Isaiah Mustafa Bio
Isaiah Amir Mustafa (born February 11, 1974) is an American actor and former American football wide receiver. Born in Portland, Oregon, he grew up in Mission Viejo, California, after his family relocated when he was five years old. Mustafa began his professional career in football before transitioning to acting. He gained widespread recognition as the star of the popular Old Spice advertising campaign “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” which propelled him into the public eye in 2010. Mustafa has since built a versatile body of work across film and television, portraying Luke Garroway in Freeform’s Shadowhunters, adult Mike Hanlon in It Chapter Two, and Detective John Sampson in the Prime Video crime thriller Cross.
Early Life and Background
Mustafa was born in Portland, Oregon, to Shahidah Mustafa-Davis and John Wali Mustafa. He was the youngest of seven children in a Muslim family. When Mustafa was five years old, the family moved from Portland to Mission Viejo, California, where his father established a limousine service in Laguna Hills. Several years after the relocation, Mustafa’s father was killed in a car accident.
He attended Santa Clara High School in Oxnard, California, where he played basketball and ran track. Although he did not play high school football, Mustafa tried out for Moorpark College’s football team hoping for an athletic scholarship. He became a free safety and later transitioned to wide receiver. Mustafa then attended Santa Monica College before transferring to Moorpark College. He subsequently studied history at Arizona State University, graduating in 1995.
Path to Acting
After transferring to Arizona State University in 1995, Mustafa became a starting wide receiver for the Arizona State Sun Devils. However, he experienced an unspecified confrontation with a coach and was benched during his senior year. Despite this setback, he played in the 1997 Rose Bowl between the Sun Devils and the Ohio State Buckeyes. Following graduation, Mustafa initially expected to become a high school teacher.
A sports agent suggested that Mustafa try out for NFL teams, which led to his professional football career. The Tennessee Oilers signed him to their practice squad. He was then assigned to NFL Europe’s Barcelona Dragons in 1998. After spending time on the practice squads of the Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns in 1999, Mustafa attended the Seattle Seahawks’ training camp in 2000. Following his football career, he transitioned to pursuing acting.
Isaiah Mustafa Career
Early Career (2000–2009)
After leaving the Seattle Seahawks, Mustafa turned his attention to acting. He began appearing in small roles on various television series, including Ugly Betty and Days of Our Lives. During this period, Mustafa also owned Jo Jo’s Barbecue on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. The restaurant has since closed.
Mustafa’s knowledge of comic book characters helped him win $47,000 on The Weakest Link when he answered a question about the first name of Doctor Frankenstein. He credited Doctor Doom as the source of his knowledge. The prize money helped him pursue his goal of becoming an actor after the restaurant closed.
Breakthrough (2010)
In February 2010, Mustafa gained sudden fame for his starring role in the Old Spice television commercial campaign “The Man Your Man Could Smoke Like.” The commercial featured his memorable monologues and quickly became a viral sensation. Mustafa’s first commercial in the series was directed by Tom Kuntz. The campaign’s success led to a three-day session creating humorous, personalized YouTube videos where Mustafa reprised his character from the original commercial.
These videos were directed at members of the public and celebrities who had asked him questions on websites such as Reddit, Facebook, and Twitter. In July 2011, Old Spice launched a new campaign featuring Mustafa in a competition against Fabio entitled “Mano a Mano in el Baño.” Mustafa emerged as the winner. He resumed his work for Old Spice with additional advertisements released in January 2014 and August 2015, the latter alongside Terry Crews.
Notable Works and Milestones
Following the Old Spice campaign, Mustafa signed a talent deal with NBC in 2010. He appeared as a supporting role in the comedy film Horrible Bosses in 2011. He hosted the TBS special Funniest Commercials of the Year in both 2010 and 2011. In 2011, he guest-starred in two episodes of ABC’s action drama series Charlie’s Angels, portraying Detective Ray Goodson. The following year, he guest-starred in two episodes of The CW’s spy drama series Nikita, playing Cyrus, a former agent for Division.
In 2014, Mustafa starred in the pilot episode of the USA Network comedy series Sirens as a police officer named Danny. In May 2015, he was cast as the werewolf Luke Garroway on the Freeform fantasy series Shadowhunters, based on The Mortal Instruments series of novels by Cassandra Clare.
In 2019, Mustafa played the adult Mike Hanlon in It Chapter Two, the sequel to the 2017 horror film It. In 2022, he portrayed an educated Civil War veteran in Murder at Yellowstone City, a film set in the mining town of Yellowstone City, Montana, where his character is unjustly accused of murder. Mustafa has also portrayed Detective John Sampson in the Prime Video crime thriller Cross.
Isaiah Mustafa Family
Mustafa has one daughter with his former wife. He previously dated professional wrestler and actress Catherine Joy Perry, better known by her ring name Lana. In May 2018, he married his girlfriend of two years, Lisa Mitchell. Together, they have one son. Mustafa has a total of two children.
Personal Life
Mustafa is a devoted comic book fan. He has expressed interest in playing the comic book superhero Luke Cage and appeared as Cage in a Marvel Comics web short styled after his Old Spice commercials. Mustafa resides in the United States and continues to work in both film and television projects. He remains active in the entertainment industry with various acting pursuits.