Personal details
- Birth Date: 1979-08-01
- Height: 6′ 4″ (1.93 m)
- Birth Location: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
- Children: (divorced, 2 children) Lola Iolani Momoa
- Parents: Coni Momoa
- Professions: Actor, Producer, Writer
Jason Momoa—yeah, that guy with the wild hair and the even wilder presence—was born August 1, 1979, in Honolulu. His mom, Coni, is a photographer from Iowa, and his dad, Joseph, paints and has deep Native Hawaiian and Samoan roots. Jason ended up growing up in Norwalk, Iowa, with his mom, which is kind of wild when you think about the surf-and-sand vibe he gives off. After high school, he bounced right back to Hawaii and, out of nowhere, snagged the lead in “Baywatch Hawaii.” Not bad for a kid from Iowa, right? When Baywatch wrapped, he took some time to travel, then landed in LA in 2001 to chase the Hollywood dream. He grabbed a few TV gigs, but things started really picking up after he got cast in “North Shore,” and then—boom—he was Ronon Dex on “Stargate: Atlantis,” which turned into a cult favorite. The dude can rock a dreadlock, let’s just say. Then came “Game of Thrones,” where he pretty much became a legend as Khal Drogo. Apparently, he did the Haka at his audition, just to prove he could bring that warrior energy. That same casting director got him in as Conan in the “Conan the Barbarian” reboot, which he shot in Bulgaria, pulling from decades of comic history rather than just copying Arnie. He’s got his own production company, Pride of Gypsies, and has started directing too—his feature debut, “Road to Paloma,” is his baby. Off-screen, he’s with Lisa Bonet, and they’ve got two kids. The man’s basically unstoppable.
Back in November 2008, Jason Momoa got into it at Birds Cafe out in Hollywood—some wild night, seriously. Some guy, Dominic Bando, smashed a beer glass in Momoa’s face. Sounds like something out of a gritty movie, but nope, this was real life. Momoa ended up needing over a hundred stitches—140 to be exact—just to piece his face back together. That’s why he’s got that gnarly scar on his left eyebrow, which honestly kind of adds to his whole rugged vibe. Anyway, Bando, who was 21 and hanging around Venice Beach back then, got caught and nailed for the assault. The court handed him a five-year prison sentence. Wild, right? So whenever you see Momoa on screen and spot that scar, yeah—it’s not just for looks, it’s got a backstory that’s way crazier than most Hollywood scripts.
So, I was just a nineteen-year-old kid, folding shirts at some surf shop, minding my own business, and then—bam! Out of nowhere, I get picked from over a thousand people to star in 'Baywatch Hawaii.' Acting? Yeah, I had zero idea what I was doing, not even a clue. You’d think landing a gig like that would open all the doors, right? Nope. After that, it took me five whole years just to find an agent who’d even give me the time of day. Nobody really wanted to take me seriously once I had that Baywatch label stuck to my name. Seriously, it’s like I couldn’t escape it. That show followed me around like a shadow, and honestly, it took a long time before people saw me as anything else. The whole thing was wild, but man, it left me in that Baywatch box for way longer than I ever expected.
August 1, 1979
6′ 4″ (1.93 m)
Konidela Ram Charan
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Yes, Lola Iolani Momoa
Coni Momoa and Surekha
46 years old