Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Black Manta in the superhero films Aquaman and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Bobby Seale in the Netflix historical legal drama The Trial of the Chicago 7, and Morpheus / Agent Smith in The Matrix Resurrections. For his portrayal of Cal Abar / Doctor Manhattan in the HBO limited series Watchmen, he won a Primetime Emmy Award. He also starred in episodes of The Handmaid's Tale and Black Mirror.
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.
Early life and education
Abdul-Mateen was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. His father Yahya Abdul-Mateen I was Muslim, and his mother Mary was Christian. 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 but was also 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 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
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.
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.
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.Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2017 | The Vanishing of Sidney Hall | Duane Jones | |
| 2017 | Baywatch | Sergeant Garner Ellerbee | |
| 2017 | The Greatest Showman | W. D. Wheeler | |
| 2018 | First Match | Darrel | |
| 2018 | Boundaries | Serge | |
| 2018 | Aquaman | David Kane / Black Manta | |
| 2019 | Us | Russel Thomas / Weyland | |
| 2019 | Sweetness in the Belly | Aziz | |
| 2020 | All Day and a Night | Big Stunna | |
| 2020 | The Trial of the Chicago 7 | Bobby Seale | |
| 2021 | Candyman | Anthony McCoy and Candyman | |
| 2021 | The Matrix Resurrections | Morpheus / Smith | |
| 2022 | Ambulance | Will Sharp | |
| 2023 | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom | David Kane / Black Manta | |
| 2026 | The Adventures of Cliff Booth | Post-production | |
| TBA | By Any Means | Post-production |