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Where it all began - Jason Momoa muscled his way into the world on August 1, 1979, born in Nānākuli, a small Hawaiian community.

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Meet the Momoas - His mother, Coni, is from Iowa and of German descent. His dad, Joseph, is from a native Hawaiian family.

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Marine biologist - Momoa had a regular education in high school. A true aqua man, he majored in marine biology, before switching to wildlife biology.

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Model behavior - In addition to being studious at school, Momoa also got into modeling, after being discovered by trendsetters Eric Chandler and Takeo Kobayashi.

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Model of the Year - In 1999, Momoa was voted Hawaii's Model of the Year. He even walked the runway at a Louis Vuitton show.

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Joining 'Baywatch' - When he was 19, Momoa turned back to the ocean, working part-time in a surf shop. Not long after, he would get his first role in 'Baywatch Hawaii.'

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The best move? - He starred as Jason Ioane in the TV series, which almost killed his career. "I didn't even know how to act. [...] No one would take me seriously after 'Baywatch.' I lived in the shadow of that for a long time."

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Opening doors - However, this did lead him to start acting professionally. He appeared in shows like 'North Shore,' and learned martial arts for his role as Ronon Dex in 'Stargate: Atlantis.'

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Love - In 2005, Momoa started a relationship with actress Lisa Bonet. 

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Fighting off-set - In November 2008, Momoa got into a bar fight in Hollywood. His face was slashed by a broken beer glass.

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Battle scars - The actor received over 100 stitches during surgery. His scar can still be seen to this day.

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Meet the family - Momoa and Bonet welcomed their first child, Lola, in July 2007. Their second child, Nakoa-Wolf, was born in December 2008.

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Becoming the barbarian - The actor got his biggest break yet in 2011, when he starred as the titular character in 'Conan the Barbarian.'

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Got a part in 'GoT' - After that, Momoa joined the cast of 'Game of Thrones.' He won the role of tribal warrior Khal Drogo. In his audition, Momoa performed a Haka, a dance from the Māori culture.

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Partners in crime -

'Game of Thrones' introduced Momoa to new possibilities, and he directed his first film in 2014. 'Road to Paloma' starred Momoa and Lisa Bonet. He then went on to a phase acting in smaller roles.

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Horrifying stuff - The same year, Momoa starred in horror film 'Wolves.' He also starred in the sci-fi horror 'Debug,' written and directed by 'Stargate: Atlantis' co-star David Hewlett.

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Maneater - Soon after, he played a cannibal in thriller film 'The Bad Batch.'

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Continuing to experiment -

The actor continued to work on left field projects, like indie thriller 'Sugar Mountain,' as well as SundanceTV show 'The Red Road.' A more clear-cut hit was the TV series 'Frontier,' in which he starred from 2016 to 2018.

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Meet Aquaman - After showing his versatility, the actor landed the biggest role of his career as the DC superhero Aquaman.

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First appearance -

The actor made his first Aquaman appearance in 2016, making a cameo in 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.' It was also the first time in which Aquaman had appeared in a live-action film.

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Joining the 'Justice League' - Aquaman got more screentime in 2017, with a leading role in 'Justice League.'

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Not playing around - The same year, Momoa joined another big franchise, signing on to star in a movie series based on the 'Just Cause' video games.

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Self defense - He also took up Brazilian jiu-jitsu, as if Momoa wasn't tough enough.

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Getting official - Momoa and Lisa Bonet were rumored to have married in November 2007. In fact, they got married in October 2017.

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New responsibilities - Through their marriage, Momoa formally became the stepfather of actress Zoë Kravitz. Sadly, in January 2022, Momoa and Bonet announced their split.

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'Aquaman' - Momoa got his big movie in 2018, with the release of 'Aquaman.' The film made well over US$1 billion worldwide, and received some positive reviews. Momoa also appeared as Aquaman in 'Zack Snyder's Justice League' (2021). Sequel 'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom' is set for release on December 20, 2023.

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Joining 'Dune' - He also landed a role in 'Dune' (2021), a Denis Villeneuve (pictured) movie based on the Frank Hebert novel. He plays Duncan Idaho.

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The future -

In 2022, Momoa starred in 'Slumberland,' and 2023 is off to a good start with his appearance in 'Fast X.' And for those ready to see him back on the small screen, there's Apple TV+'s 'Chief of War,' though a release date is still to be announced.

See also: What are these actors doing after 'Game of Thrones'?

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