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", Djimon Hounsou played Mobalage Ikabo, a refugee from Nigeria. His actual homeland of Benin shares its largest border with Nigeria.
Along with Charlize Theron was the first African to be nominated for an Oscar. Theron is South African.
Born on the same day as actor/comedian Cedric the Entertainer.
Djimon Hounsou Detailed Biography
Djimon Hounsou most recently received an Academy Award Nomination for his role as Mateo, the gentle neighbor, in director Jim Sheridan's immigrant tale In America. He is currently shooting the Michael Bay-directed film, The Island, and will be seen in April 2005 in the comedy Beauty Shop.
In 2003, Hounsou starred in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, directed by Jan De Bont, and Biker Boyz with Laurence Fishburne, but he is best known for his role as the stalwart gladiator Juba in Ridley Scott's Academy Award-winning epic Gladiator, opposite Russell Crowe. A year earlier, he portrayed Abou Fatma in Shekhar Kapur's The Four Feathers, opposite Heath Ledger and Kate Hudson. In 1997, he received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance as the rebel slave leader Cinque, in Steven Spielberg's Amistad.
Born in Benin, West Africa, Hounsou moved to Paris at the age of 13. At age 22, fashion designer Thierry Mugler discovered him and immediately featured him in several of his design campaigns. Hounsou then went on to star in a number of popular music videos working with some of the industry's top directors and musicians. Now an established international model, Hounsou moved to Los Angeles, taught himself English and began to audition for acting roles. His first role was in the popular teen television series Beverly Hills 90210. He then scored a recurring part in NBC's hospital drama ER. Soon, a featured role in the Janet Jackson video “Love Will Never Do Without You” caught the attention of agents and casting directors and led to roles in films such as Stargate, Unlawful Entry and Deep Rising before landing him the breakout role in Amistad.
Hounsou has recently returned to television for a recurring role as a villain in the hugely popular ABC action series Alias, starring Jennifer Garner.
