Djimon Hounsou

Fun Fact: Benin was homeless in New York before being discovered on the streets by fashion designer Thierry Mugler.

Claim to Fame: In 1997, Hounsou played a starring role in Steven Spielberg’s film Amistad, landing him critical acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination.

Djimon Gaston Hounsou is a Beninese actor and model. As an actor, Hounsou has been nominated for two Academy Awards.


Djimon Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Benin, the son of Albertine and Pierre Hounsou, a cook. He emigrated to Paris at the age of thirteen with his brother, Edmond, and moved to the U.S. in 1990. One year before obtaining his college degree he dropped out of school.


Hounsou's film debut was in the 1990 Sandra Bernhard film 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 1989 Janet Jackson video ?Love Will Never Do ? from Rhythm Nation 1814, 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.

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 African to be nominated for an Oscar. That same year, Charlize Theron, a White South African actress, was nominated 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.

Also on the 4th of March 2008 Djimon starred as Jean Roqau in the movie Never Back Down. On February 24, 2007, it was announced that Hounsou will 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.

(read more @ wikipedia.org)