Djimon Hounsou
Hounsou arrives at the premiere of Push, Mann Theater, Westwood, USA 2009
Born	Djimon Dia Hounsou (1964-04-24) April 24, 1964 (age 48) Cotonou, Benin
Occupation	Actor/Model
Years active	1990–present

Djimon Diaw Hounsou (pronounced [dʒimɔ̃ hũsu];^{[need tone]} born April 24, 1964) is a Beninese actor and model. As an actor, Hounsou has been nominated for two Academy Awards.^[1]

Early life[link]

Djimon Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Benin, in 1964, to lbertine and Pierre Hounsou, a cook.^[2] He emigrated 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.^[2][3]

Career[link]

In 1989 he appeared in a music video of Straight Up by Paula Abdul.^[4] 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 1990 Janet Jackson video “Love Will Never Do (Without You)” from Rhythm Nation 1814, which co-starred Antonio Sabàto, 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 fourth African male to be nominated for an Oscar (along with Basil Rathbone, Cecil Kellaway and Omar Sharif). 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.

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.

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

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.

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. In November 2008, it was announced that Hounsou will be providing the voice of the Black Panther in the upcoming animated series of the same name.^[5] David Jaffe, Game Director of God of War, expressed interest in seeing Hounsou portray the hero and main character, Kratos, in a possible upcoming movie based on the hit video game of the same name.^{[citation needed]} However, it is believed that plans for the movie have been scrapped because nothing has been said of the movie since 2005.^{[citation needed]} He has signed on to play Abdiel in the film version of John Milton's Paradise Lost with Benjamin Walker and Bradley Cooper.

Personal life[link]

Hounsou became a naturalized American citizen in 2007, and currently resides in Los Angeles. 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. Hounsou is one of just twenty-seven people in the world today to be officially recognized by this nationality, a list which also includes Sheffield Wednesday footballer Reda Johnson.

In 2007, Hounsou began dating model/CEO of Baby Phat, Kimora Lee Simmons.^[6] On May 30, 2009, Simmons gave birth to their son, Kenzo Lee Hounsou, reportedly named because Kenzo means 3 (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. As of April 2010, the pair are not engaged. However, in the début of Kimora Lee Simmons' show, "Life in the Fab Lane", he was billed as her husband.^[7]

Hounsou spoke at the Summit on Climate Change at the United Nations on Tuesday, September 22, 2009.^[8] On Tuesday, December 1, 2009, Hounsou told French media that developed countries “need to be held accountable” for their contribution to climate change.^[9]

Filmography[link]

Awards/nominations[link]

• 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[link]

• List of male underwear models

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Djimon Hounsou

• Djimon Hounsou at the Internet Movie Database
• Punching Up His Career Courant.com (March 10, 2008)
• Djimon Hounsou: The Push Interview with Kam Williams