Biography

Youth

Michael Bakari Jordan was born on February 9, 1987, in Orange County, California, to Donna and Michael A. Jordan. He is the middle child, with an older sister and younger brother. After living in Santa Ana for a few years, they moved to Newark, New Jersey, which is where Jordan grew up.

Education

While living in New Jersey, Jordan attended Newark Arts High School. He played basketball there and his mother worked there as a teacher.

Career

Early on, Jordan worked as a child model. His acting career began in 1999 with appearances on shows like The Sopranos. He made his big screen debut in 2001's Hardball before gaining more fame with a key role on HBO's hit series The Wire. From there, he landed several TV roles on the likes of All My Children and Cold Case.

Friday Night Lights added Jordan for the final two seasons and it helped him break out even further. His movie career grew from there, including his partnership with Ryan Coogler. Jordan starred in acclaimed films like Chronicle (2012), Fruitvale Station (2013), Creed (2015), Black Panther (2018), and Sinners (2025). Jordan won the Oscar for Best Actor in early 2026.

Personal Life

Growing up in New Jersey led Jordan to be a New York Giants fan. He resides in Los Angeles, and has since 2006. In late 2020, Jordan was dating model Lori Harvey, the daughter of Steve Harvey, though they broke up in 2022. Jordan is part owner of AFC Bournemouth and is an investor in Alpine F1 Team.