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Full Name:	Djimon Hounsou
Birth Name:	Djimon Gaston Hounsou
Famous As:	Actor
Date of Birth:	April 24, 1964
Place of Birth:	Cotonou, Benin, West Africa
Height:	6' 4
Nationality:	African
Hair Color:	Black
Eye Color:	Black
Relationships:	Victoria Mahoney (actress)
Mother:	Albertine Hounsou (d. 1989)
Brother(s):	Edmond Hounsou (older)
Claim to Fame:	As Horus in Stargate (1994)

• Kimora Lee Simmons 'Practices' With Djimon Hounsou

  Starpulse - Found Mar. 5, 2010 Model-turned-designer Kimora Lee is eager to expand her family with actor boyfriend Djimon Hounsou, insisting the couple is planning to have a second ... Simmons wants more kids with Hounsou - Hollywood Kimora Lee Simmons Wants More Kids With Djimon Hounsou; 'Boy Please' - Post Chronicle SIMMONS WANTS MORE KIDS WITH HOUNSOU - PR inside Simmons wants more kids with Hounsou - Hollywood.com Explore All

  Starpulse

• Marcia Dawkins: Passing as Mixed Race

  Huffington Post - Found Mar. 3, 2010 Probably when we see who is cast in the inevitable Barack Obama biopic--someone who looks like Djimon Hounsou, Will Smith, Wentworth Miller or...

• The Trunk (TRUNK) 3324 2.98 (+0.91)

  Hollywood Stock Exchange - Found Feb. 24, 2010 Djimon Hounsou stars in the urban drama The Trunk.

• Simmons wants more kids with Hounsou

  Daily Star - Found Mar. 5, 2010 Model-turned-designer KIMORA LEE is eager to expand her family with actor boyfriend DJIMON HOUNSOU, insisting the couple is planning to have a second ...

• Casting Notes: Owen Wilson Works with Woody Allen; New Projects for ...

  /Film - Found Feb. 19, 2010 ... be the first English-language film from original Ong Bak director Prachya Pinkaew . He?ll join Djimon Hounsou , who plays a mercenary� in...

• Talent agent Jeannine Cosden dies

  Hollywood Reporter - Found Feb. 23, 2010 The firm represented two-time Academy Award nominee Djimon Hounsou.

• unofficially married

  BET.com - Found Jan. 25, 2010 Should we pop champagne for Kimora Lee Simmons and Djimon Hounsou? Looks like the twosome ? and expectant parents ? are married. Only problem? ... Jean Simmons Dies; Remembering 'Guys and Dolls' Star - Time Jean Simmons dies, age 80 - Variety Agent: 'Guys And Dolls' Star Jean Simmons Dies - CBS News Agent: 'Guys and Dolls' star Jean Simmons dies - Seattle Times Explore All

• Kellan Lutz Is the New Face (and Body!) of Calvin Klein Underwear

  People - Found Feb. 3, 2010 Klein Underwear Courtesy Calvin Klein Following in the famously buff footsteps of Mark Wahlberg and Djimon Hounsou, is the newest Hollywood... PHOTOS: Kellan Lutz In His Briefs - People Kellan Lutz's Underwear Ad Campaign Revealed! - EOnline.com Kellan Lutz's Underwear Ad Campaign Revealed! - E! Online PHOTOS: Kellan Lutz In His Briefs - People Explore All

• PHOTOS: Kellan Lutz In His Briefs

  People - Found Feb. 3, 2010 Courtesy Calvin Klein Following in the famously buff footsteps of Mark Wahlberg and Djimon Hounsou, Kellan Lutz is the newest Hollywood hunk to strip ... Klein Takes A Pass On AG - New York Daily News Explore All

• Prachya Pinkaew goes 'Elephant' hunting

  Hollywood Reporter - Found Feb. 17, 2010 ... make his English-language directorial debut with Millennium Films action thriller 'Elephant White,' starring Djimon Hounsou and Kevin Bacon. Kevin Bacon Will Make Elephants The New Vampires - Cinema Blend Explore All

Djimon Hounsou extracted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, distributed under the GNU Free Documentation License

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 45) Cotonou, Benin
Occupation	Actor/Model
Years active	1990–present
Spouse(s)	Kimora Lee Simmons (2009-present) 1 child1

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

Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 Filmography 5 Awards/nominations 6 References 7 External links

Early life

Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Benin, the son of Albertine and Pierre Hounsou, a cook.³ 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 1990.³⁴ 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.

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 Also, David Jaffe expressed interest in seeing Hounsou portray the hero and main character, Kratos, in an upcoming movie based on the hit video game God of War. and Epaphroditus Elkahan of Cry Freedom Pictures expressed interest in him playing the first black President: Stanley Watson,in a movie based on the book "The President" "The Eppieologist".

Personal life

He has a son who is currently a sophomore at Princeton University.

Since 2007, Hounsou has been dating model and CEO of the fashion label Baby Phat, Kimora Lee Simmons.⁶ On 30 May 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 U.S. citizen⁷ and resides in Los Angeles. Hounsou and Simmons were married in 2009 before Kenzo's birth.

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

Filmography

• Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) as a doorman
• Without You I’m Nothing (1990)
• Unlawful Entry (1992)
• Stargate (1994) as Horus
• The Small Hours (1997)
• Amistad (1997)
• Ill Gotten Gains (1997)
• Deep Rising (1998)
• Gladiator (2000)
• The Middle Passage (2000) (documentary) (narrator in US version)
• The Tag (2001)
• Le Boulet/Dead Weight (2002) as Detective Youssouf
• The Four Feathers (2002)
• In America (2002)
• Heroes (2002) (short subject)
• Biker Boyz (2003)
• Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003)
• Alias (2004) (season 3, Mr Bomani)
• Blueberry (2004)
• Constantine (2005)
• Beauty Shop (2005)
• The Island (2005)
• Blood Diamond (2006)
• Eragon (2006)
• Never Back Down (2008)
• Push (2009)
• The Tempest (2010)

Awards/nominations

• 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
  • 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)

References

External links

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