Michael B. Jordan

An assured and mature actor from an early age, Michael B. Jordan brought the complex web of heartbreak and triumph inherent to young, disadvantaged black men to vivid life in a number of acclaimed performances. Though his roles tended to be cut from the same dramatic cloth - his most significant characters were young men from troubled urban homes who fought to wrest control of their own lives - Jordan's naturalistic performances helped to bring each to life. Whether playing a young man caught up in the false promise of the drug trade on "The Wire" (HBO, 2002-08), a talented but troubled high school athlete on "Friday Night Lights" (NBC/101 Network, 2006-2011) or a man struggling to move beyond his past on "Parenthood" (NBC, 2010-15), Jordan infused each role with a riveting intensity. A jump to feature film work landed Jordan a turn in George Lucas' World War II aerial action drama "Red Tails" (2012) and a co-starring role in the surprise hit "Chronicle" (2012) as one of three teens who mysteriously find themselves endowed with superpowers. For his lead role in the based-on-fact drama "Fruitvale Station" (2013), Jordan went from promising young talent to acclaimed actor. He followed that breakthrough film success with a string of increasingly high-profile roles in hits like the "Rocky" (1975) sequel "Creed" (2015) and Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster "Black Panther" (2018).