John Abraham, a renowned male model in India, was born and raised in Mumbai, India, within a middle-class family. His father, Abraham John, was a Syrian Christian from Aluva, Kerala, India, and his mother, Firoza Irani, was a Zoroastrian Parsi from India's Parsi community. John's father was an architect, and his mother was a homemaker and charity worker. He has a younger brother named Alan Abraham, and his Parsi name given to him by his mother's family is Farhan.
John's name has a unique origin, as his father, a Syrian Christian from Kerala, gave him the biblical name John as his first name and Abraham as his last name, following the Nasrani naming system. This naming system is prevalent in Kerala, where a person's surname is derived from their paternal grandfather, father, or family house.
John studied at the prestigious Bombay Scottish School, Mahim, in Mumbai, and later earned his bachelor's degree in honors economics from Jai Hind College. He further pursued his Master's in Business Administration (MBA) from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, and also received an MMS from Mumbai Educational Trust (MET). John was an accomplished athlete in his college days, serving as the captain of his football team at Jai Hind College and being a champion in the 100 and 200 meter dashes at Bombay Scottish School. He also trained in Tae Kwon Do under master Javed Khan.
After completing his education, John worked in the media industry at Time & Space Media Entertainment Promotions Ltd and Enterprise Nexus. His big break came when he entered the Gladrags Manhunt competition in March 1999, where he almost missed the deadline but was allowed to participate. John won the competition and went on to compete in Gladrags Manhunt International in the Philippines, finishing as the first runner-up. This achievement marked the beginning of his successful modeling career, during which he worked on numerous assignments and got signed by Cary Models in Singapore, Hong Kong, London, and New York.
John's name and his striking features, including his revolutionary looks, macho body, baby-smile, and nice character, made him the highest-paid supermodel in India. He made his film debut in 2003 with the erotic and emotional Jism (2003),which did not perform well at the box office. However, his work in the film was widely noticed, and he went on to appear in the paranormal Saaya (2003) and romantic Paap (2003),both of which did not do well commercially.
John's breakthrough in the film industry came in 2004 when he played the antihero Kabir in Dhoom (2004),which became a massive hit and catapulted him to stardom.
