Michael Jai White
Acting • Born 1967-11-10
Biography
Michael Jai White (born November 10, 1967) is an American actor and professional martial artist, who has appeared in numerous films and television series. He is the first African-American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture, having starred as Al Simmons, the protagonist in the 1997 film Spawn. White was born in Brooklyn, New York and moved as a teen to Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he graduated from Central High School in 1988. White started martial arts training at the age of seven and is now an accomplished martial artist, holding seven legitimate black belts in Shotokan, Tae Kwon Do, Kobudo, Goju Ryu, Tang Soo Do, Wushu and Kyokushin, with a specific focus in Kyokushin (although his style incorporates aspects of many different martial arts forms). His first major starring role and breakout performance was in the 1995 HBO film Tyson, as heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson. In 1997, he portrayed the eponymous character in the 1997 movie Spawn. His work in Spawn earned him a nomination for the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Best Male Newcomer. White starred opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in Universal Soldier: The Return. In 2001, he also starred opposite fellow martial artist Steven Seagal in Exit Wounds. In 2003, he starred in Busta Rhymes' and Mariah Carey's music video "I Know What You Want". Since 2003, in addition to his on screen roles, White has been doing voice work, including Static Shock, Justice League, and the Spawn animated series. White showcases his martial arts skills in the direct-to-DVD film Undisputed II: Last Man Standing. He also appears in Michelle Yeoh's Silver Hawk in 2004. His film, Why Did I Get Married? opened at number one at the box office on October 12, 2007. White played the role of the mob boss Gambol in the 2008 film The Dark Knight. He also starred in the film Blood and Bone and the Blaxploitation homage Black Dynamite, both released in 2009. White wrote the scripts for both Black Dynamite and his upcoming 3 Bullets in which he stars with Bokeem Woodbine. White will make his directorial debut and star in Never Back Down 2, which is slated for a 2011 release. In August 2005 he wed his girlfriend of two years, Courtenay Chatman. The couple have a daughter named Morgan Michelle who was born on December 24, 2008. Michael has two sons from a previous relationship. He is an avid chess player, as seen in his movie Blood and Bone.
Filmography
131 credits
You're Not Alone
Movie • 2023
Keith Mitchell
Spawn
Movie • 1997
Al Simmons / Spawn
Universal Soldier: The Return
Movie • 1999
SETH
Blood and Bone
Movie • 2009
Isaiah Bone
Black Dynamite
Movie • 2009
Black Dynamite
Outlaw Johnny Black
Movie • 2023
Outlaw Johnny Black
Why Did I Get Married Too?
Movie • 2010
Marcus
Silver Hawk
Movie • 2004
Morris
Undisputed II: Last Man Standing
Movie • 2006
George Chambers
Ringmaster
Movie • 1998
Demond
Shaughnessy: The Iron Marshal
Movie • 1996
Carpenter
Why Did I Get Married?
Movie • 2007
Marcus
Thick as Thieves
Movie • 1999
Pointy
To Live and Die in the Midwest
Movie
Getting Played
Movie • 2005
Actor
Tyson
Movie • 1995
Mike Tyson
Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown
Movie • 2011
Case Walker
Tactical Force
Movie • 2011
Hunt
The Island
Movie • 2023
Mark
Dead Zone
Movie • 2022
Boss
We the Party
Movie • 2012
Officer Davis
The Making of Exit Wounds
Movie • 2002
Self
Freaky Deaky
Movie • 2012
Donnell Lewis
Generation Iron
Movie • 2013
Self
Somebody's Child
Movie • 2012
Douglas
Android Cop
Movie • 2014
Hammond
Bisping
Movie • 2021
Self
Falcon Rising
Movie • 2014
John 'Falcon' Chapman
City of Industry
Movie • 1997
Odell Williams
Mutiny
Movie • 1999
Ben Cooper
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze
Movie • 1991
Audience Man
MR-9: Do or Die
Movie • 2023
Duke
One More Shot
Movie • 2024
Robert Jackson
Trouble Man
Movie • 2025
Jaxen
Scream Before You Die
Movie • 2024
Joe Washington
The Toxic Avenger Part II
Movie • 1989
Apocalypse Inc. Executive
Pandora's Box
Movie • 2002
Hampton Hines
The Philly Kid
Movie • 2012
Arthur Letts
Skin Trade
Movie • 2014
Reed
Come Out Fighting
Movie • 2023
Sergeant AJ 'Red' McCarron
A Snowy Day in Oakland
Movie • 2023
Reverend Carter
Chocolate City
Movie • 2015
Princeton
The Dark Knight
Movie • 2008
Gambol
Exit Wounds
Movie • 2001
Lewis Strutt
Freedom Song
Movie • 2000
Coleman Vaughnes
As Good as Dead
Movie • 2022
Bryant
Chain of Command
Movie • 2015
James Webster
One Angry Juror
Movie • 2010
Derrick
Exit Protocol
Movie • 2025
Isaac Florentine
Justice
Movie • 2003
Tre
Never Back Down: No Surrender
Movie • 2016
Case Walker
The Asian Connection
Movie • 2016
Greedy Greg
Captive Heart: The James Mink Story
Movie • 1996
Elroy
Vigilante Diaries
Movie • 2016
Barrington
Hostile Takeover
Movie • 2025
Pete
The Crooked Man
Movie • 2016
Milo
UnConventional
Movie • 2004
Self
Ballistic
Movie • 1995
Quint
The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie
Movie • 1989
Apocalypse, Inc. Executive
Don't Mess with Grandma
Movie • 2024
JT
Breakfast of Champions
Movie • 1999
Howell
Full Contact
Movie • 1993
Low-Ball
Triple Threat
Movie • 2019
Devereaux
Accident Man
Movie • 2018
Mick
S.W.A.T.: Under Siege
Movie • 2017
Scorpion
Dragged Across Concrete
Movie • 2019
'Biscuit'
Chocolate City: Vegas Strip
Movie • 2016
Princeton
Cops and Robbers
Movie • 2017
Michael
Making a Killing
Movie • 2018
Orlando Hudson
The Making of 'Spawn'
Movie • 1997
Self
The Legend of Bruce Lee
Movie • 2009
Ali
Every Day Is Christmas
Movie • 2018
Justin
Fedz
Movie • 2013
Big D
Once Upon a Time: The Super Heroes
Movie • 2001
Spawn (archive footage)
In Search of the Last Action Heroes
Movie • 2019
Self
The Hard Way
Movie • 2019
Payne
Send It!
Movie • 2021
Coach
Hidden Colors 5: The Art of Black Warfare
Movie • 2019
Self
Undercover Brother 2
Movie • 2019
Undercover Brother / Narrator
Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks
Movie • 2019
Self
2 Days in the Valley
Movie • 1996
Buck
True Identity
Movie • 1991
Alley Guy #1
Universal Soldier
Movie • 1992
Soldier
Take Back
Movie • 2021
Brian
On Deadly Ground
Movie • 1994
Oil Worker (uncredited)
Batman: Soul of the Dragon
Movie • 2021
Ben Turner / Bronze Tiger (voice)
Welcome to Sudden Death
Movie • 2020
Jesse Freeman
The Commando
Movie • 2022
James Baker
Black Friday
Movie • 2021
Archie
Beyond the Game
Movie • 2014
Himself
Ring of Fire III: Lion Strike
Movie • 1995
Silvio
Assault on VA-33
Movie • 2021
Chief Malone
The Real Miyagi
Movie • 2015
Self
Rogue Hostage
Movie • 2021
Sparks
Drive Through Fire
Movie
Chuck Zito: An American Story
Movie • 2024
Self
The Hit
Movie • 2022
Brooke
Spymasters
Movie
Karate Ghost
Movie
Why Did I Get Married Again?
Movie
Marcus
Mortal Kombat: Rebirth
Movie • 2010
Jackson Briggs
Special Op: Rent-a-Cop
Movie
Brock Belfry
Oscar Shaw
Movie • 2026
Oscar Shaw
Mortal Kombat: Legacy
TV • 2011
Major Jackson 'Jax' Briggs
Static Shock
TV • 2000
Osebo (voice)
Justice League
TV • 2001
Doomsday (voice)
Justice League Unlimited
TV • 2004
Doomsday (voice)
Saved by the Bell
TV • 1989
Military Police Man #2 (uncredited)
Metal Hurlant Chronicles
TV • 2012
Teague
Metal Hurlant Chronicles
TV • 2012
Balt
Arrow
TV • 2012
Ben Turner / Bronze Tiger
Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse
TV • 2011
Marcus Williams
Clubhouse
TV • 2004
Ellis Hayes
Black Dynamite
TV • 2012
Black Dynamite
Kingdom Business
TV • 2022
Julius “Caesar” Jones
Carl Weber's The Family Business
TV • 2018
Vegas Duncan
The Art of Action
TV • 2020
Self
CSI: Miami
TV • 2002
Roy Bailey
JAG
TV • 1995
Peter Quinn / Martin Payne
Insecure
TV • 2016
Zeke
The Legend of Bruce Lee
TV • 2008
Ali
black-ish
TV • 2014
Vincent
Arrow
TV • 2012
Ben Turner
Wonderland
TV • 2000
Derrick Hatcher
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
TV • 2008
Tattooed Man (voice)
Renegade
TV • 1992
Luther - Dawn's boyfriend
Boston Public
TV • 2000
Darren Schofield
Teen Titans Go!
TV • 2013
Don Jackson (voice)
Living Single
TV • 1993
Steve
Martin
TV • 1992
Valdez
Windfall
TV • 2006
Michael