Djimon Gaston Hounsou ( / ˈdʒaɪ m ən ˈuː n s uː / ; French: [ dʒimɔ̃ unsu] ; 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 April 24, 1964) is a Beninese – American actor and model .
He began his career appearing in music videos. He made his film debut in Without You I’m Nothing (1990) and gained widespread recognition for his role as Cinqué in Steven Spielberg ‘s Amistad (1997) . Throughout his career, he gained further recognition for his roles in Gladiator (2000), In America (2003) and Blood Diamond (2006), receiving Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor for both of the latter films. He also played the villain in Furious 7 (2015). He has been nominated for a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. He also played a major role in the French film Forces spéciales (2011).
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe , he played Korath the Pursuer in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Captain Marvel (2019), and the second installment of What If…? (2021). In the DC Extended Universe , he appears as the Mermaid King in Aquaman (2018) and as the wizard Shazam in Shazam! (2019) and the upcoming Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023). He played Papa Midnite in another DC film, Constantine (2005).
Early life
Hounsou was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 in Cotonou , Benin , to Albertine and Pierre Hounsou, a chef. He emigrated to Lyon, France, at the age of 12 with his older brother, Edmond. Shortly after arriving there, he dropped out of school and was homeless for a time. A chance encounter with a photographer led to an introduction to fashion designer Thierry Mugler, who encouraged Hounsou to pursue a modeling career. In 1987, he became a model and established himself in Paris. He moved to the United States in 1990.
Career
Acting
From 1989 to 1991, Hounsou appeared in the music videos for Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up”, Janet Jackson’s “Love Will Never Do (Without You)” and Madonna ‘s “Express Yourself” . He also appeared in En Vogue’s music video for “Hold On”.
Hounsou’s film debut was in Sandra Bernhard’s 1990 film Without You I’m Nothing . He had television parts on Beverly Hills, 90210 and ER and a guest role on Alias . He had a larger role in the science fiction film Stargate .
Hounsou received critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award nomination for his role as Cinqué in Steven Spielberg ‘s 1997 film Amistad , and gained further attention for his role as Juba in the 2000 film Gladiator. In 2004, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for In America , making him the fourth African-American actor to be nominated for an Academy Award. In 2005, he played a mercenary in the film The Island alongside Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson . In 2006, he won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Blood Diamond , and received nominations from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, Screen Actors Guild, and Academy Award for this performance.
Hounsou at the premiere of Push in 2009.
Hounsou had a supporting role in the 2009 science fiction film Push , as Agent Henry Carver. In 2011, he played a French commando in the French film Forces spéciales .
Director Tim Story told IGN that if he were to make a third Fantastic Four film , he would like to have Hounsou as Black Panther . In November 2008, it was announced that Hounsou would voice Black Panther in the television series of the same name. He had signed on to play Abdiel in the film version of John Milton’s Paradise Lost alongside Benjamin Walker and Bradley Cooper , but the film was dropped in early February 2012.
In 2013, he appeared in the comedy Baggage Claim alongside Paula Patton. He also voiced Drago Blodfist in How to Train Your Dragon 2 and played Korath the Pursuer in Marvel Studios ‘ Guardians of the Galaxy , both released in 2014. He played villains in two 2015 films, Seventh Son and Furious 7 , the seventh installment of the Fast and Furious series , the latter in which he played Mose Jakande, a French-Nigerian mercenary.
On February 17, 2016, it was announced that Hounsou would be joining the second season of the television series Wayward Pines . Also in 2016, he played Chief Mbonga in the film The Legend of Tarzan .
In July 2018, Hounsou joined the DC Extended Universe , voicing the Mermaid King Ricou in Aquaman (with the character being motion-captured by Andrew Crawford), and replacing Ron Cephas Jones as the Wizard Shazam in Shazam! (2019). Also in 2019, he reprised his role as Korath in the Marvel Studios film Captain Marvel and the Disney+ animated series What If…? (2021). In 2021, he played Shola in The King’s Man . He will reprise his role as the Sorcerer Shazam in Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023).
Model
On February 24, 2007, it was announced that Hounsou would be the new underwear model for Calvin Klein . At the time, he was represented by Los Angeles model agent Omar Albertto.
Other jobs
In 2010, Hounsou was featured as a narrator in ESPN ‘s “32 Teams, 1 Dream” promotional series for the 2010 FIFA World Cup . He spoke at the Climate Change Summit at the United Nations on 22 September 2009. On 1 December 2009, he told French media that developed countries “need to take responsibility” for their contribution to climate change.
Personal life
In 2007, Hounsou began dating model Kimora Lee Simmons. In 2009, Simmons gave 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 to their son, Kenzo Lee Hounsou. 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. They were adorned in traditional attire and used the ceremony, witnessed by Hounsou’s family, to confirm that they were “100% for each other”, although they stressed that the ceremony was not a wedding. He was referred to as her husband at the premiere of Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane by Kimora Lee Simmons. Hounsou and Simmons, who were never legally married in the United States, announced their separation in November 2012.
