Michael Bakari Jordan (born February 7, 1987; age: 31) is an American actor best known for playing real-life shooting victim Oscar Grant in the drama film Fruitvale Station (2013), boxer Adonis Creed in the Rocky franchise movie Creed (2015) and the villain Eric “Killmonger” Stevens in the Marvel film Black Panther (2018).

He is also known for his roles in That Awkward Moment (2014), the HBO series The Wire (2002) and the NBC drama series Friday Night Lights (2009-2011).

Michael B. Jordan Bio: Early Life

Jordan was born in Santa Ana, California, to Donna — a high school guidance counselor — and Michael A. Jordan. His older sister Jamila works as a producer.

Jordan and his family lived in California for two years and then moved to Newark, New Jersey. He attended Newark Arts High School and played basketball there.

Michael B. Jordan: Early Work (1999-2012)

As a child, Jordan started out working as a model for multiple companies, including Toys ‘R’ U and Modell’s Sporting Goods, before beginning his career in acting.

In 1999, Jordan briefly appeared in single episodes of the television series Cosby and The Sopranos. His first feature film role was in the 2001 sports comedy-drama Hardball, which co-starred Keanu Reeves and Diane Lane. 

Jordan then got further recognition when he played the small but important character Wallace in the first season of the HBO drama series The Wire. 

In March 2003, Jordan played troubled teenager Reggie Porter in All My Children and remained on the show until June 2006.

Among other shows Jordan appeared in were  CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Without a Trace and Cold Case.

In 2009, Jordan started acting in the Texas-set NBC series Friday Night Lights where he played high school quarterback Vince Howard. He played Vince for two seasons until the series finally ended in 2011.

Jordan then appeared in the 2012 war film Red Tails alongside Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr. That same year, Jordan starred in the found footage sci-fi thriller film Chronicle. 

Michael B. Jordan Bio: Breakthrough (2013-Present)

Jordan’s breakout role came in 2013 when he portrayed real-life California shooting victim Oscar Grant in the drama film Fruitvale Station, which was directed by Ryan Coogler. Jordan was subsequently named an “actor to watch” by People and Variety. 

In 2014, Jordan starred alongside Zac Efron and Miles Teller in the romantic comedy That Awkward Moment. 

Jordan then played Johnny Storm/The Human Torch in the 2015 reboot of Fantastic Four. The movie, which also starred Teller, Kate Mara and Jamie Bell as the titular four superheroes, was widely lambasted by critics and earned a nine percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film also failed financially.

Despite this setback, Jordan starred in a successful movie later in 2015 when he played boxer Adonis Creed (son of Apollo Creed) in the film Creed, a sequel to the Rocky franchise. The film, which saw Jordan re-team with writer-director Coogler, earned mostly strong reviews. Sylvester Stallone, who reprised his role as Rocky Balboa, won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his performance and was also nominated for the Academy Award in the same category.

Jordan undertook one year of rigorous physical training to prepare for his role in Creed and also took on a strict low-fat diet. He did not have a body double during filming and was even knocked out in real life at one point during a shoot.

Jordan’s next film role was as the evil Erik “Kilmonger” Stevens in the 2018 Marvel superhero film Black Panther, which was also directed and co-written by Coogler. Jordan also participated in several intense physical training sessions to prepare for the role in the film, which earned rave reviews and broke box office records within on week of its Feb. 16 release. Jordan received high praise for his performance. Black Panther also starred Chadwick Boseman as the titular character, Lupita Nyong’o, Forest Whitaker and Danai Gurira.

Among Jordan’s upcoming projects is Creed 2, a sequel to his 2015 film that will see him face off against Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago and Drago’s son. The film is expected to be released in late 2018.

Jordan will also star in the HBO film Fahrenheit 451, an adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s novel, which will be released in May 2018. Jordan will also serve as an executive producer of the film, which also stars Michael Shannon and Sofia Boutella.

Jordan is also set to play American lawyer and activist Bryan Stevenson in the biopic Just Mercy, and is also slated to re-team with Coogler yet again for the drama film Wrong Answer, which centers on the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal that began in 2009.

Jordan is also set to star in a second remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, and has been pursued by Warner Bros. for the role of young Morpheus in a potential prequel to The Matrix, per a March 2017 report.

Michael B. Jordan Bio: ‘That Awkward Moment’ Interview

In January 2014, Jordan, Zac Efron and Miles Teller sat down with uInterview for an exclusive look at their romantic comedy That Awkward Moment. The film, set in New York City, tells of three young friends who make a pact to stay single after one of them (Jordan) goes through a bad breakup.

However, respecting their deal proves to be more difficult than the trio believed.

“I know these guys, my best friends in the world I share things with that I can’€™t share with other people,” Efron told uInterview of his two co-stars. “They teach me things, and I learn from them that nobody else could have taught me. They’re intelligent they’€™re funny, they’™re charismatic, they’€™re nerds. We have a bond. And I really think this movie examines that and then, also shows how we rely on each other through relationships. I don’€™t know I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

Jordan gave examples of awkward scenes or real-life moments while shooting that reflect the tile of the film.

€œ”A lot of fun moments. The awkward moments kind of came through the characters stuff I think between us,” he said. “It was just us goofing off having a great time, you know? Tom just let us go just ad lib and find the magic in the scenes. But to be more specific, talk about these two planking or me just [bleep] off to some peanut butter chocolate then a phone number you €˜know that’™s kind of awkward.”

Jordan also offered his opinion on dating and wingmen: “You need two wingmen, you need a spotter and a go-get-her.”

Michael B. Jordan Bio: Personal Life, Girlfriends, Religion, Social Media, Net Worth, Quotes

Jordan has been living in Los Angeles since 2006, and currently lives with his parents, as stated in an interview on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Although religion was a part of his upbringing, he now describes himself as simply a “spiritual” person.

In early 2018, Jordan was rumored to be dating a woman named Ashlyn Castro, though nothing has been confirmed.

Jordan is on Twitter as @michaelb4jordan and Instagram as @michaelbjordan.

His net worth is estimated at $8 million.

Quotes:

“I’m an athlete; I’ve got an ego when stunt doubles have to come in. Not an ego like that, but when it comes to physical stuff, if I didn’t have to have a stunt double, I would always probably do it myself unless the producers were jumping in and stopping me.”

“Acting I’ll do forever, but I want to produce and stuff as well.”

“I’m a tropical weather cruiser. I like surfing, you know. I like being on the beach.”

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