Djimon Hounsou

Djimon Hounsou

Biography: Djimon Gaston Hounsou (born April 24, 1964) is a Beninese-American actor and model. He began his career appearing in music videos, made his film debut in Without You I'm Nothing and earned widespread recognition for his role as Cinqué in the Steven Spielberg film Amistad. As an actor, Hounsou has been nominated for two Academy Awards. Hounsou became a naturalized American citizen in 2007. He was reluctant to renounce his Beninese citizenship and therefore opted to become a dual citizen of both Benin and the United States, effectively rendering him a Beninese-American. Djimon Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Benin, in 1964, to lbertine and Pierre Hounsou. He immigrated to Lyon in France at the age of thirteen with his brother, Edmond. In 1987, he became a model and established a career in Paris. He moved to the U.S. in 1990. One year before obtaining his college degree, he dropped out of school. In 1989, he appeared in a music video of Straight Up by Paula Abdul. Hounsou's film debut was in the 1990 Sandra Bernhard film Without You I’m Nothing, and he has had television roles on Beverly Hills, 90210 and ER and a guest starring role on Alias, but received a larger role in the science fiction film Stargate. His first on-screen appearance was in the 1990 Janet Jackson video “Love Will Never Do (Without You).” He also starred in a 2002 Gap commercial directed by Peter Lindbergh, dancing to a rendition of John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" by Arrested Development's Baba Oje. He 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. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for In America, in 2004, becoming the fourth African male to be nominated for an Oscar (along with Basil Rathbone, Cecil Kellaway and Omar Sharif). 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. In 2007, Hounsou began dating model/CEO of Baby Phat, Kimora Lee Simmons. In 2008 Hounsou and Simmons visited Hounsou's family and while there, the two participated in a traditional commitment ceremony. On May 30, 2009, Simmons gave birth to their son, Kenzo Lee Hounsou, reportedly named because Kenzo means 3 (Kimora's third child).

Place of Birth: Not available

Birthday: April 24, 1964

Deathday: N/A

Popularity:

29.424

Known For

Gladiator
Gladiator

2000-05-04

Constantine
Constantine

2005-02-08

Blood Diamond
Blood Diamond

2006-12-08

Stargate
Stargate

1994-10-28

The Island
The Island

2005-07-21

In America
In America

2003-10-31

Renegade
Renegade

2004-02-09

Eragon
Eragon

2006-12-14

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life

2003-07-21

Amistad
Amistad

1997-12-10

Never Back Down
Never Back Down

2008-03-04

Biker Boyz
Biker Boyz

2003-01-31

Deep Rising
Deep Rising

1998-01-30

The Four Feathers
The Four Feathers

2002-09-08

Push
Push

2009-02-04

Marvel Studios' 2021 Disney+ Day Special
Marvel Studios' 2021 Disney+ Day Special

2021-11-12

Beauty Shop
Beauty Shop

2005-04-22

Kimana Tuskers
Kimana Tuskers

2021-12-05

The Tempest
The Tempest

2010-09-11

Dead Weight
Dead Weight

2002-04-10

A Quiet Place: Day One
A Quiet Place: Day One

2024-06-26

Ozi: Voice of the Forest
Ozi: Voice of the Forest

2024-02-23

How to Train Your Dragon 2
How to Train Your Dragon 2

2014-06-05

Special Forces
Special Forces

2011-11-02

Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire
Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire

2023-12-15

Elephant White
Elephant White

2011-05-17

The Middle Passage
The Middle Passage

2000-09-09

Last Breath
Last Breath

2025-02-27

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver
Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver

2024-04-19

Baggage Claim
Baggage Claim

2013-09-27

Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy

2014-07-30

Air
Air

2015-08-14

Furious 7
Furious 7

2015-04-01

Seventh Son
Seventh Son

2014-12-12

The Vatican Tapes
The Vatican Tapes

2015-07-23

Black Adam
Black Adam

2022-10-19

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

2017-05-10

Gran Turismo
Gran Turismo

2023-08-09

The Legend of Tarzan
The Legend of Tarzan

2016-06-29

Same Kind of Different as Me
Same Kind of Different as Me

2017-10-20

Without You I'm Nothing
Without You I'm Nothing

1990-05-11

Creating a Universe - The Making of Rebel Moon
Creating a Universe - The Making of Rebel Moon

2024-04-18

Unlawful Entry
Unlawful Entry

1992-06-26

The Zealot
The Zealot

The Bleeding Ground
The Bleeding Ground

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank

2022-07-14

Beneath the Storm
Beneath the Storm

2025-07-31

I Am Heath Ledger
I Am Heath Ledger

2017-04-23

Black Panther
Black Panther

2010-01-18

Serenity
Serenity

2019-01-24

Shazam!
Shazam!

2019-03-29

Aquaman
Aquaman

2018-12-07

Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels

2019-11-14

Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel

2019-03-06

The King's Man
The King's Man

2021-12-22

A Quiet Place Part II
A Quiet Place Part II

2021-05-21

Killing Zoe
Killing Zoe

1993-10-01

A Place in Time
A Place in Time

2007-04-26

In Search of Voodoo: Roots to Heaven
In Search of Voodoo: Roots to Heaven

2018-03-10

African History Y
African History Y

Ill Gotten Gains
Ill Gotten Gains

1997-12-05

Strength and Honor: Creating the World of 'Gladiator'
Strength and Honor: Creating the World of 'Gladiator'

2005-06-07

Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Shazam! Fury of the Gods

2023-03-15

The Monster
The Monster

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