Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 15, 1986 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, architect |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Known for | Black Manta in Aquaman, Bobby Seale in The Trial of the Chicago 7, Cal Abar / Doctor Manhattan in Watchmen, Morpheus in The Matrix Resurrections, Simon Williams / Wonder Man in Marvel Cinematic Universe |
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (; born July 15, 1986) is an American actor recognized for his performances including the role of Black Manta in the superhero movies Aquaman (2018) and its sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), as well as portraying Bobby Seale in the Netflix historical legal drama The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020). He also took on the characters of Morpheus and Agent Smith in The Matrix Resurrections (2021). His depiction of Cal Abar / Doctor Manhattan in HBO’s limited series Watchmen (2019) earned him a Primetime Emmy Award. Additionally, Abdul-Mateen appeared in the television series The Handmaid's Tale (2018) and Black Mirror (2019).
He made his debut on Broadway with Suzan-Lori Parks' play Topdog/Underdog, which garnered him a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play. Within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he portrays Simon Williams / Wonder Man from Marvel Comics.
Early life and education
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Abdul-Mateen is the son of a Muslim father, Yahya Abdul-Mateen I, and a Christian mother named Mary. As the youngest among six siblings, he was raised in New Orleans’ Magnolia Projects before relocating to Oakland, California. There, he attended McClymonds High School, where he excelled as an athlete and chess player and was elected prom king. Due to escalating living expenses, his family eventually moved to Stockton, California.
While studying at the University of California, Berkeley, he became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and competed as a hurdler for the California Golden Bears. Participation in a theater course helped him manage a stutter. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and initially worked as a city planner in San Francisco. Following a layoff, he shifted his focus to acting by enrolling at the Yale School of Drama, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree.
Career
At the outset of his career, Abdul-Mateen was determined to retain his Muslim name despite suggestions to adopt a stage name. His acting journey began in 2016 with Baz Luhrmann’s Netflix musical drama series The Get Down, where he portrayed Clarence "Cadillac" Caldwell, a disco aficionado, receiving critical acclaim.
In 2017, he appeared as Duane in Shawn Christensen’s drama The Vanishing of Sidney Hall, which debuted at Sundance. That same year, he played police officer Garner Ellerbee in the action-comedy film Baywatch, starring alongside Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. He also took on the role of WD Wheeler, an acrobat partner, in the musical The Greatest Showman, featuring Hugh Jackman and Zendaya.
In 2018, Abdul-Mateen starred alongside Vera Farmiga and Christopher Plummer in the road trip drama Boundaries. He portrayed the antagonist Black Manta in the blockbuster film Aquaman, which was shot in Australia. Additionally, he appeared in a flashback role in Jordan Peele’s horror movie Us, released in March 2019.
By February 2019, it was announced that Abdul-Mateen would lead the Jordan Peele-produced reboot of Candyman, directed by Nia DaCosta; this film premiered in August 2021 to favorable reviews.
In March 2019, he joined the cast for season five of Netflix’s sci-fi anthology series Black Mirror. Later that year, he starred as Cal Abar/Doctor Manhattan in HBO’s superhero miniseries Watchmen, which won him the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series in 2020.
Abdul-Mateen took on an alternate version of Morpheus in The Matrix Resurrections. Between September 2022 and January 2023, he made his Broadway debut starring in Suzan-Lori Parks’ revival of Topdog/Underdog, earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actor.
In October 2022, it was announced that Abdul-Mateen would headline the Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ series Wonder Man.
Personal life
Abdul-Mateen resides in New York City. Following the passing of his father in 2007, he delved into his genealogy, discovering his father's West Indian roots and reflecting on his father's enduring interest in tracing their family lineage.
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | The Vanishing of Sidney Hall | Duane Jones | |
| Baywatch | Sergeant Garner Ellerbee | ||
| The Greatest Showman | W.D. Wheeler | ||
| 2018 | First Match | Darrel | |
| Boundaries | Serge | ||
| Aquaman | David Kane / Black Manta | ||
| 2019 | Us | Russel Thomas / Weyland | |
| Sweetness in the Belly | Aziz | ||
| 2020 | All Day and a Night | Big Stunna | |
| The Trial of the Chicago 7 | Bobby Seale | ||
| 2021 | Candyman | Anthony McCoy and Candyman | |
| The Matrix Resurrections | Morpheus / Smith | ||
| 2022 | Ambulance | Will Sharp | |
| 2023 | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom | David Kane / Black Manta | |
| 2026 | The Adventures of Cliff Booth | Template:TBA | Currently filming |
| TBA | By Any Means | Template:TBA | In post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–2017 | The Get Down | Clarence "Cadillac" Caldwell | Principal role |
| 2018 | The Handmaid's Tale | Omar | Episode: "Baggage" |
| 2019 | Black Mirror | Karl | Episode: "Striking Vipers" |
| Watchmen | Cal Abar | Limited series; appeared in eight episodes | |
| 2026 | Template:Pending series | Simon Williams / Wonder Man | Lead role; eight episodes planned |
| TBA | Template:Pending series | John Creasy | Lead role anticipated |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–2023 | Topdog/Underdog#Topdog / Underdog | Booth | Broadway debut at the John Golden Theatre |
Accolades
style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 2023 Drama League Awards – Distinguished Performance rowspan=3|'‘Topdog/Underdog’' Template:Nom style="text-align:center;"| Theatre World Awards – Outstanding Debut Performance in a Broadway or Off-Broadway Production Template:Won style="text-align:center;"| "Tony Awards" – Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play Template:Nom style="text-align:center;"| -}External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1986 births
- 21st-century American male actors
- African-American architects
- 21st-century African-American male actors
- American male television actors
- American individuals of West Indian heritage
- Living people
- Male actors originating from New Orleans
- Male actors based in Oakland, California
- Screen Actors Guild Award recipients for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
- Primetime Emmy Award winners for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
- Theatre World Award recipients
- Alumni of UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design
- Alumni of David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University
- Graduates of McClymonds High School