Without Remorse: All about its hero Michael B. Jordan

He's John Clark, an elite Navy SEAL in the new Tom Clancy movie 'Without Remorse' (Amazon, April 30) - an heroic character most suitable for the actor who was declared Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine in 2020.

Michael B. Jordan has also been Wallace from 'The Wire,' Donnie Creed in 'Creed,' and Erik Killmonger in 'Black Panther.' Thanks to his career as a prolific actor in the past two decades (and counting!), the New York Times has ranked him among the 25 most influential actors of the 21st century.

At the end of 2020, photographers began to spot the Sexiest Man Alive with a special friend. Michael B. Jordan is dating Lori Harvey, an upcoming model who's ten years his junior. She's the stepdaughter of TV host and comedian Steve Harvey.

Michael B. Jordan was born on February 9, 1987 in Santa Ana, California. He was the second of three children, with an older sister (Jamila) and a younger brother (Khalid). The family moved to Newark, New Jersey, where the siblings went to school.

Actually, the actor's full name is Michael Bakari Jordan. His middle name 'Bakari' translates as 'noble promise' and comes from Swahili (an African language spoken in Tanzania, Kenya, among others).

Jordan's family is religious and he considers himself a spiritual person. In 2018, the actor bought a home for himself and his parents in a Los Angeles suburb, and they live there together.

From a young age, Michael B. Jordan was interested in showbiz. Before he became an actor, the young boy tried his hand as a model for companies such as Toys 'R' Us.

Michael B. Jordan's breakthrough as an actor came in 2002 when he played the young drug dealer Wallace in the HBO classic 'The Wire.' To this day, critics describe the drama series about the city of Baltimore as one of the best in TV history.

For 59 episodes, Michael B. Jordan appeared in the ABC soap 'All My Children'. His character was Reggie Montgomery, a young gang member adopted by the series' character Erica Kane.

Chadwick Boseman had originally been cast for this role, but he quit after one week. People magazine recounts how Boseman and Jordan sat together, years later, to promote 'Black Panther,' and how the late actor explained to his younger colleague that he had refused to continue with a role that he found to be "reduced to a racial stereotype."

Jordan's response to Chadwick Boseman's statement about stereotyping in 'All My Children' was the following: "I’m younger than Chad, and I was coming... fresh off 'The Wire' - wide open, still learning. I was playing this role not knowing that a lot of the things I was going through were because of what he’d already done for me."

In 2009, Michael B. Jordan landed another important role on TV as the high school footballer Vince Howard in 'Friday Night Lights.' It made him instantly popular among a new, young audience. As a striking coincidence, his brother Khalid would become a football player for Howard University in 2010 - something that would be a dream job for Jordan's character Vince.

In addition to filming, Michael B. Jordan also voiced video game characters in 'Gears of War 3,' 'Call of Duty: Black Ops 3' and 'NBA 2k17.'

As his popularity rose, the actor increasingly starred in movies. It started with 'Hardball' in 2001, alongside Keanu Reeves. In 2013, he got an Oscar nomination for his performance in 'Fruitvale Station', a film about the murder of a black man (Jordan) by a police officer in Oakland.

Michael B. Jordan became a moviestar with films like 'Creed' and 'Creed II' in 2015 and 2019. He played Adonis Creed, son of the boxer Apollo Creed in the successful saga. A third 'Creed' movie is in the making for 2022, and Jordan will direct it.

In the series 'Parenthood,' Jordan was the 20-year old recovering alcoholic Alex who runs a soup kitchen and falls in love with high school senior Haddie. Spoiler alert: it doesn't work, but it's 16 episodes of moving drama.

In another socially engaged drama, the movie 'Just Mercy,' Michael B. Jordan is a lawyer who helps an incarcerated man (Jamie Foxx) appeal his murder conviction. The movie was based on a true story and came out in 2019.

One of the biggest recent projects for Michael B. Jordan was the 2018 film 'Black Panther'. The actor, more muscled than ever, played Erik Killmonger, T'Challa's cousin and enemy.

It was on the set of this extraordinary Marvel production that he became close with co-star Chadwick Boseman. The early death of the acclaimed actor in 2020, caused by cancer, was a shock to Michael B. Jordan.

In 2020, People magazine crowned Michael B. Jordan as the sexiest man in the world. He took over the baton from John Legend, who was the Sexiest Man Alive in 2019. "It's a good club to be a part of," Michael told the magazine.

When thanking People for the honour of being the Sexiest Man, he added that his grandmother, mother and aunts were loyal readers and that they would surely keep this edition of the magazine in a special place.

The actor said that famous examples for his personal style are Prince and Pharrell Williams.

People magazine honoured the actor not only for his spectacular physique and great charisma, but also for his long professional career and social commitment. For one, Michael B. Jordan has played many roles that deal with social issues and race inequality.

In addition, the actor is committed to social work. In the summer of 2020, he played an active part in the 'Black Lives Matter' movement.

Thanks to his important contributions to film, TV, and social activism, Time magazine decided in 2020 to include Michael B. Jordan in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Now, in 2021, Michael B. Jordan is shining in yet another blockbuster. 'Without Remorse' is based on the Tom Clancy novel of the same name. It's a spin-off of the Jack Ryan movies which had starred, among others, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine. The movie also matches the 'Jack Ryan' series that stars John Krasinski.

As can be expected from a Tom Clancy novel, Michael B. Jordan's character is faced with an international conspiracy and acts as the lone investigator / hero to unravel the evil plan. Russian soldiers have murdered his pregnant wife, and in search of the culprits, US Navy Seal John Clark (Jordan) discovers a plot to draw the States and Russia into an all-out war.

At the moment, Michael B. Jordan is working on a new movie with co-star Chante Adams and director Denzel Washington. 'Journal for Jordan' - detailing the impact of the Iraq war on an African-American family - will be out in near future.

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