
Age: 58
male
Michael Jai White (born November 10, 1967) is an American actor and professional martial artist, who has appeared in numerous films and television series. He is the first African-American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture, having starred as Al Simmons, the protagonist in the 1997 film Spawn. White was born in Brooklyn, New York and moved as a teen to Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he graduated from Central High School in 1988. White started martial arts training at the age of seven and is now an accomplished martial artist, holding seven legitimate black belts in Shotokan, Tae Kwon Do, Kobudo, Goju Ryu, Tang Soo Do, Wushu and Kyokushin, with a specific focus in Kyokushin (although his style incorporates aspects of many different martial arts forms). His first major starring role and breakout performance was in the 1995 HBO film Tyson, as heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson. In 1997, he portrayed the eponymous character in the 1997 movie Spawn. His work in Spawn earned him a nomination for the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Best Male Newcomer. White starred opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in Universal Soldier: The Return. In 2001, he also starred opposite fellow martial artist Steven Seagal in Exit Wounds. In 2003, he starred in Busta Rhymes' and Mariah Carey's music video "I Know What You Want". Since 2003, in addition to his on screen roles, White has been doing voice work, including Static Shock, Justice League, and the Spawn animated series. White showcases his martial arts skills in the direct-to-DVD film Undisputed II: Last Man Standing. He also appears in Michelle Yeoh's Silver Hawk in 2004. His film, Why Did I Get Married? opened at number one at the box office on October 12, 2007. White played the role of the mob boss Gambol in the 2008 film The Dark Knight. He also starred in the film Blood and Bone and the Blaxploitation homage Black Dynamite, both released in 2009. White wrote the scripts for both Black Dynamite and his upcoming 3 Bullets in which he stars with Bokeem Woodbine. White will make his directorial debut and star in Never Back Down 2, which is slated for a 2011 release. In August 2005 he wed his girlfriend of two years, Courtenay Chatman. The couple have a daughter named Morgan Michelle who was born on December 24, 2008. Michael has two sons from a previous relationship. He is an avid chess player, as seen in his movie Blood and Bone.

Michael Jai White

Mauler Twins
for Mauler Twins in Robert Kirkman's INVINCIBLE
Suggested by juleswb

Mark Grayson is a normal high school freshman with a normal part-time job whose father, Nolan Grayson, is an extraterrestrial of the planet Viltrum (with humanoid forms similar to Kryptonians) known as Omni-Man, the most powerful superhero on the planet. At age seventeen, Mark begins to display super powers as a result of his Viltrumite ancestry. According to Nolan, the Viltrumite race pioneers the entire cosmos on a mission of benevolence and enlightenment. Initially the first three volumes focus on Mark as Invincible, who begins working as a superhero with his father acting as his mentor, and meeting other heroes (including Robot, Rex Splode, Dupli-Kate and Atom Eve). His exploits range from discovering that his physics teacher has been turning his students into human bombs, to foiling a plan by the Mauler Twins to make an army of robots. Meanwhile, Omni-Man kills the Guardians of the Globe in order to prepare Earth for the Viltrumite empire's impending invasion, leading Mark to battle his father. Story arcs that follow this range from Mark traveling to alternate dimensions and battling villains like Angstrom Levy to facing off against Thragg, the emperor of the Viltrumite Empire, to determine the fate of Earth.