Jason Momoa went from Baywatch boy to superhero

Born in Honolulu, Momoa is the son of Joseph Momoa, a Hawaiian painter, and Coni Lemke, a photographer from Iowa. He was raised in Iowa by his mother, who took him to movies and gave him a keen appreciation of the arts.

“I loved going to the multiplex,” he said, “but I never thought I’d become an actor.”

After high school, he moved to Hawaii to study marine biology. “I was folding T-shirts in a surf shop when I heard a call went out that actors were needed for the series Baywatch,” he said. Momoa landed the role of Jason Ioane, and played the part from 1999 to 2001.

“It really fell into my lap,” he admitted. “Then I studied acting to be taken seriously. The whole point of being an actor is studying life. I found out that I could do so many things as an actor because I could be anyone, live anywhere and go anyplace.” When

Baywatch wrapped in 2001, Momoa headed for Los Angeles to audition. His first mainland role was in the short-lived

North Shore (2004, pictured), but he fared better when he was cast as the fugitive Ronon Dex on Stargate: Atlantis, a gig which lasted for five years.

“I remember going to my first Comic Con, coming out to talk and then hearing this roar of a large crowd,” Momoa said. “I can be shy, so I lowered my hat and hid a bit. But there was no hiding. It was this amazing sea of people who loved the show.