Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Parents: Meet Yahya Abdul-Mateen I and Mary

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is an American actor. He is the son of Yahya Abdul-Mateen I and Mary. His mother Mary was a Christian and his father Yahya Abdul-Mateen I was a Muslim.

He is the sixth of six children. He grew up in New Orleans’ Magnolia Projects before moving to Oakland, California, where he attended McClymonds High School. After being priced out of Oakland, the family relocated to Stockton, California.

After his father died in 2007, Abdul-Mateen began researching his family history, explaining that “my father grew up and passed away with the longing to know where his father was from and about his father’s history.” His father was of West Indian descent, though the country of origin is unknown.

Abdul-Mateen gained widespread recognition for his role as Cadillac in the Netflix series “The Get Down” (2016-2017). However, he achieved even greater prominence for his portrayal of the iconic character Dr. Manhattan in the HBO series “Watchmen” (2019), based on the graphic novel of the same name. His performance garnered critical acclaim and earned him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series.

In addition to his television work, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has appeared in several notable films. He played Black Manta in the superhero movie “Aquaman” (2018) and Cal Abar/Hooded Justice in “Watchmen” (2019). He also starred in the horror film “Candyman” (2021), a sequel to the original 1992 film.