Michael Jai White

<p>Michael Jai White was born on November 10, 1967, in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Beginning martial arts training at age seven, White achieved an astounding level of combat mastery, earning black belts in eight different martial arts disciplines: Shotokan, Goju-Ryu, Taekwondo, Kobudo, Tang Soo Do, Wushu, Kyokushin, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.</p><p>Before acting, White worked as a special education teacher in Bridgeport. His breakout acting role arrived in 1995 when he portrayed heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson in the HBO television biopic <em>Tyson</em>, earning widespread critical praise for his uncanny physical and emotional transformation.</p><p>In 1997, White made cinematic history starring as Al Simmons in New Line Cinema's <em>Spawn</em>, becoming the first African American actor to portray a major comic book superhero on the big screen. He went on to star in martial arts cult classics including <em>Undisputed II: Last Man Standing</em> (2006) and <em>Blood and Bone</em> (2009). In 2009, White co-wrote, starred in, and produced the acclaimed action-comedy satire <em>Black Dynamite</em>, followed by directing and starring in <em>Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown</em> (2011).</p>