Back مايكل جاي وايت Arabic Michael Jai White AST Maykl Cey Vayt Azerbaijani مایکل جای وایت AZB Майкъл Джай Уайт Bulgarian Michael Jai White Catalan مایکڵ جای وایت CKB Michael Jai White Danish Michael Jai White German Michael Jai White Spanish
Michael Jai White | |
|---|---|
.jpg) White at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2024 | |
| Born | November 10, 1967[1] New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouses | Courtenay Chatman
(m. 2005; div. 2011)Gillian Iliana Waters
(m. 2015) |
| Children | 7 |
Michael Jai White (born November 10, 1967)[1][note 1] is an American actor, director, and martial artist.[3] Though he has appeared in a variety of genres, White is best known for his action and martial arts films.[4] His first major starring role and breakout performance was in the 1995 HBO film Tyson as heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson. He went on to portray Al Simmons in the 1997 movie Spawn, making him the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture.[note 2][5] His work in Spawn earned him a nomination for the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Best Male Newcomer. In 1999, White starred opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in Universal Soldier: The Return, and in 2001, he starred opposite Steven Seagal in Exit Wounds.
He has appeared in the films The Dark Knight (2008), Black Dynamite (2009), Accident Man (2018), Dragged Across Concrete (2019), and As Good As Dead (2022), among others. He appeared as Marcus Williams in the Tyler Perry films Why Did I Get Married? (2007) and Why Did I Get Married Too? (2010), and starred as the character on the TBS/OWN comedy-drama television series Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse. He directed and starred in Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown (2011), Never Back Down: No Surrender (2016), and Outlaw Johnny Black (2023). His voice acting work includes Justice League Heroes (2006), Batman: Soul of the Dragon (2021), and Marvel's Midnight Suns (2022).
White has been training in martial arts since the age of 7, and specializes in the styles of Kyokushin, Taekwondo, Kobudo, Shotokan, and The Superfoot System.[6]
- ^ a b Who's Who Among African Americans (31st ed.). Gale. 2016. p. 1107. ISBN 9781410317292.
- ^ "Celebrity birthdays for the week of Nov. 10-16". November 4, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
- ^ Thorp, Charles (September 26, 2023). "Michael Jai White Is Still Shredded at 55 Thanks to This Martial Art, the Pinnacle of Performance". www.mensjournal.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
- ^ Symchuk, Adam (May 11, 2024). "How Michael Jai White Incorporates Real Martial Arts Into His Movies". www.movieweb.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
- ^ "Michael Jai White is first Black comic superhero to star on the movie screen in 'Spawn.'". Jet magazine. September 22, 1997. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
- ^ Thorp, Charles (September 26, 2023). "Michael Jai White Is Still Shredded at 55 Thanks to This Martial Art, the Pinnacle of Performance". www.mensjournal.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
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