Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa (/məˈmoʊə/; born August 1, 1979) is an American actor and film producer. He made his acting debut as Jason Ioane on the syndicated action drama series Baywatch: Hawaii (1999–2001), which was followed by portrayals of Ronon Dex on the Syfy science fiction series Stargate Atlantis (2005–2009), and Khal Drogo in the first two seasons of the HBO fantasy drama series Game of Thrones (2011–2012). He went on to play the lead roles in the Discovery Channel historical drama series Frontier (2016–2018) and the Apple TV+ science fiction series See (2019–2022).

Since 2016, Momoa has appeared in various DC Comics media, first portraying Aquaman in the DC Extended Universe (2016–2023). He has also played Duncan Idaho in the science fiction film Dune (2021), and has starred in the action film Fast X (2023) and the fantasy adventure comedy film A Minecraft Movie (2025).

An only child, Momoa was born on August 1, 1979, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Coni (née Lemke), a photographer, and Joseph Momoa, a painter. His father is Native Hawaiian, while his mother is of German, Irish, and Pawnee ancestry. Shortly after his birth, his parents divorced and he and his mother moved to Norwalk, Iowa, where he was raised. He graduated from Norwalk High School and was a member of the school's soccer team alongside Brandon Routh. Momoa attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

While in his teens, Momoa became a rock climber and boulderer when his mother took him to Custer State Park where Sylvan Lake and the Needles of South Dakota lie.

At 19 years old, while living and working in Honolulu, Momoa decided to audition for the television series Baywatch Hawaii, in which he was cast as Jason Ioane (1999–2001). He was in the main cast on the 2004–2005 Fox drama North Shore as Frankie.

In 2004, Momoa appeared in the film Johnson Family Vacation. From 2005 to 2009, Momoa appeared as Ronon in Stargate Atlantis, for which he learned martial arts.

In 2009, he was cast as Roman in four episodes of the comedy-drama television series The Game (2009). He portrayed the title protagonist in Conan the Barbarian (2011), a reimagining of the 1982 film of the same name and a role made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Momoa gained fame for his role of Khal Drogo on HBO's Game of Thrones. In his audition for the role, he performed a Haka, one of many intimidating Māori dances traditionally used to convey a challenge to an opponent, or a welcome to a visitor.

Momoa directed and co-wrote Road to Paloma (2014), an American drama thriller film, together with writers Jonathan Hirschbein and Robert Homer Mollohan. The film stars Momoa, Sarah Shahi, Lisa Bonet, Michael Raymond-James and Wes Studi. It premiered at the 2014 Sarasota Film Festival in April 2014. The film had a limited theatrical release on July 15, 2014, in New York City and Los Angeles and a VOD release.