Djimon Hounsou 1964 61
Djimon Hounsou 1964 61
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).
2.18
Popularity64
Credits6.5
Rating109M
Budget349M
RevenueActing
Primarily64 Credits
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Credit 64
2026 Shiver
2025 One Last Fight as Tiga
2025 The Monster
2025 The Bleeding Ground as Idoma Kwali
2025 African History Y
2025 The Zealot
2024 A Quiet Place: Day One as Henri
2024 Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver as Titus
2024 Creating a Universe - The Making of Rebel Moon as Self
2024 Ozi: Voice of the Forest as Jo Jo (voice)
2023 Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire as Titus
2023 Gran Turismo as Steve Mardenborough
2023 Shazam! Fury of the Gods as Wizard
2022 Black Adam as Wizard
2022 Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank as Sumo (voice)
2021 The King's Man as Shola
2021 Kimana Tuskers as Narrator (voice)
2021 Marvel Studios' 2021 Disney+ Day Special as Korath (voice) (archive footage)
2021 A Quiet Place Part II as Man on Island
2019 Charlie's Angels as Edgar Bosley
2019 Shazam! as Wizard
2019 Captain Marvel as Korath
2019 Serenity as Duke
2018 Aquaman as King Ricou (voice)
2018 In Search of Voodoo: Roots to Heaven as Host Director
2017 Same Kind of Different as Me as Denver
2017 King Arthur: Legend of the Sword as Bedivere
2017 I Am Heath Ledger as Self
2016 The Legend of Tarzan as Chief Mbonga
2015 Air as Cartwright
2015 The Vatican Tapes as Vicar Imani
2015 Furious 7 as Mose Jakande
2014 Seventh Son as Radu
2014 Guardians of the Galaxy as Korath
2014 How to Train Your Dragon 2 as Drago (voice)
2013 Baggage Claim as Quinton Jamison
2011 Special Forces as Commander Kovax
2011 Elephant White as Curtie Church Producer
2010 The Tempest as Caliban
2010 Black Panther as T'Challa
2009 Push as Henry Carver
2008 Never Back Down as Jean Roqua
2007 A Place in Time as Self
2006 Eragon as Ajihad
2006 Blood Diamond as Solomon Vandy
2005 The Island as Albert Laurent
2005 Strength and Honor: Creating the World of 'Gladiator' as Self
2005 Beauty Shop as Joe
2005 Constantine as Midnite
2004 Renegade as Woodhead
2003 In America as Mateo
2003 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life as Kosa
2003 Biker Boyz as Motherland
2002 The Four Feathers as Abou Fatma
2002 Dead Weight as Detective Youssouf
2000 The Middle Passage as Narrator (voice - U.S. Version)
2000 Gladiator as Juba
1998 Deep Rising as Vivo
1997 Amistad as Cinque
1997 Ill Gotten Gains as Fyah
1994 Stargate as Horus
1993 Killing Zoe as Moïse (voice)
1992 Unlawful Entry as Prisoner on Bench
1990 Without You I'm Nothing as Ex-Boyfriend