Michael B. Jordan Wiki: Movie, Net Worth, 'Black Panther' & Facts To Know

Michael B Jordan was born on February 9, 1987, in Santa Ana, California. Although fans have taken to calling him Michael ‘Bae’ Jordan, the B actually stands for Bakari, which means ‘of noble promise’ in Swahili. He is often asked if he is related to basketball player Michael Jordan, but he is not. Two years after his birth, his parents decided to move their family--consisting of Michael, his older sister Jamila and younger brother Khalid--to Newark, New Jersey. Jordan grew up there, moving back to California in 1999 when he began to pursue a career in acting.

He started modeling for brands like Modell’s Sporting Goods and Toys R Us before landing guest star spots on popular television shows ‘Cosby’ and ‘The Sopranos.’ In 2002, Jordan landed a role in the HBO hit ‘The Wire,’ playing a sixteen-year-old drug dealer named Wallace. The character was short-lived, but the role had a large impact on his career. After another episodic role in ‘CSI,’ Jordan landed his next major job. In 2003, he started a three year run on ABC soap opera ‘All My Children,’ playing troubled teen Reggie Porter Montgomery.

His next break came in 2009, when he landed the role of high school quarterback from the wrong side of the tracks Vince Howard on the critically acclaimed drama, ‘Friday Night Lights.’ The show is about a small town in the deep south of Texas that takes their high school football very seriously. Stars Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton were each nominated for Emmy awards twice for their roles, with Chandler winning Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2011. 'Friday Night Lights' also made stars of several of its teenage actors including Taylor Kitsch and Minka Kelly. Jordan also had a small part in the drama ‘Parenthood,’ as Alex, a recovering alcoholic. Like ‘Friday Night Lights,’ ‘Parenthood’ was created by Jason Katmis. These roles helped him make the transition from television to film.

‘Fruitvale Station’ saw Jordan’s first starring role and his break into film. In ‘Fruitvale Station,’ Jordan plays Oscar Grant, a victim of a police shooting. The story is based on real events and goes through the last day of Oscar’s life. The film received a lot of attention and was honored at both the Cannes and Sundance film festivals. Jordan also starred alongside Octavia Spencer, who has since become an Academy Award Winner and three-time nominee. The director, Ryan Coogler, would go on to direct Jordan again in ‘Creed,’ the movie that made him a national star.

In 2014, Jordan starred in the romantic comedy ‘That Awkward Moment’ alongside Miles Teller and Zac Efron. The movie is about three friends (Jordan, Teller and Efron) all at different stages in their romantic relationships. Jordan plays Mikey, whose wife has asked him for a divorce. ‘That Awkward Moment’ drew a very different audience than ‘Fruitvale Station,’ and introduced many more people to Jordan as an actor. Jordan played the Human Torch, or Johnny Storm, in 2015’s ‘Fantastic Four,’ which was a critical and box office flop. The remake fell victim to superhero fatigue, and could not get fans interested. Jordan starred alongside Teller, Kate Mara and Jamie Bell. 'Fantastic Four' marked Jordan's second collaboration with Miles Teller, after 'That Awkward Moment.' He took over Chris Evans’ role from the 2005 version, also called 'Fantastic Four,' which also starred Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd and Michael Chilkis.

Later in 2015, he played Adonis Creed in ‘Creed,’ the latest movie in the ‘Rocky’ franchise. ‘Creed’ was a huge hit and made Jordan a star. It garnered several award nominations including an Oscar nod to Sylvester Stallone for Best Supporting Actor. Jordan plays Apollo Creed’s son, who is mentored by Rocky Balboa (Stallone) after Creed’s death. He did all of his own stunts for the film and says that while shooting he was often beaten and dizzy from the boxing. Jordan’s determination paid off after the film was successful and he was praised for his performance. During the filming of ‘Creed,’ Jordan maintained a strict diet made up of mostly boiled meat, fish and green vegetables. He added to that with an intense workout regimen that gave him a boxer’s physique. However, on cheat days, he would eat everything from Philly cheesesteaks to French toast, even occasionally ending up in gastrointestinal distress. To prepare for his latest film, ‘Black Panther,’ he had a different workout strategy. Jordan says this film was all about bulking up, and that he was massive by the end, putting on 15-20 pounds of muscle. His routine changed to include weapon training and mixed martial arts, and his training partner Corey Calliet even gave a full description of Jordan’s workout and diet plan to Men’s Fitness because it was so intense. A sequel called ‘Creed II’ is in the works at the moment. The film will focus on Adonis’ rivalry with Viktor Drago, son of Ivan Drago. Coogler has stepped down from directing ‘Creed II,’ and Steven Caple Jr is set to direct instead. The rest of the cast will return, including Stallone and Tessa Thompson. Calliet, Jordan's trainer, said that Jordan will look even better for 'Creed II.' It's unclear whether this is possible.

After completing ‘Creed,’ Michael B Jordan took a short break from film to found his own production company, Outlier Society Productions. Jordan founded the company to focus on producing films that would be diverse and promote social change. He is supportive of the Me Too campaign as well as working towards more diversity in Hollywood. As of 2018, the company has several projects in the works, and has named Alana Mayo the head of production.

‘Black Panther’ was released on February 16, 2018, and is Jordan’s biggest film to date. He plays the villain, Erik Killmonger, alongside Chadwick Boseman and Lupita Nyong’o. The film was an instant success, garnering over $200 million at the box office in its opening weekend, making it the fifth highest-grossing domestic opening of all time. Ryan Coogler directed ‘Black Panther,’ continuing his and Jordan’s work together. ‘Black Panther’ has been praised for its diverse cast, complex plotline and political themes. It is the only Marvel movie with a mostly non-white cast and has helped make a case for more diversity in Hollywood. In his cover story for GQ’s March 2018 issue, Jordan is quoted saying that ‘Black Panther’ is “giving black people power, royalty--we don’t gotta be crackheads or gangbangers, selling drugs or robbing people. We don’t have to be comic relief. We can be superheroes.”

Michael B Jordan is typically private about his personal life. Recently, he has been rumoured to be dating Ashlyn Castro. She has a popular Instagram account, but not much is known about her life. On her Instagram, Castro has posted multiple photos of herself with Jordan, and it seems as though the couple spent New Year’s Eve together. It has also been reported that Jordan said that he does not date black women, but he calls that the craziest rumour he has ever heard about himself.

There also seem to be sparks flying between Jordan and ‘Black Panther’ co-star Lupita Nyong’o. The two have seemed exceptionally friendly during the press tour, and fans quickly started wondering if something romantic was between them. Nyong’o shared a story about Jordan losing a bet to her and that he now owes her six push-ups; she gets to call the time and place of each one. She has been posting videos of Jordan completing the push-ups on her Instagram in inconvenient places like live on television or at a fashion show. After tweeting out one of the videos, Nyong’o and Jordan engaged in some light flirting over Twitter, although Jordan has since deleted the tweets after claiming they were a prank from an interview he did on MTV’s ‘Safeword.’ Nyong’o shared the latest video of Jordan doing push-ups and he tweeted back ‘Bring them chocolate cakes back. You ready for round 2? #youknowyouwantthis’ to which she replied ‘No dessert until you come correct #youknowyouwantthis #youaintready.’ Fans were excited, but both actors have stuck to the game show story.

Michael B. Jordan lives with his mother Donna and his father Michael, for whom he purchased a Spanish-style mansion in Sherman Oaks, CA in 2015. He enjoys watching anime series like ‘Bleach’ and ‘Naruto’ and has said he is obsessed with Japan. He even defended his love of anime in a recent tweet, when a fan tweeted at him that women didn’t like nerds. Jordan also loves to cook and is a big fan of Marvin Gaye. The 31-year-old has been praised for his style choices, recently sporting a variety of colorful sweaters and chic coats on the red carpet. This may be due to the actor’s love of ironing, which he has expressed on several occasions. Jordan has also said that he likes his character Erik Killmonger’s hairstyle and wants it to become a trend. The short dreadlock style is a major departure from Jordan’s usual buzz cut.

Jordan’s net worth is estimated at $8 million. This amount will likely increase with the release of ‘Black Panther.’

He is set to star in the upcoming Ryan Coogler project ‘Wrong Answer,’ about a teacher who tries to get better funding for his school by adjusting his student’s test scores. This will be Coogler and Jordan’s fourth collaboration. The film is based on a true story, like ‘Fruitvale Station.’ Jordan will also be a principal actor in ‘Fahrenheit 451,’ based on the George Orwell novel of the same name. It will be released later in 2018. Michael B. Jordan is undoubtedly a star on the rise, with his talent winning over critics to his charm winning over fans. You can keep up with him on Instagram at instagram.com/michaelbjordan and on Twitter at twitter.com/michaelb4jordan.