Djimon Hounsou

Djimon Hounsou

Hounsou arrives at the premiere of Push, Mann Theater, Westwood, USA 2009
Born Djimon Gaston Hounsou
April 24, 1964 (1964-04-24) (age 46)
Cotonou, Benin
Occupation Actor/Model
Years active 1990–present
Spouse Kimora Lee Simmons
(2009-present) 1 child[1]

Djimon Gaston Hounsou (pronounced [dʒimɔ̃ hũsu]; born April 24, 1964) is a Beninois-American actor and model. As an actor, Hounsou has been nominated for two Academy Awards.[2]

Contents

Early life

Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Benin, the son of Albertine and Pierre Hounsou, a cook.[3] He immigrated 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.[3][4] One year before obtaining his college degree, he dropped out of school.

Career

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 (Without You)” 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 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.

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. However, it is believed that plans for the movie have been scrapped because nothing has been said of the movie since 2005.

Personal life

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 in honour of Japanese fashion designer, Kenzo Takada. Hounsou is now a naturalized United States citizen,[7] residing in Los Angeles. Hounsou and Simmons visited Hounsou's family in his native Benin in the summer of 2008. While there, 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 solidfy 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. Although in the début of Kimora Lee Simmons' show, "Life in the Fab Lane" he is billed as her husband.[8]

Hounsou spoke at the Summit on Climate Change at the United Nations, on Tuesday, September 22, 2009.[9] On Tuesday, December 1, 2009, Hounsou told French media that developed countries “need to be held accountable” for their contribution to climate change.[10]

Filmography

Awards/nominations

Golden Globes

References

  1. ↑ http://celebrity-babies.com/2009/08/05/meet-kenzo-lee-hounsou/#commentform
  2. ↑ Djimon Hounsou: The Push Interview Kam Williams. KamWilliams.com. 2009-01-30
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.filmreference.com/film/5/Djimon-Hounsou.html
  4. ↑ Djimon Hounsou Biography - Yahoo! Movies
  5. ↑ http://www.marvel.com/news/.5951.Djimon_Hounsou_Roars_as_the_Black_Panther
  6. ↑ People.com
  7. ↑ www.pe.com
  8. ↑ Kimora Lee Simmons, Djimon Hounsou Had Commitment Ceremony
  9. ↑ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113015959
  10. ↑ "Developed countries need to be held accountable"

External links