Jonathan Majors facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jonathan Majors
Majors in 2018
Born	Jonathan Michael Majors (1989-09-07) September 7, 1989 (age 34) Lompoc, California, U.S.
Education	University of North Carolina School of the Arts (BFA) Yale University (MFA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2017–present
Children	1

Jonathan Michael Majors (born September 7, 1989) is an American actor. After graduating from Yale University with a Master of Fine Arts in acting, Majors rose to prominence for starring in the independent feature film The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019). In 2020 he gained wider notice for starring in the HBO television series Lovecraft Country, for which he received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.

Majors has since portrayed Nat Love in the western The Harder They Fall (2021), Jesse L. Brown in the war film Devotion (2022), and antagonist Dame Anderson in the sports film Creed III (2023). Since 2021, he has appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as different iterations of Kang the Conqueror.

Early life

Majors was born in Lompoc, California, and spent his early years living with his family—his mother, a pastor, his older sister, Monica, and younger brother, Cameron—on the Vandenberg military base, due to his father being in the Air Force. Majors said in 2020 that, "Our father, who loved us dearly, just kind of disappeared one day ... and he resurfaced 17 years later." Majors has since reconnected with his father. The family soon moved to Dallas, Texas. Majors subsequently lived in Georgetown, Texas, outside of Austin, Texas, and later grew up in Cedar Hill, Texas. After transferring from Cedar Hill High School, he graduated from Duncanville High School in 2008.

As a teenager, Majors faced numerous struggles: he was arrested for shoplifting, suspended from high school for getting into a fight, and at one point he lived in his car while working two jobs to make ends meet. He eventually found a "safe space" in the world of theatre.

Majors studied for his bachelor's degree at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and later attended the Yale School of Drama; he graduated with an MFA degree in 2016.

Career

Majors secured his first onscreen role in the ABC miniseries When We Rise while still a student at Yale. In the series, Majors portrayed real-life gay activist Ken Jones; as part of his research for the role, he met with Jones before playing him. That same year, Majors appeared in his first feature film role as Corporal Henry Woodson in the revisionist Western film Hostiles, written and directed by Scott Cooper. The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2017. It was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2017. More roles followed, in the 2018 films White Boy Rick and Out of Blue. Both of these films screened at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, with the latter competing for the Platform Prize.

In 2019, Majors rose to prominence after starring in Joe Talbot's critically acclaimed independent feature film The Last Black Man in San Francisco, for which he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2019. It was released by A24 in the United States on June 7, 2019. Former President of the United States Barack Obama rated it as one of the best films of 2019. Majors's performance was praised by critics: Manohla Dargis of The New York Times called his performance "a mournful heartbreaker", while Rolling Stone described his turn as "both deeply sensitive and charmingly left-of-center". Majors also appeared in three other 2019 film releases: Captive State, Gully, and Jungleland.

In 2020, Majors starred alongside Chadwick Boseman and Delroy Lindo in Spike Lee's war drama film Da 5 Bloods, which was released on Netflix. That year, he also garnered wider notice for portraying Atticus Freeman in the HBO television series Lovecraft Country. His performance in Lovecraft Country was favorably reviewed by critics; Vogue dubbed him "the emotional core of the show". Majors debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ series Loki as "He Who Remains". In 2021, Majors starred as the lead actor in Jeymes Samuel's directorial debut film The Harder They Fall, acting alongside Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King and Delroy Lindo. In 2023, he starred in Magazine Dreams and co-starred alongside Michael B. Jordan in Creed III. He portrayed Kang the Conqueror and several other variants of the character in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Loki season 2. He is also set to appear in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Personal life

Majors has a daughter. In August 2021, he began a relationship with British dancer Grace Jabarri whom he met in London on the set of the film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The pair separated in March 2023, following a series of alleged incidents surrounding domestic violence during their relationship.

Since May 2023, Majors has been dating actress Meagan Good.

Assault allegations and trial

..... He was released from custody that day, and his spokesperson denied the allegations, saying Majors "has done nothing wrong … We look forward to clearing his name and clearing this up." On March 26, Majors was arraigned in the New York City Criminal Court on charges including assault, attempted assault, harassment, and aggravated harassment in connection to the arrest.

Majors' attorney, Priya Chaudhry, revealed that there were "two written statements from the woman recanting these allegations." On March 30, Chaudhry released text messages allegedly sent by the woman. One message included remarks that: "They said they had to arrest you as protocol when they saw the injuries on me, and they knew we had a fight. I'm so angry that they did. And I'm sorry you're in this position. Will make sure nothing happens about this. I told them it was my fault for trying to grab your phone. I only just got out of hospital," while another message included: "I reiterated how this was not an attack and they do not have my blessing on any charges being placed. .....

Following the first allegation, a report in Variety stated Majors is a suspect in multiple cases of assault and abuse. Several alleged victims have reportedly come forward and are cooperating with the New York District Attorney's office. One of the alleged victims was granted temporary order of protection by a judge against Majors ahead of a May 9 court date.

In the initial wake of the incident, the United States Army announced they were suspending recruiting commercials that starred Majors. In a statement released to the public, the Army said, "While Mr. Majors is innocent until proven guilty, prudence dictates that we pull our ads until the investigation into these allegations is complete."

Several weeks after his arrest, Majors was dropped as a client by both the management company Entertainment 360 and the public relations firm the Lede Company. Majors was expected to star in and executive produce an upcoming adaptation of the Walter Mosley novel The Man in My Basement, but he was cut from the film and his role will be re-cast. Majors' invitation to the 2023 Met Gala was rescinded and he was removed from the Texas Rangers ad campaign. On October 27, 2023, Disney removed Magazine Dreams, an upcoming film starring Majors and originally set to be released on December 8, 2023 by Disney's Searchlight Pictures subsidiary, from its release schedule.

Majors' alleged victim was later identified as his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. Security footage was later admitted as evidence to clear Majors of any physical violence; it is claimed Jabbari appears unharmed in the footage. This is denied by the prosecution, who state "surveillance video [...] shows Ms. Jabbari visibly upset, crying, and seeking help from strangers to get an Uber cab home".

On November 29, 2023, the assault trial began, with Majors pleading not guilty to misdemeanor assault and harassment charges. On December 5, Jabbari provided testimony backing the prosecution's claim that Majors assaulted her and presented evidence to the court as well.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards

See also

In Spanish: Jonathan Majors para niños