). He was cast as Jason Ioane. He starred as Frankie in the Fox drama North Shore from 2004 to 2005.
Momoa starred in the 2004 film Johnson Family Vacation. From 2005 until 2009, Momoa played Ronon in Stargate Atlantis, for which he learned martial arts. In 2009, he portrayed Roman in four episodes of the comedy-drama television series The Game.
He played the titular character in Conan the Barbarian (2011), a reworking of the 1982 film with the same name, which Arnold Schwarzenegger popularized. Momoa became well-known for his portrayal as Khal Drogo in HBO’s Game of Thrones.
During his audition for the job, he performed a Haka, a traditional Māori dance intended to confront opponents or greet visitors. Momoa directed and co-wrote Road to Paloma (2014), an American drama thriller, alongside Jonathan Hirschbein and Robert Homer Mollohan.
The cast includes Momoa, Sarah Shahi, Lisa Bonet, Michael Raymond-James, and Wes Studi. It had its debut at the 2014 Sarasota Film Festival in April 2014. On July 15, 2014, the film was released in limited theaters in New York City and Los Angeles, as well as via video on demand.
Momoa became well-known for his portrayal as Khal Drogo in HBO’s Game of Thrones. During his audition for the job, he performed a Haka, a traditional Māori dance intended to confront opponents or greet visitors. Momoa directed and co-wrote Road to Paloma (2014), an American drama thriller, alongside Jonathan Hirschbein and Robert Homer Mollohan.
The cast includes Momoa, Sarah Shahi, Lisa Bonet, Michael Raymond-James, and Wes Studi. It had its debut at the 2014 Sarasota Film Festival in April 2014. On July 15, 2014, the film was released in limited theaters in New York City and Los Angeles, as well as via video on demand.
He then appeared in Aquaman, a standalone picture released in late 2018. He also reprised his role in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. In August 2014, Momoa played Connor in the Canadian horror action thriller Wolves and featured in the sci-fi horror film Debug, which was written and directed by Momoa’s old Stargate Atlantis co-star, British-born Canadian actor David Hewlett.
In February 2015, it was revealed that he would play a cannibal in the drama thriller film The Bad Batch. Momoa was cast in the Canadian action film Braven in 2015, and it was released on February 2, 2018. In March 2017, it was revealed that Momoa would play Rico Rodriguez in the official Just Cause film series.
Momoa played Declan Harp in all three seasons of the Canadian historical drama television series Frontier from 2016 to 2018, and he also served as an executive producer.
The story follows Declan Harp, a part-Irish, part-Cree criminal who is working to end the Hudson’s Bay Company’s monopoly on the fur trade in Canada, which has become corrupt and engages in unlawful operations to profit itself.
In July 2018, Momoa was cast in Apple’s post-apocalyptic drama series See. In February 2019, Momoa was cast as Duncan Idaho in Denis Villeneuve’s film Dune.
Momoa made an appearance in a Rocket Mortgage Super Bowl LIV halftime advertisement in February 2020. He also appears in Ozzy Osbourne’s teaser for “Scary Little Green Men” from the album Ordinary Man.
Momoa joins the cast of the tenth Fast & Furious film, Fast X, playing the primary villain, Dante Reyes, the son of Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), who was killed by Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) in Fast Five. Vin Diesel produced and stars in the film Fast X.
In June 2024, he was cast in the forthcoming comedy Carnival: At the End of Days. Momoa was revealed in December 2024 to play Lobo in the DC Universe film Supergirl, which will be released on June 26, 2026. In May 2025, Momoa was announced to play Blanka in the Street Fighter reboot film.
Film
- A Minecraft Movie
- Animal Friends
- Aquaman
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
- Braven
- Brown Bag Diaries: Ridin’ the Blinds in B Minor
- Bullet to the Head
- Conan the Barbarian
- Debug
- Dune
- Fast X
- Gather
- In the Hand of Dante †
- Johnson Family Vacation
- Justice League
- Once Upon a Time in Venice
- Pipeline
- Road to Paloma
- Slumberland
- Sugar Mountain
- Supergirl †
- Sweet Girl
- The Bad Batch
- The Fall Guy
- The Flash
- The Last Manhunt
- The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
- The Wrecking Crew †
- Wolves
- Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Television
- Baywatch: Hawaii
- Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding
- Tempted
- North Shore
- Stargate Atlantis
- The Game
- Game of Thrones
- The Red Road
- Drunk History
- Frontier
- Saturday Night Live
- The Simpsons
- See
- Peacemaker
- The Climb
- On the Roam
- Chief of War
Jason Momoa wife
Jason Momoa began dating actress Lisa Bonet in 2005. On July 23, 2007, they had their daughter, Lola Iolani Momoa. Their son, Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa, was born on December 15, 2008. The pair was lawfully married in October 2017.
Momoa and Bonet confirmed their split in January 2022. The same year, he began dating Eiza González. In June 2022, the couple announced their split. In December 2017, Momoa was featured in Men’s Health magazine. He discussed his exercise program in an article.
A scar on his face, noticeable in his later paintings, was sustained after a brawl at the Bird Café in Hollywood on November 15, 2008, when a guy cut him with a shattered beer glass. He was severely damaged and required 140 stitches.
In 2019, he took part in demonstrations against the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea, a sacred spiritual location for native Hawaiians.
He encouraged members of Archspire to make cameo appearances in the first episode of the TV series See, and he also trained the appropriate screaming technique with Archspire’s vocalist, Oli Peters, for a key part in the show. On October 30, 2020, Momoa appeared in the song “Doom” by the black metal band Scour.
Momoa is a hobby musician who enjoys playing bass guitar, mandolin, ukulele, and guitar, the first of which he picked up after hearing Tool’s song “Sober”.
In 2024, Momoa founded the power trio ÖOF TATATÁ with old friends Kenny Dale Borill and Mike Hayes. They performed in Nashville’s Cannery Hall in May. In August, the band gave a one-off performance in Auckland, New Zealand.
Momoa has multiple tattoos, including a half sleeve on his left forearm that honors his family god, or aumakua.
Jason Momoa Net Worth
Jason Momoa’s net worth is estimated to be over $40 million, despite financial difficulties following Game of Thrones. Momoa got $3 million for the first Aquaman film and $15 million for the sequel, in addition to lucrative TV gigs and brand partnerships.
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