Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (born July 15, 1986) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Black Manta in the superhero films Aquaman (2018) and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), Bobby Seale in the Netflix historical legal drama The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020), and Morpheus / Agent Smith in The Matrix Resurrections (2021). For his portrayal of Cal Abar / Doctor Manhattan in the HBO limited series Watchmen (2019), he won a Primetime Emmy Award.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Eva Rinaldi · Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Eva Rinaldi Photography (1) · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Born
- 1986. · New Orleans.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Occupation
- actor, architect and executive producer.
- Fields
- acting.
- Education
- University of California, Berkeley, Yale School of Drama and McClymonds High School.
- Honours
- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.
- Languages
- English.
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Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (born July 15, 1986) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Black Manta in the superhero films Aquaman (2018) and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), Bobby Seale in the Netflix historical legal drama The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020), and Morpheus / Agent Smith in The Matrix Resurrections (2021). For his portrayal of Cal Abar / Doctor Manhattan in the HBO limited series Watchmen (2019), he won a Primetime Emmy Award.
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Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (born 1986) is an American actor, architect and executive producer, among other activities. The actor was born in New Orleans.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II studied at McClymonds High School, University of California, Berkeley and Yale School of Drama. The actor is active in acting. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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wikidata · Q28655334 · wikipedia · Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
In this article
Early life
Early life
He also starred in episodes of The Handmaid's Tale (2018) and Black Mirror (2019). He made his Broadway debut in the Suzan-Lori Parks play Topdog/Underdog for which he received a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play nomination. He has played Simon Williams / Wonder Man in media set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starring in the Disney+ series Wonder Man (2026), for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II studied at University of California, Berkeley, Yale School of Drama and McClymonds High School. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is acting. Distinctions recorded are Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.
Abdul-Mateen was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. His mother, Mary, is Christian, while his father (1945–2007) was Yahya Abdul-Mateen I (birth name John Ford), a member of the New Orleans Masjid of Al-Islam, a former Nation of Islam temple founded in the 1960s that later adopted Sunni Islam. He is the youngest of six children. He spent his childhood in the Magnolia Projects of New Orleans, and then moved to Oakland, California, where he attended McClymonds High School. At McClymonds, he was an athlete and self-described geek who enjoyed chess and was voted prom king. The family was eventually priced out of Oakland and moved to Stockton, California. During his time at the University of California, Berkeley, Mateen became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and competed as a hurdler for the California Golden Bears. A teammate suggested he take a theater class; that class helped him overcome his stutter. He graduated with a degree in architecture, and then worked as a city planner in San Francisco. After being laid off from his job, he enrolled at Yale School of Drama and graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree.
Career
Career
Early in his career, Abdul-Mateen was adamant about not altering his Muslim name or using a stage name, countering the implications that having a Muslim name would impede his success. In 2016, Abdul-Mateen began his acting career with Stephen Adly Guirgis and Baz Luhrmann's musical drama series The Get Down, which premiered on Netflix. His character Clarence "Cadillac" Caldwell is a prince of the disco world. He was praised for his performance in the series. In 2017, Abdul-Mateen appeared in Shawn Christensen's drama film The Vanishing of Sidney Hall, in the role of Duane. It premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Abdul-Mateen played a police officer, Garner Ellerbee, in the 2017 action comedy film Baywatch along with Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron, and directed by Seth Gordon. He also played acrobat W. D. Wheeler in the musical film The Greatest Showman, which also starred Efron as well as Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, and Zendaya. In 2018, he starred in the road trip drama film Boundaries, along with Vera Farmiga and Christopher Plummer, directed and written by Shana Feste; and played DC Comics villain Black Manta in the film Aquaman, which started shooting in May 2017 in Australia. In the 2019 film Us, directed by Jordan Peele, Abdul-Mateen appears in a flashback as the main character's father. He also starred in "Striking Vipers", the first episode of the fifth season of Netflix's science-fiction anthology series Black Mirror. Later in the year, he played Cal Abar, known as Doctor Manhattan, in the HBO superhero drama miniseries Watchmen, which earned him his first Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special in September 2020. Abdul-Mateen starred as Morpheus / Agent Smith in the 2021 film The Matrix Resurrections. He also starred in Nia DaCosta's 2021 film Candyman. That November, Abdul-Mateen launched a production company called House Eleven10, which is named after his childhood home in Oakland, California, and focused on Abdul-Mateen bringing to life stories of his youth, and to uplift talent from under represented communities. The company launched with a creative partnership through Netflix which included Abdul-Mateen starring and producing in films for the streamer. In September 2022, he made his Broadway debut in the revival of the Suzan-Lori Parks play Topdog/Underdog alongside Corey Hawkins. He remained in the role until January 2023, and earned a Tony nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Play. In 2022, Abdul-Mateen was cast as the Marvel Comics character Simon Williams in the Disney+ series Wonder Man which premiered on January 27, 2026. In March of that same year, the show was renewed for a second season. Around the same time, he was set to star as John Creasy in the Netflix tv adaptation of Man on Fire.
Personal life
Personal life
Abdul-Mateen lives in New York City. After his father's death in 2007, Abdul-Mateen began researching his family history, explaining that "My father grew up and passed away with the longing to know where his father was from and about his father's history." His father had West Indian heritage.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II speaking at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California.
Gage Skidmore
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1986
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II born at New Orleans.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Plays Explain That Gram. BuzzFeed UK. August 23, 2021.
- 2.Rubenstein, Janine. Five Things to Know About Buzzy New Actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. People. July 21, 2016.
- 3.Cal Athletics. Yahya Abdul-Mateen - Track & Field. calbears.com.
- 4.Abdul-Mateen II, Yahya. 'Don't Feel Guilty for Laughing and Feeling Joy'. Men's Health. 2020-08-11.
- 5.Hirschberg, Lynn. For Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Fame Comes With Responsibility. W Magazine. October 27, 2020.
- 6.Buchanan, Kyle. How 'Candyman' Star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Became the Next Big Name. The New York Times. August 27, 2021.
- 7.Ortved, John. Meet 'The Get Down' lead actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Gulf News. August 6, 2016.
- 8.Weiner, Jonah. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II: How a Son of Oakland Became Hollywood's New Prince. Rolling Stone. August 14, 2021.
- 9.Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Worked As A City Planner Before Becoming An Actor. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. October 20, 2020.
- 10.Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Alpha Epsilon Lineage. Alpha Epsilon Chapter – The Ice Cold Dynasty.
- 11.Bradley, Ryan. Why Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Is the Actor to Know This Fall. The Wall Street Journal. September 4, 2021.
- 12.Park, Andrea. How 'Get Down' star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II went from architecture to acting. CBS News. August 19, 2016.
- 13.Christensen, Michael. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II: 'My Name is Not the Name You'd Pick Out of a Hat'. GQ Middle East. GQ Worldwide. October 24, 2021.
- 14.Goldberg, Lesley. Baz Luhrmann's 'The Get Down' Adds "Disco Prince" to Cast (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter. May 28, 2015.
- 15.Hammer, Mike. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II shines in Netflix's 'The Get Down'. New York Daily News. August 6, 2016.
- 16.Ali, Rasha. 'The Get Down' Star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II on Disco, Hip Hop and Tilted Hats (Exclusive Video). TheWrap. August 17, 2016.
- 17.Berkshire, Geoff. Sundance Film Review: 'Sidney Hall'. Variety. January 26, 2017.
- 18.N'Duka, Amanda. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Dives Into 'Baywatch'; Jacob Latimore Joins 'Collateral Beauty'. Deadline Hollywood. March 2, 2016.
- 19.N'Duka, Amanda. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Joins 'The Greatest Showman On Earth'; Dan Amboyer Cast In 'Brawl In Cell Block 99'. Deadline Hollywood. October 17, 2016.
- 20.Hipes, Patrick. Ryan Kwanten Joins 'Supercon'; 'The Get Down's Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Books Pair. Deadline Hollywood. July 5, 2016.
- 21.Kit, Borys. 'Aquaman' Finds Its Black Manta Villain With 'Get Down' Actor (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter. January 31, 2017.
- 22.N'Duka, Amanda. Jordan Peele's 'Us' Adds Yahya Abdul-Mateen II And Anna Diop To Cast. Deadline Hollywood. July 19, 2018.
- 23.Petski, Denise. 'Black Mirror': Anthony Mackie & Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Cast In Season 5. Deadline Hollywood. March 20, 2019.
- 24.Petski, Denise. 'Watchmen': Yahya Abdul-Mateen II & Sara Vickers Cast In Damon Lindelof's HBO Pilot. Deadline Hollywood. June 29, 2018.
- 25.Grobar, Matt. 'Watchmen's Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Wins First Emmy, Dedicates It "To All Of The Black Women In My Life". Deadline Hollywood. 2020-09-21.
- 26.Child, Ben. Take the red pill and hire Laurence: can the Matrix work without Fishburne's Morpheus?. The Guardian. June 25, 2021.
- 27.Grobar, Matt. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Launches Production Company House Eleven10, Sets Creative Partnership With Netflix. Deadline. 2021-11-30.
- 28.Andreeva, Matt Grobar, Nellie. 'Wonder Man': Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Tapped To Lead Marvel Series For Disney+. Deadline Hollywood. 2022-10-31.
- 29.Kit, Borys. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in Talks to Star in Marvel Studios Series 'Wonder Man'. The Hollywood Reporter. 2022-10-31.
- 30.Shattuck, Kathryn. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Starts His Days With This Podcast. The New York Times. 2026-01-31. 0362-4331.
- 31.Grant, Jasmine. 12 Facts You Didn't Know About Sexy 'Watchmen' Star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Essence. November 4, 2020.
- 32.Abdul-Mateen II, Yahya. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Has to Say Something. Men's Health. Hearst. August 11, 2020.
- 33.'The Matrix Resurrections': Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Reveals He's Playing Morpheus. Collider. 2021-09-09.
- 34.Liminal Set Photos And Videos Reveal First Look At Vanessa Kirby In Sci-Fi Action-Thriller. SFFGazette.com. 2026-05-09.
- 35.Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film. Black Reel Awards for Television – Past Winners.
- 36.Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Emmy Awards.
- 37.Florida Film Critics Circle. 2020 FFCC Award Winners. December 21, 2020.
- 38.Appelo, Tim. 2020 Movies for Grownups Awards Nominees. AARP The Magazine. February 8, 2021.
- 39.Partridge, Jon. 2020 Austin Film Critics Association Award Nominations. Austin Film Critics Association. March 12, 2021.
- 40.N'Duka, Amanda. 'One Night in Miami', 'Judas and the Black Messiah' Lead Nominations For 21st Annual Black Reel Awards. Deadline Hollywood. February 18, 2021.
- 41.Lewis, Hilary. Critics Choice Awards: 'Nomadland' Wins Best Picture. The Hollywood Reporter. March 7, 2021.
- 42.Anderson, Erik. Detroit Film Critics winners: 'Nomadland' is top film, 'Minari,' Delroy Lindo also score. AwardsWatch. March 8, 2021.
- 43.Georgia Film Critics Association. 2020 Awards.
- 44.Hollywood Critics Association. The 4th Annual HCA Film Awards Nominees.
- 45.San Diego Film Critics Society. 2020 San Diego Film Critics Society Award Winners. January 11, 2021.
- 46.SAG-AFTRA. The 27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.
- 47.Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association. The 2020 WAFCA Awards. February 8, 2021.
- 48.Pedersen, Erik. Critics Choice Super Awards: 'Spider-Man: No Way Home', 'Squid Game' & 'WandaVision' Lead Field. Deadline Hollywood. March 17, 2022.
- 49.Melanson, Angel. A Full List Of The 2022 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Winners!. Fangoria. May 16, 2022.
- 50.Culwell-Block, Logan. Some Like It Hot, Annaleigh Ashford, Leopoldstadt, More Win 2023 Drama League Awards. Playbill. May 19, 2023.
- 51.Gans, Andrew. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, D'Arcy Carden, Jodie Comer, More Are 2023 Theatre World Award Winners. Playbill. May 1, 2023.
- 52.Novak, Analisa. 2023 Tony Awards: Here are the nominees. CBS News. May 2, 2023.
- 53.Kernen, Scott. The Nominees for the 2026 Astra TV Awards. Awards Daily. May 27, 2026.
- 54.The Winners for the Black Reel TV Awards. Black Reel Awards. August 17, 2026.
- 55.Pedersen, Erik. ‘Superman’ & ‘The Boys’ Lead Nominees For Critics Choice Super Awards. Deadline Hollywood. July 15, 2026.
- 56.Schneider, Michael. 'Heated Rivalry', 'Hacks', 'Pluribus', 'The Pitt' Among Top Nominees for LGBTQ Critics' Dorian TV Awards. Variety. June 22, 2026.
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