Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (/ˈjɑːhiə/;[1] born July 15, 1986[2]) is an American actor. He portrayed Black Manta in the DC Extended Universe Aquaman films and Bobby Seale in the Netflix historical legal drama The Trial of the Chicago 7. For his portrayal of Cal Abar in the HBO limited series Watchmen, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. He also starred in an episode of The Handmaid's Tale and Black Mirror.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II | |
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Born | (1986-07-15) July 15, 1986 (age 36) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
Education | University of California, Berkeley (BArch) Yale University (MFA) |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2012–present |
Abdul-Mateen portrayed incarnations of Morpheus and Agent Smith in The Matrix Resurrections.
Abdul-Mateen was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to a Muslim convert father, Yahya Abdul-Mateen I (1945–2007),[3][4] and a Christian mother, Mary.[5][2] He is the youngest of six children.[6] He spent his childhood in the Magnolia Projects of New Orleans, and then moved to Oakland, California,[7][8] where he attended McClymonds High School. At McClymonds, he was an athlete (he played against future NFL champion Marshawn Lynch)[9] and self-described geek who enjoyed chess. He was also prom king.[10] The family was eventually priced out of Oakland and moved to Stockton, California.[9]
During his time at the University of California, Berkeley, where Mateen became initiated as a member of Alpha Phi Alpha[11] and competed as a hurdler for the California Golden Bears,[2] a teammate suggested he take a theater class; that class helped him overcome his stutter.[12] He graduated with a degree in architecture, and then worked as a city planner in San Francisco.[13] After being laid off from his job, he used the opportunity to apply to drama schools, in which he was accepted by New York University Tisch School of the Arts, the Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University, and Yale School of Drama;[4] he graduated from Yale with a Master of Fine Arts degree and worked as a stage actor.[8][14]
Early in his career, Abdul-Mateen was adamant about not altering his Muslim name or using a stage name, countering the implications that having a Muslim name would impede his success.[15] In 2016, Abdul-Mateen began his acting career with Stephen Adly Guirgis and Baz Luhrmann's musical drama series The Get Down, which premiered on Netflix. His character Clarence "Cadillac" Caldwell is a prince of the disco world.[14] He was praised for his performance in the series.[7][16]
In 2017, Abdul-Mateen appeared in Shawn Christensen's drama film The Vanishing of Sidney Hall, in the role of Duane. It premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.[17]
Abdul-Mateen played a police officer, Garner Ellerbee, in the action comedy film Baywatch along with Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron, and directed by Seth Gordon. The film was released on May 25, 2017.[18] He also played WD Wheeler, a smart hand-to-hand acrobat partner, in the musical film The Greatest Showman (2017), which also starred Efron, as well as with Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, and Zendaya, about American showman P.T. Barnum.[19]
In 2018, he starred in the road trip drama film Boundaries, along with Vera Farmiga and Christopher Plummer, directed and written by Shana Feste;[20] and played DC Comics villain Black Manta in the film Aquaman, which started shooting in May 2017 in Australia.[21] In 2018, Abdul-Mateen was cast in a flashback part as the main character's father in the horror film Us, directed by Jordan Peele, which was released in March 2019.[22]
In February 2019, it was confirmed that Abdul-Mateen was in talks to star in the Jordan Peele-produced Candyman reboot as the title character, with Nia DaCosta directing.[23] The film was released in theaters on August 27, 2021, to positive reviews.[24][25]
In March 2019, it was announced that Abdul-Mateen was cast in the fifth season of Netflix's science-fiction anthology series Black Mirror.[26] Later in the year, he played Cal Abar, known as Doctor Manhattan, in the HBO superhero drama miniseries Watchmen,[27] which earned him his first Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special in September 2020.[28]
Abdul-Mateen starred in the role of Morpheus (an alternate version of the character[29]) in the film The Matrix Resurrections.
Abdul-Mateen is currently starring in the Broadway revival of Topdog/Underdog alongside Corey Hawkins.
In October 2022, it was announced that Abdul-Mateen was cast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ series Wonder Man as the titular character.[30][31]
Abdul-Mateen lives in New York City.[6] After his father's death in 2007, Abdul-Mateen began researching his family history, explaining that "My father grew up and passed away with the longing to know where his father was from and about his father’s history."[32] His father had West Indian heritage, although the country of origin is unknown.[33]
Denotes works that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
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2017 | The Vanishing of Sidney Hall | Duane Jones | Shawn Christensen | |
Baywatch | Sergeant Garner Ellerbee | Seth Gordon | ||
The Greatest Showman | W.D. Wheeler | Michael Gracey | ||
2018 | First Match | Darrel | Olivia Newman | |
Boundaries | Serge | Shana Feste | ||
Aquaman | David Kane / Manta | James Wan | ||
2019 | Us | Russel Thomas / Weyland | Jordan Peele | |
Sweetness in the Belly | Aziz | Zeresenay Berhane Mehari | ||
2020 | All Day and a Night | Big Stunna | Joe Robert Cole | |
The Trial of the Chicago 7 | Bobby Seale | Aaron Sorkin | Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble Satellite Award for Best Ensemble – Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated – AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Ensemble Nominated – Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble Nominated – Black Reel Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male Nominated – Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Ensemble Nominated – Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Ensemble Nominated – Georgia Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble Nominated – Hollywood Critics Association Award for Best Cast Ensemble Nominated – San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by an Ensemble Nominated – Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble | |
2021 | Candyman | Anthony McCoy and Candyman | Nia DaCosta | Critics' Choice Super Award for Best Actor in a Horror Movie Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Lead Performance |
The Matrix Resurrections | Morpheus / Smith[34] | Lana Wachowski | ||
2022 | Ambulance | Will Sharp | Michael Bay | |
2023 | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom | David Kane / Black Manta | James Wan | Post-production |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2016–2017 | The Get Down | Clarence "Cadillac" Caldwell | Main role, 11 episodes |
2018 | The Handmaid's Tale | Omar | 1 episode |
2019 | Black Mirror | Karl | Episode: "Striking Vipers" |
2019 | Watchmen | Cal Abar | Miniseries, 8 episodes Recipient of Black Reel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, TV Movie or Limited Series Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie |
TBA | Wonder Man | Simon Williams / Wonder Man | Main role |
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link)After the release of the trailer for The Matrix Resurrections, many long-time fans of the franchise have pondered what role Yahya Abdul-Mateen II would be playing, given his eerily similar appearance to Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus. Fans can now rest easy (or not, depending on your perspective), as the Candyman star has confirmed on Instagram that he is, in fact, taking over the role of Morpheus for the franchise’s fourth installment.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link)General | |
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