Djimon Hounsou Biography

Djimon Gaston Hounsou (; ; born April 24, 1964) is a Beninese-born American actor and model. As an actor, Hounsou has been nominated for two Academy Awards.

Early life

Djimon Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Bénin, in 1964, to Albertine and Pierre Hounsou, a cook. He emigrated to Lyon in France at the age of thirteen with his brother, Edmond. Soon after arriving in France, Hounsou dropped out of school and became homeless for a time. A chance meeting with a photographer led to Hounsou being introduced to fashion designer Thierry Mugler, who encouraged Hounsou to pursue a modeling career. In 1987, Hounsou became a model and established a career in Paris. He moved to the United States in 1990.

Career

Acting

In 1989 and 1991, Hounsou appeared in the music videos for "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul and "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" by Janet Jackson.

Hounsou's film debut was in the 1990 Sandra Bernhard film Without You I'm Nothing. He had television parts on Beverly Hills, 90210 and ER and a guest starring role on Alias. Hounsou received a larger role in the science fiction film Stargate.

Hounsou received wide critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award nomination for his role as Cinqué in the 1997 Steven Spielberg film Amistad. He gained further notice as Juba in the 2000 film Gladiator. In 2004, Hounsou was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for In America, making him the fourth African male to be nominated for an Oscar. That same year, Charlize Theron, a South African actress, was nominated for Best Actress and won for her work in Monster, and was the first time that one African man and one African woman were nominated for an Oscar in the same year. In 2006, he won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Blood Diamond; he received Broadcast Film Critics Association, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Academy Award nominations for this performance.

Hounsou also acted in a supporting role in the 2009 science fiction film Push, as Agent Henry Carver.

In 2011, he starred as a French commando in the French film Forces spéciales.

Director Tim Story told IGN that if he were to do a third Fantastic Four movie, he would like to have Hounsou as the Black Panther. In November 2008, it was announced that Hounsou would be providing the voice of the Black Panther in the upcoming animated series of the same name. Hounsou has signed on to play Abdiel in the film version of John Milton's Paradise Lost with Benjamin Walker and Bradley Cooper.

Modeling

On February 24, 2007, it was announced that Hounsou would be the new Calvin Klein underwear model. Starting with the fall 2007 season, he was featured in the brand's global print advertising campaign including the launch of their new Calvin Klein Steel product line.

Other work

In 2010, Hounsou was featured as the narrator in ESPN's running series of "32 teams, 1 dream" commercials for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Hounsou spoke at the Summit on Climate Change at the United Nations on Tuesday, September 22, 2009. On Tuesday, December 1, 2009, Hounsou told French media that developed countries "need to be held accountable" for their contribution to climate change.

Personal life

In 2007, Hounsou began dating model Kimora Lee Simmons. On May 30, 2009, Simmons gave birth to their son, Kenzo Lee Hounsou, reportedly named because "Kenzo" means "three" (Kimora's third child). Hounsou and Simmons visited Hounsou's family in his native Benin in the summer of 2008, where the two participated in a traditional commitment ceremony. The couple were adorned in traditional clothing and used the ceremony, in the presence of Hounsou's family, to solidify that they are "dedicated to each other 100%." The two, however, emphasized that the ceremony was not a wedding. In the début of Kimora Lee Simmons' show, "Life in the Fab Lane", he was billed as her husband. Hounsou and Simmons, who were never legally married in the United States, announced their separation in November 2012.

Filmography

List of film and television credits

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	Beverly Hills, 90210	Doorman
	Without You I'm Nothing	Ex-boyfriend
1992	Unlawful Entry	Prisoner on bench
1994	Stargate	Horus Guard
1997	The Small Hours
	Amistad	Cinque	NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor " Motion Picture Drama Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Actor " Motion Picture Drama
	Ill Gotten Gains	Fyah
1998	Deep Rising	Vivo
1999	ER	Mobalage Ikabo	6 episodes
2000	Gladiator	Juba	Nominated - Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favourite Supporting Actor Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
	The Middle Passage	Narrator	(documentary) (narrator in US version)
2001	Soul Food	Victor Onuka	1 episode
	The Tag	Marshall
2002	Le Boulet/Dead Weight	Detective Youssouf
	The Four Feathers	Abou Fatma
	In America	Mateo	Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actor Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor " Motion Picture Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated - NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2003	Biker Boyz	Motherland
	Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life	Kosa
2004	Alias	Kazari Bomani	(season 3, Mr Bomani) 3 episodes
	Blueberry	Woodhead
2005	Constantine	Midnite
	Beauty Shop	Joe
	The Island	Albert Laurent
2006	Blood Diamond	Solomon Vandy	Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actor Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated - Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
	Eragon	Ajihad
2008	Never Back Down	Jean Roqua
2009	Push	Henry Carver
2010	The Tempest	Caliban
2011	Elephant White	Curtie Church
	Special Forces	Kovax
2013	Baggage Claim	Quinton Jamison
2014	How to Train Your Dragon 2	Drago Bludvist
	The Vatican Tapes		Filming
	Fast & Furious 7		Filming
	Guardians of the Galaxy	Korath	Filming

Awards/nominations

• Academy Awards
  • 2004 Best Supporting Actor: In America (Nominated)
  • 2007 Best Supporting Actor: Blood Diamond (Nominated)

• Black Reel Awards
  • 2004 Best Supporting Actor: In America (Winner)
  • 2007 Best Supporting Actor: Blood Diamond (Winner)

• Broadcast Film Critics
  • 2007, Best Supporting Actor: Blood Diamond (Nominated)

• Golden Globes
  • 1998, Best Actor-Drama: Amistad (Nominated)

• Independent Spirit Awards hon
  • 2004, Best Supporting Male: In America (Winner)

• NAACP Image Awards
  • 1998, Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture: Amistad (Winner)
  • 2004, Outstanding Supporting Actor: In America (Nominated)
  • 2007, Outstanding Supporting Actor: Blood Diamond (Winner)

• National Board of Review
  • 2006, Best Supporting Actor: Blood Diamond (Winner)

• Screen Actors Guild
  • 2001, Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture: Gladiator (Nominated)
  • 2004, Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture: In America (Nominated)
  • 2007, Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Blood Diamond (Nominated)

See also

• List of male underwear models