[3] After a successful modelling career, Abraham made his acting debut with the erotic thriller film Jism (2003), a sleeper hit.

He also starred in the critically acclaimed dramas Water (2005), Kabul Express (2006) and New York (2009), the last of which also turned out to be a commercial success.

Despite several commercial failures in the subsequent decade, Abraham achieved success with the 2013 action thrillers Race 2 and Shootout at Wadala and drama Madras Cafe, and the ensemble comedies Housefull 2 (2012) and Welcome Back (2015).

Abraham then had his biggest commercial successes with the action dramas Dishoom (2016), Parmanu (2018), Satyameva Jayate (2018), Batla House (2019), and Pathaan (2023), the last of which ranks as his highest-grossing release.

Outside of his film career, he is the co-owner of the Indian Super League football team NorthEast United FC.

[9] Abraham was born in Bombay, Maharashtra, on 17 December 1972 into a family of mixed religious and ethnic heritage.

His father is a Malayali Syrian Christian from Kerala and his mother is an Irani Zoroastrian,[10][11][a] who has many relatives living in Iran.

[23] Abraham started his modelling career appearing in the music video of the song "Surma" by Punjabi singer Jazzy B.

Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama commented: "Supermodel John Abraham makes a confident debut.

[31] In the same year, Abraham appeared in Anurag Basu's horror paranormal romance film Saaya alongside Tara Sharma and Mahima Chaudhry.

"[32] In 2003, he appeared in Pooja Bhatt's directorial debut film Paap alongside Udita Goswami.

[43] In 2008, Abraham starred alongside Abhishek Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra in Dostana, his only release that year.

Costarring Katrina Kaif and Neil Nitin Mukesh, the film follows the lives of three friends when one of them is wrongly detained after 9/11.

[54] The coming-of-age romantic comedy I, Me Aur Main, underperformed at the box office and received unfavorable reviews.

[55] His next release was Shootout at Wadala, in which he portrayed the role of a gangster Manya Surve, which gained mixed to positive reviews.

[59] His second release of the year was Dishoom, and despite mixed to negative reviews, the film proved to be successful at the box office grossing over ₹1.2 billion (US$14 million) worldwide.

[67] He did a cameo in his own production Sardar Ka Grandson alongside Arjun Kapoor and Aditi Rao Hydari, that streamed on Netflix.

[68] He produced, wrote and acted in the story of science-fiction actioner Attack: Part 1 (2022), where he co-starred with Rakul Preet Singh and Jacqueline Fernandez.

[69] The film released threatically in April 2022 with mixed reviews from critics who praised the action sequences while criticising the screenplay, Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama wrote, "Attack: Part 1 works due to the novel concept, action, VFX and John Abraham's first-rate performance".

[71] In his second release of 2022, he starred as Bhairav Purohit co-starring Disha Patani, Arjun Kapoor and Tara Sutaria in Mohit Suri's psychological thriller Ek Villain Returns.

Sukanya Vema of Rediff wrote, "Ek Villain Returns falls back on the popularity of the Galliyan track to boost its appeal".

[75] His first release of 2023 came with Siddharth Anand's mass action thriller Pathaan produced by YRF, co-starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone.

[77] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama termed the film a "complete entertainer replete with action, emotions, patriotism, humour, thrill, and of course, the star power of Shah Rukh Khan".

[81][82] "Vedaa" (2024) is a crime-action thriller directed by Nikkhil Advani, featuring John Abraham as a grieving officer supporting a young Dalit woman's fight for dignity, blending intense action with a poignant social message.

[83] Abraham's debut as a producer was titled Vicky Donor (2012) and the film featured Ayushmann Khurrana, Annu Kapoor and Yami Gautam in lead roles.

[86] Abraham is married to Priya Runchal, an Indian-American financial analyst and investment banker from the United States but native to McLeod Ganj, whom he met in Mumbai, in December 2010.

[95][96] Rediff.com noted that Abraham is an actor who is "well aware of his limitations and scores high on both -- disarming modesty and sharp career moves".

"[98] Filmfare stated, "John's macho charm, sculpted body and a dynamic screen presence hasn’t faded over the years."

[99] Verve termed him "good-natured, down-to-earth star" and stated, "John has reinvented himself to emerge as a stronger performer on celluloid".

[112][113] In April 2013, on behalf of PETA, Abraham wrote a letter to the Minister for Environment and Forests, Jayanthi Natarajan, asking that she make all circuses in India animal-free.