Djimon Hounsou

Djimon Gaston Hounsou (;See co-star's pronunciation at approximately 7:32 and 7:47. See the interviewer and DiCaprio's pronunciations at approximately 3:57 and 4:04. ; born April 24, 1964) is a ese actor and model. As an actor, Hounsou has been nominated for two s.Djimon Hounsou: The Push Interview Kam Williams. KamWilliams.com. 2009-01-30 He has portrayed Horus in the 1994 feature film, .
== Early life ==
Djimon Hounsou was born in , , in 1964, to Albertine and Pierre Hounsou, a cook. He emigrated to in France at the age of thirteen with his brother, Edmond. Soon after arriving in France, Hounsou dropped out of school and became homeless for a time. A chance meeting with a photographer led to Hounsou being introduced to fashion designer , who encouraged Hounsou to pursue a modeling career. In 1987, Hounsou became a model and established a career in Paris. He moved to the United States in 1990.Djimon Hounsou Biography - Yahoo! Movies
== Career ==
=== Acting ===
In 1989 and 1991, Hounsou appeared in the music videos for "" by and "" by . 
Hounsou's film debut was in the 1990 film . He had television parts on and and a guest starring role on . Hounsou received a larger role in the science fiction film Stargate.
Hounsou received wide critical acclaim and a nomination for his role as in the 1997 film . He gained further notice as Juba in the 2000 film . In 2004, Hounsou was nominated for the for , making him the fourth African male to be nominated for an Oscar. That same year, , a South African actress, was nominated for Best Actress and won for her work in , 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 Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in ; he received , , and nominations for this performance.
Hounsou also acted in a supporting role in the 2009 science fiction film , as Agent Henry Carver.
In 2011, he starred as a French commando in the French film .
Director told that if he were to do a third movie, he would like to have Hounsou as the . In November 2008, it was announced that Hounsou would be providing the voice of the Black Panther in the . Housnou has signed on to play Abdiel in the film version of 's with and .
=== Modeling ===
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.
=== Other work ===
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.
Hounsou spoke at the Summit on Climate Change at the United Nations on Tuesday, September 22, 2009.See YouTube video On Tuesday, December 1, 2009, Hounsou told French media that developed countries “need to be held accountable” for their contribution to climate change.
== Personal life ==
Hounsou became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2005, and currently resides in Los Angeles. He was reluctant to renounce his Beninese citizenship and therefore opted to become a of both and the United States.
In 2007, Hounsou began dating model . On May 30, 2009, Simmons gave birth to their son, Kenzo Lee Hounsou, reportedly named because "Kenzo" means "three" (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. In the début of Kimora Lee Simmons' show, "Life in the Fab Lane", he was billed as her husband. Hounsou and Simmons, who were never legally married in the United States, announced their separation in November 2012.
== Involvement in the Stargate universe ==
=== Actor ===
* Horus (), as Djimon
== Filmography ==
 Film and Television
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
2013 	Baggage Claim 	 	Film, post-production
2013 	The Seventh Son 	Radu 	Film, post-production
2011 	Forces spéciales 	Kovax 	Film
2011 	Elephant White 	Curtie Church 	Film
2010 	The Tempest 	Caliban 	Film
2010 	Black Panther 	Black Panther / T'Challa / The Black Panther	TV series, 6 episodes
2009 	Push 	Henry Carver 	Film
2008 	Never Back Down 	Jean Roqua 	Film
2006 	Eragon 	Ajihad 	Film
2006 	Blood Diamond 	Solomon Vandy 	Film
2005 	The Island 	Albert Laurent 	Film
2005 	Beauty Shop 	Joe 	Film
2005 	Constantine 	Midnite 	Film
2003-2004	Alias 	Kazari Bomani 	TV series, 3 episodes
2004 	Blueberry 	Woodhead 	Film
2003 	Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life	Kosa 	Film
2003 	Biker Boyz 	Motherland 	Film
2002 	Heroes 	Mystery Man 	Short
2002 	In America 	Mateo 	Film
2002 	The Four Feathers 	Abou Fatma 	Film
2002 	Le Boulet 	Det. Youssouf 	Film
2001 	Soul Food 	Victor Onuka 	TV series, 1 episode
2001 	The Tag 	Marshall 	Short
2000 	Passage du milieu 	Narrator 	Film (US Version)
2000 	Gladiator 	Juba 	Film
2000 	The Wild Thornberrys 	Villager 	TV series, 1 episode
1999 	ER 	Mobalage Ikabo 	TV series, 6 episodes
1998 	Deep Rising 	Vivo 	Film
1997 	Amistad 	Cinque 	Film
1997 	Ill Gotten Gains 	Fyah 	Film
1997 	The Small Hours 	 	Film (as Djimon Housoun)
1994 	Stargate 	Horus (as Djimon) 	Film
1993 	Killing Zoe 	Moïse (voice) 	Film
1992 	Unlawful Entry 	Prisoner on Bench 	Film (as Djimon)
1990 	Beverly Hills, 90210 	Nightclub Doorman 	TV series, 1 episode (as Djimon)
1990 	Without You I'm Nothing 	Ex-Boyfriend 	Film (as Djimon Hounson)
== Notes ==
== References ==