1999–2012: Beginnings Jordan worked as a child model for several companies and brands, including
Modell's Sporting Goods and
Toys "R" Us, before deciding to embark on a career as an actor. He launched his career as a professional actor in 1999, when he appeared briefly in single episodes of the television series
Cosby and
The Sopranos. His first principal film role followed in 2001, when he was featured in
Hardball, which starred
Keanu Reeves. In 2002, he gained more attention by playing the small but pivotal role of
Wallace in the first season of HBO's
The Wire. In March 2003, he joined the cast of
All My Children, replacing
Chadwick Boseman, playing Reggie Montgomery, a troubled teenager, until June 2006, when Jordan was released from his contract. Jordan's other credits include guest-starring appearances on
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,
Without a Trace, and
Cold Case. Thereafter, he had a lead role in the independent film
Blackout and starred in
The Assistants on
The-N. In 2008, Jordan appeared in the music video "
Did You Wrong" by
rhythm and blues artist
Pleasure P. In 2009, Jordan began starring in the
NBC drama
Friday Night Lights as quarterback Vince Howard, and lived in an apartment in
Austin, where the show was filmed. He played the character for two seasons until the show ended in 2011. In 2009, he guest-starred on
Burn Notice in the episode "
Hot Spot", playing a high-school football player who got into a fight and is being hunted by a local gangster. In 2010, he was considered one of the 55 faces of the future by
Nylon in its "Young Hollywood" issue. In 2010, he guest-starred in the
Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Inhumane Society", as a boxer involved in a
Michael Vick-inspired
dog-fighting scandal. That year, he landed a recurring role on the NBC show
Parenthood playing Alex (Haddie Braverman's love interest). This marked his second collaboration with
showrunner Jason Katims, who was in charge of
Friday Night Lights.
BuddyTV ranked him number 80 on its list of "TV's Sexiest Men of 2011". Jordan voiced Jace in the
Xbox 360 game
Gears of War 3. In 2012, Jordan appeared in the
George Lucas-produced film
Red Tails, and played lead character Steve Montgomery in
Chronicle, a film about three teenaged boys who develop superhuman abilities. He also guest-starred in an episode of
House final season, playing a blind patient.
2013–2018: Rise to prominence In 2013, Jordan starred as shooting victim
Oscar Grant in
Fruitvale Station, directed by
Ryan Coogler. His performance garnered critical acclaim, with
Todd McCarthy of
The Hollywood Reporter stating that Jordan reminded him of "a young
Denzel Washington". Following his role in
Fruitvale Station, Jordan was named an "actor to watch" by
People and
Variety.
Time magazine named him, with Coogler, one of 30 people under 30 who are changing the world, and he was also named one of 2013's breakout stars by
Entertainment Weekly and
GQ. In 2015, he starred as
Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, in
Fantastic Four. The film was universally panned by critics, holding a 9% approval rating on
Rotten Tomatoes, and was a bust at the box office. Jordan rebounded with critical acclaim later that year when he starred as
Donnie Creed, the son of boxer
Apollo Creed, in the spinoff of the
Rocky film,
Creed, his second collaboration with Coogler, which co-starred
Sylvester Stallone. Jordan prepared for his role as a boxer in
Creed by undertaking one year of rigorous physical training and a stringent, low-fat diet. He did not have a body double during filming, and was "routinely bloodied, bruised, and dizzy" when fighting scenes were being filmed. In February 2018, Jordan starred as the villain
Erik Killmonger in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe film
Black Panther; this marked Jordan's third collaboration with Coogler. His performance in
Black Panther received critical acclaim, with Dani Di Placido of
Forbes stating that Jordan "steals the show", while Jason Guerrasio of
Business Insider wrote that the actor "plays a Killmonger fueled with hate and emptiness – we won't give away why – but he also delivers it with a swagger that's just a joy to watch ... the movie takes off more in story and viewing enjoyment whenever Jordan is on screen." Later in 2018, Jordan starred in
Fahrenheit 451 with
Michael Shannon and
Sofia Boutella. The television film was distributed on
HBO by
HBO Films. That same year, Jordan reprised his role as boxer Adonis "Donnie" Creed in
Creed II, a sequel to
Creed (2015) and the eighth installment in the
Rocky film series.
Creed II was released in the United States by
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on November 21, 2018. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, and it went on to debut to $35.3 million in its opening weekend (a five-day total of $55.8 million), marking the biggest debut ever for a live-action release over Thanksgiving.
2019–present: Established actor and awards success He also voiced the character Julian Chase in
Rooster Teeth's animated series
Gen:Lock, since January 2019, which he also co-produced through his production company, Outlier Society Productions. Jordan portrayed attorney
Bryan Stevenson in a legal drama,
Just Mercy, which he also co-produced. The film, based on a real-life story, was released in December 2019 to positive reviews. Jordan starred in
Without Remorse, based on the
book by
Tom Clancy, as
John Kelly, a former Navy SEAL and director of the elite counterterrorism unit Rainbow Six. Originally planned for release on September 18, 2020, it was released on April 30, 2021, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Jordan reprised his Marvel role as Erik "Killmonger" Stevens in two episodes of the first season of
What If...? (2021), and in
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), and made a cameo appearance in
Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021). He also starred in
A Journal for Jordan (2021), directed by
Denzel Washington, as a soldier who "kept a journal full of poignant life lessons for their newborn son, Jordan, while deployed overseas." Jordan made his
directorial debut with
Creed III, a sequel to
Creed II, in addition to producing and reprising his starring role as boxer Adonis "Donnie" Creed. It was released on March 3, 2023. He next reteamed with Coogler in the period horror film
Sinners (2025), playing twin brothers in a
dual role performance. He received the
Academy Award for Best Actor and the
Actor Award in the same category, becoming the seventh
Black performer in history to win an Oscar in the lead acting category. Jordan is slated to work with Coogler for the fifth time in
Wrong Answer, a film based on the
Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal. as well as starring in the vampire film
Blood Brothers. His production company Outlier Society signed a first-look deal with Amazon, and is also developing
Val-Zod, an
HBO Max series featuring a black version of the
DC Comics character
Superman. , Jordan was to produce and star in the sequel of
I Am Legend with
Will Smith. ==Personal life==