Michael Bakari Jordan, popularly known as Michael B. Jordan (MJB) is an American actor, producer and director.
Gatekeepers News reports that although many connect him with basketball legend Michael Jordan, Jordan is not related to, or named after the legend. His middle name, Bakari, means “noble promise” in Swahili.
Early Life
Born on February 9, 1987, in Santa Ana, California, to Donna and Michael A. Jordan, Jordan’s family spent two years in California before moving to Newark, New Jersey.
Jordan attended Newark Arts High School, where his mother worked, and where he also played basketball.
Career
Jordan worked as a child model for several companies and brands, including Modell’s sporting goods and Toys “R” Us, before deciding to embark on a career as an actor.
In 1999, Jordan launched his career as a professional actor when he appeared briefly in single episodes of the television series Cosby and The Sopranos. His first principal film role followed in 2001 when he was featured in Hardball, which starred Keanu Reeves. In 2002, he gained more attention by playing the small but pivotal role of Wallace in the first season of HBO’s The Wire.
In March 2003, he joined the cast of All My Children, replacing Chadwick Boseman, playing Reggie Montgomery, a troubled teenager, until June 2006 when Jordan was released from his contract. Jordan’s other credits include guest-starring appearances on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Without a Trace, and Cold Case. Thereafter, he had a lead role in the independent film Blackout and starred in The Assistants on The-N. In 2008, Jordan appeared in the music video “Did You Wrong” by R&B artist Pleasure P.
Jordan initially broke out in television, playing Wallace in the first season of the HBO crime drama series The Wire (2002); Reggie Montgomery on the ABC soap opera All My Children (2003–2006), and Vince Howard in the NBC sports drama series Friday Night Lights (2009–2011). His other films include Chronicle (2012), That Awkward Moment (2014), Fantastic Four (2015), and Just Mercy (2019), in which he portrayed Bryan Stevenson. He also starred in and produced the HBO film Fahrenheit 451 (2018) and received Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie nomination.
In 2020, Jordan was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine, as well as People’s Sexiest Man Alive. In the same year, The New York Times ranked him 15th on its list of the 25 greatest actors of the 21st century. Jordan is also a co-owner of the English Premier League football club AFC Bournemouth.
Jordan is best known for his film roles as shooting victim Oscar Grant in the drama Fruitvale Station (2013), boxer Adonis Creed in Creed (2015), and Erik Killmonger in Black Panther (2018), all of which were written and directed by Ryan Coogler. Jordan reprised his role of Creed in Creed II (2018) and Creed III (2023).
Jordan made his directorial debut with Creed III, a sequel to Creed II, in addition to producing and reprising his starring role as boxer Adonis Creed. It was released on March 3, 2023.
Net Worth
Jordan’s net worth in 2023 is $25 million. He has earned this money mainly through his successful career as an actor, though he has worked as a model, and executive producer and has recently turned to directing.
