Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa (born August 1, 1979) is an American actor and model. He is known for his role as Ronon Dex on Stargate: Atlantis. He plays the title character in the 2011 film Conan the Barbarian. He also appears as Khal Drogo in the 2011 HBO series Game of Thrones.
Personal life
Momoa, an only child, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and raised in Norwalk, Iowa, by his mother. His father was a Native Hawaiian and his mother was of German, Irish, and Native American ancestry.[1] Momoa is 6'3" (1.93m)[1] and the nephew of famed surfers Brian Keaulana & Rusty Keaulana.[2]
On November 15, 2008, Momoa was attacked with a broken beer glass in Hollywood.[3] Momoa received around 140 stitches during reconstructive surgery.[3]
On July 23, 2007, Lisa Bonet gave birth to their daughter, Lola Iolani Momoa. On December 15, 2008, Bonet and Momoa had a son, Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa. The birth was first announced by Momoa's mother on the fan forums of his official site. She said that Nakoa means “warrior” and Mana stands for “strength/spirit,” while Kaua ("rain") and Po ("dark") pertain to the circumstances surrounding his birthday (he was born on a rare bad-weather night in L.A.). He shares his other middle name, Namakaeha, with his father.[4]
[edit] Career
In 1998, Momoa returned to Hawaii, where he was discovered by international designer Takeo and launched his modeling career. In 1999, he won Hawaii's Model of the Year and hosted the Miss Teen Hawaii contest. Momoa is best known for his roles as Jason Ioane (1999…quot;2001) in Baywatch Hawaii and as Ronon Dex (2005…quot;09) in Stargate Atlantis.
After the shooting of Stargate Atlantis Season 4 was over, Momoa had his dreadlocks cut off. Their weight had been causing him headaches, and even whiplash when filming action scenes. Producers of Atlantis agreed with the decision and had planned to film a scene where Ronon cuts off his hair for Season 5's "Broken Ties," but that change was ultimately overruled by the Sci Fi network. On the first day of filming for Season 5, his dreadlocks were reattached, but the process was too taxing, forcing Momoa to switch to using his stunt double's wig until a custom wig could be made and delivered two weeks later.[5][6][7]
Momoa appeared in four episodes of The Game as Roman, and appeared as Khal Drogo in the first season of the HBO series Game of Thrones. Momoa will also appear as the title character in Conan the Barbarian.[8]
Filmography
YearFilm/Television showRoleNotes2001BaywatchJason Ioane, 2003Baywatch: Hawaiian WeddingJason Ioane, TemptedKala2004, Johnson Family VacationNavarro2005North ShoreFrankie Seau, 2009Stargate AtlantisRonon Dex, 2009The GameRoman(2009)2011Game of ThronesKhal Drogo(10 episodes)2011Conan the BarbarianConan