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Djimon Gaston Hounsou (born April 24, 1964) is a two-time Academy Award-nominated Beninois actor, dancer and fashion model. A former model who also appeared in music videos, Djimon Hounsou was seemingly plucked from obscurity by producer Debbie Allen and director Steven Spielberg to portray Joseph Cinque, the leader of a slave ship mutiny, in "Amistad" (1997). A tall, powerful, commanding presence, he delivered a critically-praised performance that immediately sparked talk of a Best Actor Oscar nomination. Name pronounced Jie-mon Hahn-soo. Came to Paris from Benin at the age of 13, couldn't find a job and ended as a vagrant, sleeping under bridges and rummaging in trash cans for food. Things changed for the better when fashion designer Thierry Mugler discovered him and made him a fashion model. Was in Janet Jackson video "Love Will Never Do Without You" (1992). In "ER" (1994) he played Mobalage Ikabo, a refugee from Nigeria. His actual homeland of Benin shares its largest border with Nigeria. Born on the same day as actor/comedian Cedric the Entertainer. Fourth male African to receive an Oscar-nomination for acting. The other three were Basil Rathbone, Cecil Kellaway and Omar Sharif. All four men were nominated for 'Best Supporting Actor'. Learned English by watching television. Djimon Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Benin, to Albertine and Pierre Hounsou. He immigrated to Paris at the age of thirteen with his brother, Edmond. One year before obtaining his college degree he dropped out of school. He lived on the streets for a while until he was discovered by fashion designer Thierry Mugler, who made him a model. Modeling led to acting. Djimon's film debut was in Without You I’m Nothing, and he has had television parts 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)”, which co-starred Antonio Sabato, Jr. 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. The next several years saw Hounsou taking on a variety of roles, including a recurring role as a political exile on the popular series "ER" in 1999 as well as appearing in the Oscar winning "Gladiator," in 2000. In 2002, he had a supporting role in the remake of "Four Feathers" starring Kate Hudson and Heath Ledger and in 2003, he was cast in the action features "Biker Boyz" and "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life." But that same year he was used to much greater effect in writer-director Jim Sheridan's gripping autobiographical film "In America," playing Mateo (the Man Who Screams), the tortured and virus afflicted artist who opens his heart to the neighboring family of Irish immigrants who live in his drug-plagued building in New York. Hounsou's alternately blistering and soulful performance earned him his first Academy Awards nomination as Best Supporting Actor. 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 first black African to be nominated for an Oscar. That same year, Charlize Theron, a South African actress was nominated for her work in Monster, and was the first time that two African-born performers 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. He next appeared in the romantic crime thriller, “Blood Diamond” (2006), a sweeping tale directed by Edward Zwick about a South African diamond smuggler (Leonardo DiCaprio) and a poor fisherman (Hounsou) who join forces in order to find a rare pink diamond that can transform both their lives, then costarred in “Eragon” (2006), an epic fantasy about a young boy (Ed Speleers) who finds a blue stone in the forest that turns out to be a dragon hatchling which thrusts him into a world of magic and power. Though “Eragon” came and went without much fanfare, “Blood Diamond” earned Hounsou widespread recognition for his performance, including wins for Best Supporting Actor from the National Board of Review and the Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association, and a nod from the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role. Though overlooked by the Hollywood Foreign Press at the 2007 Golden Globe Awards, Housou was recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. On February 24, 2007, it was announced that Hounsou will be the new Calvin Klein Underwear model. Starting with the Fall 2007 season, he will be featured in the brand’s global print advertising campaign including the launch of their new Calvin Klein Steel product line. Former Calvin Klein Underwear models include such notables as international association football star Freddie Ljungberg and Academy Award nominee Mark Wahlberg. Director Tim Story recently mentioned to IGN that if he was to do a third Fantastic Four movie, he would like to have Hounsou as the Black Panther. Also, David Jaffe expressed interest in seeing Djimon play the hero and main character, Kratos, in an upcoming movie based on the hit video game God of War. Hounsou has been spotted with soon-to-be-divorced Kimora Lee Simmons and her two children. He is now a naturalized U.S. citizen. Mr. Hounsou has teamed up with Cartier to design a LOVECHARITY bracelet in support of SOS Children's Villages. A portion of the proceeds from each bracelet goes towards establishing stable SOS families for orphans around the world. The bracelet represents a continuing partnership with Mr. Hounsou who worked with SOS children in Mozambique during the filming of Blood Diamond, co-starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Djimon is a Global Ambassador for the aid group Oxfam. Djimon also owns a house in Los Angeles' Playa del Rey area. |
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