Jonathan Majors

Jonathan Majors (born September 7, 1989[1][2]) is an American actor. He rose to prominence after starring in the independent feature film The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019). In 2020, he garnered wider notice for portraying Atticus Freeman in the HBO television series Lovecraft Country.

Jonathan Majors
Born (1989-09-07) September 7, 1989
Lompoc, California, U.S.
EducationUniversity of North Carolina School of the Arts (BFA)
Yale University (MFA)
OccupationActor
Years active2017–present
Children1

Early life

Majors was born in Lompoc, California,[3] and spent his early years living with his family—his mother, a pastor,[3] his older sister, Monica, and younger brother, Cameron—on the Vandenberg military base, due to his father being in the Air Force.[4] Majors said in 2020 that, "Our father, who loved us dearly, just kind of disappeared one day ... and he resurfaced 17 years later."[4] Majors has since reconnected with his father.[5] The family soon moved to Dallas, Texas.[6] Majors subsequently lived in Georgetown, Texas, outside of Austin, Texas,[6] and later grew up in Cedar Hill, Texas.[6] After transferring from Cedar Hill High School, he graduated from Duncanville High School in 2008.

As a teenager, Majors faced numerous struggles; he was arrested for shoplifting, suspended from high school for getting into a fight, and at one point he lived in his car while working two jobs to make ends meet.[4] He eventually found a "safe space" in the world of theatre.[4]

Majors studied for his bachelor's degree at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts,[7] and later attended the Yale School of Drama; he graduated with an MFA in 2016.[8]

Career

2017–2018: Early work

Majors secured his first on screen role in the ABC miniseries When We Rise while still a student at Yale.[9][10] In the series, Majors portrayed real-life gay activist Ken Jones; as part of his research for the role, he met with Jones before playing him.[11]

That same year, Majors appeared in his first feature film role as Corporal Henry Woodson in the revisionist Western film Hostiles, written and directed by Scott Cooper. The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2017.[12] It was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2017.[13] More roles followed, in the 2018 films White Boy Rick and Out of Blue.[14][15] Both of these filmed screened at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival,[16] with the latter competing for the Platform Prize.[17]

2019–present: Breakthrough

In 2019, Majors rose to prominence after starring in Joe Talbot's critically acclaimed independent feature film The Last Black Man in San Francisco, for which he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination.[18] The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2019.[19] It was released by A24 in the United States on June 7, 2019.[20] Former President of the United States Barack Obama rated it as one of the best films of 2019.[21] Majors' performance was praised by critics; Manohla Dargis of The New York Times called his performance "a mournful heartbreaker",[22] while Rolling Stone described his turn as "both deeply sensitive and charmingly left-of-center".[23]

Majors also appeared in three other 2019 film releases: Captive State,[24] Gully,[25] and Jungleland.[26]

In 2020, Majors starred alongside Chadwick Boseman and Delroy Lindo in Spike Lee's war drama film Da 5 Bloods, which was released on Netflix.[27] That year, he also garnered wider notice for portraying Atticus Freeman in the HBO television series Lovecraft Country.[28] His performance in Lovecraft Country was favorably reviewed by critics; Vogue dubbed him "the emotional core of the show".[29] In September, Majors was cast as villain Kang the Conqueror in the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.[30]

Awards

For his work in The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Majors received nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor and Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male at the 20th annual Black Reel Awards,[31] and a nomination for Best Supporting Male at the 35th Independent Spirit Awards.[32][18]

In 2015, Majors won the First Place Award at the National Drama Competition held by the National Society of Arts & Letters (NSAL).

Personal life

Majors has one child, a daughter.[33] He supports the Black Lives Matter movement and attended rallies and protests following the death of George Floyd.[33]

Filmography

Film
Key
Denotes productions that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Notes
2017HostilesCorporal Henry Woodson
2018White Boy RickJohnny "Lil Man" Curry
Out of BlueDuncan J. Reynolds
2019The Last Black Man in San FranciscoMontgomery Allen
Captive StateRafe Drummond
GullyGreg
JunglelandPepper
2020Da 5 BloodsDavid
2021The Harder They Fall Nat LovePost-production
2022Ant-Man and the Wasp: QuantumaniaKang the ConquerorFilming

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2017When We RiseYoung Ken Jones4 episodes
2020Lovecraft CountryAtticus FreemanSeries regular

References
  1. Majors in Jones, Marcus (June 23, 2020). "Da 5 Bloods breakout Jonathan Majors isn't here to have fun". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020. Mind you, I was born in 1989.
  2. Setoodeh, Ramin (September 11, 2018). "'White Boy Rick' Star Jonathan Majors on His Two Movies at the Toronto Film Festival". Variety. Archived from the original on August 2, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020. On Friday night [September 7, 2018], on his 29th birthday, Jonathan Majors found himself as a breakout actor of the Toronto Film Festival.
  3. Greiving, Tim (November 25, 2019). "'Last Black Man' actor finds the sensitive artist within himself and his character". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 26, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2020. Majors, 30...
  4. "'Last Black Man in San Francisco': Jonathan Majors on His Breakout Role and How Acting Served as a Guiding Light". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  5. "Five Things to Know About Jonathan Majors, Star of HBO's Lovecraft Country". People. August 12, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020. The Texas-raised star, 30...
  6. "Jonathan Majors, the Star of HBO's 'Lovecraft Country,' Transforms His Rage Into Art". Texas Monthly. August 15, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  7. Setoodeh, Ramin. "White Boy Rick Star Jonathan Majors on His Two Movies at the Toronto Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  8. "The Showcase of the Class of 2016". Yale School of Drama. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  9. Beachum, Chris; Laws, Zach (May 11, 2017). "Jonathan Majors chats gay rights history of 'When We Rise'". Gold Derby. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  10. Cusumano, Katherine. "Jonathan Majors Is the One to Watch from "When We Rise"". W Magazine. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  11. "Is Ken Jones A Real Person? 'When We Rise' Star Jonathan Majors Took Inspiration Straight From The Source". Bustle. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  12. Hammond, Pete (August 31, 2017). "'Darkest Hour', 'Battle Of The Sexes', 'Lady Bird' Among World Premieres In 2017 Lineup – Telluride Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  13. "Hostiles". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  14. "TIFF 2018 Exclusive: Rising Star Jonathan Majors Talks 'White Boy Rick'". BlackFilm.com. September 12, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  15. Goldberg, Matt (September 17, 2018). "Jonathan Majors on 'White Boy Rick' and the Enduring Appeal of Gangster Movies". Collider. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  16. Vlessing, Etan (July 24, 2018). "Toronto: Timothee Chalamet Starrer 'Beautiful Boy,' Dan Fogelman's 'Life Itself' Among Festival Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  17. "13magazinefilmmakers compete for the TIFF '18 Toronto Platform Prize". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  18. Obenson, Tambay (November 22, 2019). "'The Last Black Man in San Francisco': Jonathan Majors Is Suddenly Everywhere and Loving It". IndieWire. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  19. Debruge, Peter (November 28, 2018). "Sundance Film Festival Unveils 2019 Features Lineup". Variety. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  20. "Where'd You Go Bernadette". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  21. Hoffman, Jordan. "What Are Barack Obama's Favorite Movies and TV Shows of 2019?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  22. Dargis, Manohla (June 6, 2019). "'The Last Black Man in San Francisco' Review: Lost in a Dream City". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  23. Fontoura, Maria (August 3, 2020). "'We're Gonna Win': 'Lovecraft Country' Star Jonathan Majors on Race and Redemption". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  24. N'Duka, Amanda (January 25, 2017). "Vera Farmiga, Jonathan Majors, & Colson Baker Join Rupert Wyatt's 'Captive State'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  25. Hayes, Dade (March 11, 2019). "Tribeca Film Festival Unveils Shorts Lineup; Feature Slate Includes John DeLorean, Muhammad Ali, Chelsea Manning – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  26. "Jungleland". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  27. Sharf, Zack (May 7, 2020). "Spike Lee's 'Da 5 Bloods' to Stream on Netflix in June, but It's Still Eligible for Oscars". IndieWire.
  28. Andrews-Dyer, Helena. "Jonathan Majors is your new American hero". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  29. Okeowo, Alexis. "Jonathan Majors Stars in HBO's Lovecraft Country, a Supernatural Show About Very Real Horrors". Vogue. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  30. Kroll, Justin (September 14, 2020). "Jonathan Majors Joins Marvel Cinematic Universe, Lands Major Role In Next 'Ant-Man' Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  31. Morales, Wilson (December 11, 2019). "20th Annual Black Reel Awards - Nominees Announced". Black Film. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  32. Lewis, Hilary (November 21, 2019). "Film Independent Spirit Awards: 'Uncut Gems,' 'The Lighthouse' Lead Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  33. "Five Things to Know About Jonathan Majors, Star of HBO's Lovecraft Country". People. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
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