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Michael Jai (pronounced Jye) White was born in Brooklyn, NY and as a preteen moved to Bridgeport, CT. Michael began to make
money teaching Karate at the local YMCA, fighting in tournaments, and dancing in contests. The former troubled youth graduated high
school with honors and went on to college Michael found that he had a gift for reaching troubled youth and eventually became a
junior high school teacher. For three years he taught emotionally disturbed children in the fifth, sixth and seventh grades. This endeavor
is what Michael claims as his proudest achievement.
In 1992 Michael moved to LA to pursue acting. Incidentally Michael's motivation to act is channeled from the standpoint of a teacher.
"The actor has a responsibility to teach his audience the truth while standing in the shoes of the character he is playing at the time. Done
correctly, acting can teach people about themselves as well as others. It has the power to touch and change the lives of millions at a time.” Since then, White has moved into the mainstream acting world and has portrayed boxer Mike Tyson in the 1995 HBO Television movie
"Tyson" and Jax Briggs in Mortal Kombat: Legacy. In 1997 White was the first African American to portray a comic book superhero
in a major motion picture, having starred as Al Simmons, the protagonist in Spawn. White has gone on to star in the Tyler Perry movies
"Why Did I Get Married?" And "Why Did I Get Married Too?" Currently, he stars, as Marcus Williams on the TBS/OWN comedy-drama television series "Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse".
money teaching Karate at the local YMCA, fighting in tournaments, and dancing in contests. The former troubled youth graduated high
school with honors and went on to college Michael found that he had a gift for reaching troubled youth and eventually became a
junior high school teacher. For three years he taught emotionally disturbed children in the fifth, sixth and seventh grades. This endeavor
is what Michael claims as his proudest achievement.
In 1992 Michael moved to LA to pursue acting. Incidentally Michael's motivation to act is channeled from the standpoint of a teacher.
"The actor has a responsibility to teach his audience the truth while standing in the shoes of the character he is playing at the time. Done
correctly, acting can teach people about themselves as well as others. It has the power to touch and change the lives of millions at a time.” Since then, White has moved into the mainstream acting world and has portrayed boxer Mike Tyson in the 1995 HBO Television movie
"Tyson" and Jax Briggs in Mortal Kombat: Legacy. In 1997 White was the first African American to portray a comic book superhero
in a major motion picture, having starred as Al Simmons, the protagonist in Spawn. White has gone on to star in the Tyler Perry movies
"Why Did I Get Married?" And "Why Did I Get Married Too?" Currently, he stars, as Marcus Williams on the TBS/OWN comedy-drama television series "Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse".
