Hollywood star Michael B Jordan celebrated his 39th birthday this week, but how much do you know about him? Here are some facts you might not know.
Michael B Jordan’s star has been rising in Hollywood for some years, and he is now one of the hottest names in cinema. Having starred in movies such as the Creed series – as well as directing Creed III – one of his most recent, Sinners, recently scooped a record number of Oscar nominations, including one for himself in the Best Actor category.
As the build-up to the Oscars continues this month, Michael will be a name on many people’s lips as he is tipped to take the Best Actor gong. But how much do you know about Michael B Jordan? Here are some facts you might not know about him.
Why he’s Michael B Jordan
The reason Michael always uses the ‘B’ is simple – to avoid any possible confusion with the basketball legend. Michael B is no relation to his elder namesake.
The B stands for Bakari, his middle name, which means ‘of noble promise’ in Swahili.
Michael started out as a child model
Michael’s earliest forays into the world of showbusiness was as a child model, and he worked on campaigns for several brands, including Toys ‘R’ Us and Modell’s Sporting Goods.
But Michael decided that he wanted to be an actor, and he made his acting debut on screen in 1999, aged 12, with brief appearances in single episodes of shows such as Cosby and The Sopranos.
His movie debut came in 2001 alongside Keanu Reeves in the movie Hardball, a comedy-drama about a gambler who ends up coaching a baseball team full of fifth-grade kids. Michael played Jamal, one of the kids in the team.
His big break was in The Wire
Michael first came to widespread attention when he was in the first season of The Wire in 2002. He played Wallace, a 16-year-old drug dealer for the Barksdale Organization, who ends up crossing kingpin Stringer Bell.
After this, Michael went on to star in ABC soap All My Children from 2003 to 2006, before going on to star in sports drama Friday Night Lights from 2009-11.
He is an investor in sports teams
Away from Hollywood, Michael is an avid sports fan, supporting New York Giants in the NFL and Everton FC in the English Premier League.
But Michael has taken his love further than just spectating – he also invests. He is a part-owner of EPL side AFC Bournemouth as part of the Black Knights Football Club consortium, which is led by businessman Bill Foley. Michael led the minority ownership group that is part of that.
Michael has also invested in the Alpine Formula 1 team, as part of a consortium that also included Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Michael loves anime
Michael is also a well-known fan of Japanese anime, and he has said in the past that Naruto: Shappuden, One Piece and Dragon Ball are among his favourite series. Michael often mentions anime in interviews, although sometimes has to explain it to fellow actors. Part of the reason he loves anime is the long-form storytelling, layered themes and character development.
His love for these has influenced his filmmaking; for instance, Dragon Ball Z and Fighting Spirit inspired the fight choreography of Creed III.
He’s been voted the sexiest man alive
Michael has received many accolades in recent years, including twice placing on Time’s 100 most influential people in the world list in 2020 and 2023.
But in 2020, he topped the chart in People’s annual Sexiest Man Alive feature. The long-established feature is billed as a benchmark for male attractiveness, although it typically only includes famous people. He has placed in the poll in other years too.
