- Hounsou recently told The Guardian he feels he has been "tremendously cheated" by the industry.
- As of 2023, Djimon Hounsou has acted in 48 films.
- Hounsou has been nominated for two best supporting actor Oscars and a Golden Globe award.
Djimon Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Benin. He started as a model in France before he began acting.
In 1964, Djimon Hounsou was born in Cotonou, a city in the West African country of Benin.
Hounsou told The Guardian this month that his upbringing was "not the best childhood you could wish for a young man." Ever since he was a child, he wanted to be an actor, but got resistance from his parents.
After bouncing back and forth between France, where he lived with his brother, and Benin, Hounsou found himself without work and homeless on the streets of Paris at 19.
After a chance encounter with a man who told Hounsou "'you have a cool look; I have a friend who's a photographer who's looking for really cool faces,'" he landed a photoshoot with legendary fashion designer Thierry Mugler.
After a successful modeling career in Paris, at 22, Hounsou moved to Los Angeles. There he began doing commercials and appearing in music videos like Tina Turner's 1989 video for the song "I Don't Wanna Lose You."
In 1990, his acting career began.
Hounsou's first role was in 1990's "Without You I'm Nothing" starring comedian Sandra Bernhard.
1990's "Without You I'm Nothing" was based off of Sandra Bernhard's one-woman off-Broadway stage show, and brings it to life with actors playing her audience and a rotating cast of characters, including her manager and mother.
In the movie, Hounsou plays Bernhard's ex-boyfriend.
Two years later, Hounsou appeared in 1992's "Unlawful Entry."
Kurt Russell, Madeleine Stowe, and Ray Liotta starred in "Unlawful Entry," a movie about a police officer who becomes obsessed with a couple and tries to ruin their life.
In the movie, Hounsou has a small part as a prisoner.
In 1993, Hounsou voiced a character in the thriller "Killing Zoe."
"Killing Zoe," about a bank heist gone wrong, was directed by Oscar-winner Roger Avary. Hounsou plays the voice of Moise in the movie and doesn't appear onscreen.
In 1994, Hounsou starred in the sci-fi film "Stargate" alongside Kurt Russell and James Spader.
"Stargate" launched a franchise with this 1994 movie about wormholes and space travel.
It was the second film Hounsou appeared in with Kurt Russell, the movie's lead. Hounsou plays the character Horus, a personal guard of Ra (Jaye Davidson), an alien disguised as a human.
Hounsou's role in Steven Spielberg's "Amistad" (1997) earned him a Golden Globe nomination.
"Amistad" takes place in 1839 and chronicles the events aboard the La Amistad, a Spanish slave ship. Hounsou plays Cinque, a real person, who leads the slave uprising on the ship.
"I have never been more alive than I was playing that role. I was so connected. I was so gone. It's difficult to articulate," Hounsou told The Washington Post about playing Cinque.
Also released in 1997 about a slave ship, "Ill-Gotten Gains" was Hounsou's first leading role.
1997's "Ill-Gotten Gains," a film about a rebellion on a 19th-century slave ship, was Hounsou's first leading part.
His character, Fyah, leads the rebellion. Despite Hounsou's talent, the movie was critically panned.
That same year, Hounsou starred in a film called "The Small Hours."
Actors Ron Livingston and Christopher Meloni also starred in "The Small Hours." Derek Dunsay wrote and directed the film, and Hounsou appears as himself.
Hounsou played a part in the 1998 sci-fi film "Deep Rising."
In "Deep Rising," the Argonautica cruise ship is hijacked and large monsters with tentacles begin eating passengers. Hounsou plays Vivo, a mercenary aboard a different ship.
Stephen Sommers wrote and directed "Deep Rising." He also wrote and directed "Van Helsing" (2004).
In 2000, Hounsou starred in Ridley Scott's smash hit "Gladiator."
In "Gladiator," Maximus (Russell Crowe) avenges the murder of his family at the hands of the emperor's son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Hounsou plays Juba, Maximus' friend and collaborator.
Ridley Scott is directing "Gladiator 2" with Paul Mescal, and it is expected to be released in 2024. Hounsou hopes to be a part of the sequel.
Also in 2000, Hounsou narrated a film called "The Middle Passage."
"The Middle Passage" depicts the horrors of the Transatlantic slave trade, specifically the Middle Passage where men, women, and children were transported as human cargo in boats to the Americas to be sold as slaves. Hounsou narrates the film.
The French version of this film was narrated by politician Maka Kotto.
Hounsou acted in a short film called "The Tag" alongside Kelly Rutherford in 2001.
Hounsou played Marshall in "The Tag," which was directed and written by Peter Winther.
The following year, Hounsou starred in the French film "Dead Weight" (2002).
"Dead Weight" is an adventure comedy that follows an escaped prisoner and prisoner guard who hunt down a winning lottery ticket. Hounsou plays Detective Youssouf.
Hounsou speaks French in the film.
In 2002's "The Four Feathers," Hounsou worked with Heath Ledger and Kate Hudson.
In 2002's "The Four Feathers," Harry Feversham (Heath Ledger) leaves his position as an officer in the British army just before he was meant to be shipped off to battle. In response, his fiancée and friends send him four white feathers to represent his cowardice.
Hounsou plays Abou Fatma, a warrior that Feversham befriends on his journey to prove he's brave.
Famed film critic Roger Ebert gave "The Four Feathers" two stars, writing, "I also have problems with the faithful Abou Fatma. Why do the dark-skinned natives always get to be the best buddy, never the hero?"
Hounsou got his first best supporting actor Oscar nomination for his role in 2002's "In America."
"In America," follows Johnny Sullivan's family as they move to New York City from Ireland to follow Johnny's (Paddy Considine) dream of becoming an actor. Hounsou plays Mateo, an artist who lives in their building.
"In America" (2002) was directed by Jim Sheridan. Sheridan has been nominated for six Oscars.
Later that year, Hounsou played Mystery Man in the short film "Heroes" (2002).
Actor Johnathon Schaech directed Hounsou in "Heroes." Hounsou's character was named Mystery Man, and the film also starred Christina Applegate.
Hounsou's first film of 2003 was called "Biker Boyz," and he played Motherland.
"Biker Boyz" depicts underground motorcycle gangs in Los Angeles, based on an article written by Michael Gougis.
Hounsou's character, Motherland, is one of these bikers.
Hounsou starred alongside Oscar-winner Angelina Jolie in "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life" in 2003.
In "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life," Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) travels across the world in search of Pandora's box before it falls into the wrong hands. Kosa, played by Hounsou, assists Croft on her mission.
"Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life" (2003) was a sequel to "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" (2001).
The following year, Hounsou acted in the western action flick "Renegade" (2004).
In "Renegade," Mike Blueberry (Vincent Cassel) plays the marshal of a town being infiltrated by men looking for gold. Hounsou's character Woodhead is one the men searching for gold.
Juliette Lewis, Vincent Cassel, and Michael Madsen also starred in the film.
Hounsou worked with Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, and Shia LaBeouf in "Constantine" (2005).
Keanu Reeves plays John Constantine, an exorcist in "Constantine." Constantine helps a policewoman (Rachel Weisz) prove that her sister's apparent suicide was a result of something more demonic.
Hounsou plays Midnite, a witch doctor that helps Constantine.
In a February 2005 interview with Blackfilm.com, Hounsou talked about working with Keanu Reeves.
"I mean, he works hard at his craft, and the dedication, looking at his body of work it's like 'wow' because the guy is still very serious about it," Hounsou said.
Queen Latifah played Djimon Hounsou's love interest in "Beauty Shop" (2005).
"Beauty Shop" is a comedy about Gina Norris (Queen Latifah), a woman who starts her own salon in Atlanta. Joe, played by Hounsou, lives above the shop and is Norris' love interest.
"Beauty Shop" (2005) was a spin-off of "Barbershop" (2002) starring Ice Cube and Cedric the Entertainer.
Scarlett Johansson and Ewan McGregor costarred with Hounsou in the dystopian thriller "The Island" (2005).
"The Island" is a sci-fi thriller about Lincoln Six Echo (Ewan McGregor), a man living in an uncontaminated island colony, who begins to question his reality. Albert Laurent, Hounsou's character, is hired by the government to track down rogue members on the island.
Michael Bay, who directed the "Transformers" films, also directed "The Island" (2005).
Hounsou was nominated for his second best supporting actor Oscar for his role in 2006's "Blood Diamond."
"Blood Diamond" follows Solomon Vandy (Hounsou) and Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) as they work together to recover a rare diamond in 1990s Sierra Leone.
In 2006, Hounsou talked to Blackfilm.com and described working with DiCaprio.
"Amazing! Truly. You couldn't possibly have made this film if you didn't have a guy, a man, an actor, a co-star who had a clear understanding and compassion for the conflict," Hounsou said.
Also in 2006, Hounsou acted in "Eragon."
"Eragon" tells the story of Eragon (Ed Speleers), a boy whose discovery of a dragon egg takes him on a fantastic journey and helps him defend the kingdom against a tyrant king (John Malkovich).
Hounsou plays Ajihad, the leader of the Varden, a group that opposes the evil king.
"Eragon" (2006) is the only film Stefen Fangmeier has ever directed.
Hounsou's only film in 2008 was "Never Back Down."
"Never Back Down" tells the story of a teenager named Jake Tyler who finds himself involved in an underground fight club. His mentor, Jean Roqua, is played by Hounsou.
In an interview with the AALBC (African American Literature Book Club), Hounsou talked about his previous martial arts experience that helped with "Never Back Down."
"One of the things that came in handy was the fact that I had studied kung fu and boxing for so many years while growing up in France. When I came to America, I didn't really pursue them as heavily, but I definitely continued to appreciate a whole new aspect of the sport, which was mixed martial arts," Hounsou said.
In 2009, he worked with Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning in "Push."
In "Push," Nick Gant (Chris Evans) seeks to destroy the Division, an undercover government agency that killed his father, with help from a group of psychics. Hounsou plays Division Agent Henry Carver, the man who killed Gant's father.
Hounsou talked to the AALBC (African American Literature Book Club) about working with Chris Evans in "Push" (2009).
"It's always a pleasant journey when you're working with an actor who takes all the elements of the production to heart. Here, Chris Evans was always watching out to make sure the story flowed and that all the dots were connected," Hounsou said.
Hounsou worked with Oscar-winner Helen Mirren in "The Tempest" in 2010 (he would later work with her again in "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" in 2023).
"The Tempest," is a 2010 remake and reimagining of the Shakespeare play. Hounsou portrays the character Caliban who becomes enslaved by Prospera (Helen Mirren).
Hounsou told Movie Web that he struggled with the makeup required to play Caliban in "The Tempest."
"It was a struggle, but I am glad it was done and also that I dived into the Shakespeare world. I am very proud of that. It was absolutely a new experience for me," Hounsou said.
Hounsou teamed up with Kevin Bacon for the thriller "Elephant White" in 2011.
In "Elephant White," assassin Curtie Church has a hit taken out on him by his own contractor. Kevin Bacon plays Jimmy, Church's weapons dealer and right-hand man on his mission.
Kevin Bacon and Hounsou previously worked together in "Beauty Shop."
Hounsou's second film of 2011 was a war film with Diane Kruger called "Special Forces."
In "Special Forces," Diane Kruger plays Elsa, a journalist taken hostage by the Taliban. Kovax, Hounsou's character, is part of the team sent to save Elsa.
According to Hounsou, "Special Forces" was hard to make. In 2012, Hounsou told MTV what aspects of the film made it difficult.
"Location, the nature of the story, the theme of this film, and literally we camped while we were shooting this film. I've made quite a few films, and even though sometimes I still feel like it's early in my career… This certainly was one of the most difficult films that I've done so far," Hounsou said.
Hounsou entered the rom-com space with "Baggage Claim" (2013).
"Baggage Claim" follows Montana Moore a single flight attendant who wants to find a husband before her sister Sheree's (Lauren London) wedding. To do this, her friends devise a plan to reconnect her with her ex-boyfriends. Hounsou plays her ex-boyfriend, Quinton Jamison.
"She has great energy. She's the lead, so she had to be free. We all had to feel connected to her, in some way. She's a cool lady," Hounsou told Collider of his costar Paula Patton.
In 2014, Hounsou lent his voice to the film "How to Train Your Dragon 2."
In "How to Train Your Dragon 2," Hiccup and his dragon, Toothless, discover a cave full of wild dragons. Drago, Hounsou's character, is a warrior who wants to turn the wild dragons into his soldiers.
Hounsou got inspired to voice Drago upon hearing his name.
"I started flying around with that name and what could be the back story of such a character, such a torn soul. Right then and there, I started trying to pick him apart," Hounsou said in a 2014 interview with Rogerebert.com.
Hounsou portrayed Korath in the uber popular "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014).
In "Guardians of the Galaxy," Chris Pratt's character, Peter Quill, steals an orb coveted by a warlord named Ronan (Lee Pace). Along the way, Quill assembles a group called the "Guardians" who help him fight off Ronan. Hounsou plays Korath, a friend and supporter of Ronan.
In regards to preparing for his role of Korath, Hounsou told CBS News: "People have the notion that you are going to do all sorts of preparation, but there's not much you need to prepare for. Everything I need is given in the story, and since this is a fictional story, you can do whatever you want to do with it."
Hounsou acted alongside Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, and Kit Harington in "Seventh Son" (2014).
"Seventh Son" is a fantasy film about an escaped witch named Mother Malkin (Julianne Moore) who is exacting her revenge on those who imprisoned her. Hounsou plays Mother Malkin's servant named Radu.
Sergei Bodrov, the director of "Seventh Son" (2014), also directed 2007's "Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan."
Djimon Hounsou joined the "Fast and Furious" franchise in the seventh film: "Furious 7" (2015).
In "Furious 7," Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) exacts revenge on Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew after his brother was left in a coma after being defeated by them. Hounsou plays Mose Jakande, a mercenary working with Shaw.
Hounsou starred alongside Paul Walker in "Furious 7" (2015), which was Walker's last film before his death in 2013.
Hounsou took a stab at the horror genre in 2015's "The Vatican Tapes."
In "The Vatican Tapes," an American girl becomes possessed and exorcists at the Vatican attempt to exorcise the demon. Hounsou plays Vicar Imani, one of the exorcists.
"The Vatican Tapes" (2015) director, Mark Neveldine, also co-directed the Jason Statham action film "Crank" (2006) with Brian Taylor.
Hounsou worked with "The Walking Dead" star Norman Reedus in the futuristic film "Air" (2015).
"Air" takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where air has become unbreathable. Bauer (Norman Reedus) and Cartwright (Djimon Hounsou) are two workers at an underground government facility tasked with monitoring scientists who are cryogenically sleeping.
In 2015, Hounsou spoke with Michelle Hannett of We Are Movie Geeks about working mainly with only one other actor, Norman Reedus, in "Air" (2015).
"There was a side of it that was quite pleasant in a way in that you only have one other person to deal with. The whole story is just between he and I, which is quite interesting," Hounsou said.
Hounsou played an integral role in "The Legend of Tarzan" (2016).
In "The Legend of Tarzan," Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgård) leaves his new life in London and heads back to the jungle to investigate a diamond mining camp. Hounsou's character is Chief Mbonga, a tribe leader in the diamond region, who is seeking to avenge the death of his son.
Hounsou was attracted to his role in "The Legend of Tarzan" (2016) because of the director, David Yates.
"It's not so much the character at first, it was mostly, well certainly I didn't see the character at first, but it was David Yates and his vision and certainly wanting to work with a director because I'd love the way he directed many of the Harry Potter film and all that," Hounsou told Blackfilm.com in 2016.
In 2017, Hounsou joined forces with Charlie Hunnam and Jude Law in "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword."
"King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" tells the backstory of Arthur (Charlie Hunnam), the rightful king who has his power and crown stolen by his greedy uncle Vortigern (Jude Law). Hounsou's character, Sir Bedivere, used to be a general for Uther, Arthur's deceased father and the former king of Britain.
Hounsou enjoyed working with Charlie Hunnam in "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" (2017).
"I came and met Charlie and it was a great rapport. Some people you just meet and have an affinity for. [There's] no ego. It was a nice rapport," Hounsou told Collider in 2017.
Hounsou costarred with fellow Oscar nominee Greg Kinnear in "Same Kind of Different as Me" (2017).
"Same Kind of Different as Me" follows Ron (Greg Kinnear) and Debbie Hall (Renée Zellweger), a couple struggling in their marrige, who befriend a homeless man, Denver Moore (Hounsou), at a Fort Worth, Texas mission.
Renée Zellweger talked about working with both Hounsou and Greg Kinnear in "Same Kind of Different as Me" (2017).
"It was hard to keep a dry eye on set with Djimon, and Greg is one of my personal favorite partners in crime," Zellweger told Collider in 2017.
Hounsou acted in the blockbuster "Aquaman" in 2018.
In "Aquaman," Aquaman (Jason Momoa) must regain control of Atlantis from his evil brother King Orm (Patrick Wilson). Hounsou voices King Ricou, the leader of the Fishermen Kingdom in Atlantis.
Hounsou worked with director James Wan for the second time on "Aquaman" (2018). The two had previously worked together when Wan directed "Furious 7" in 2015.
Djimon Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, and Anne Hathaway star in "Serenity" (2019).
2019's "Serenity" centers around Baker Dill (Matthew McConaughey), a fishing boat captain put in a tough position when his ex-wife, Karen (Anne Hathaway), reenters his life and asks for help getting rid of her abusive husband.
Duke, Hounsou's character, works on the boat with Dill.
Hounsou rejoined the MCU in "Captain Marvel" (2019).
In "Captain Marvel," Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), aka Captain Marvel, is involved in a battle between two alien races: the Krees and the Skulls. Hounsou plays the Kree soldier Korath.
This was Hounsou's second time playing Korath. He previously portrayed the character in "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014).
Hounsou took part in another superhero movie with "Shazam" (2019).
"Shazam" is the story of 14-year-old Billy Batson (Archer Angel) who transforms into a superhero whenever he shouts the word "Shazam." His adult superhero alterego, Shazam, is played by Zachary Levi.
Hounsou's character, the Wizard, is an ancient wizard who gives Batson his powers.
In 2019, Hounsou acted in the "Charlie's Angels" remake: "Charlie's Angels."
"Charlie's Angels" follows a new group of angels as they try and stop a form of energy called Calisto from being used for evil.
Hounsou plays Edgar Bosley, one of Charlie's assistants.
Hounsou took part in the 2020 horror flick "A Quiet Place Part II."
"A Quiet Place Part II" continues to follow the Abbott family's attempt to survive against the blind aliens out to get them. Hounsou's character is called Man on the Island and is introduced into the story when Regan Abbott discovers an island full of people who have survived the alien attack.
"It was obviously edgy. It was gripping, the first one. And organically, this is why I was drawn to accepting this film without even looking at the script," Hounsou told Screen Rant in regards to why he joined "A Quiet Place Part II."
In 2021, Hounsou acted in the third movie in "The Kingsman" series: "The King's Man."
"The King's Man" follows Orlando (Ralph Fiennes) as he attempts to stave off World War I with the help of a secret spy network he created. Hounsou plays Shola, one of Orlando's spies.
In 2021, Hounsou talked to Movie Web about how difficult the stunts were for "The King's Man."
"Well, the biggest challenge had to do with the physicality of the action sequence, and we've had a tremendous help and been guided by the stunt team. Our body doubles were absolutely amazing, you couldn't tell the difference between when I come in and when my stunt double takes over," Hounsou said.
Hounsou voiced a character in the animated film "Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank" (2022).
"Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank" tells the story of Hank, a dog voiced by Michael Cera, who dreams of becoming a samurai. He is put to the test when he goes up against Ika Chu (Ricky Gervais), an evil official who wants to expand his empire. Hounsou voices Sumo, one of Ika Chu's (Ricky Gervais's) henchmen.
"Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank" was Hounsou's second animated film.
Hounsou made a cameo in "Black Adam" (2022).
In "Black Adam," Dwayne Johnson plays the titular antihero who is freed from prison after using his powers for vengeance 5,000 years ago.
Hounsou makes a cameo as his "Shazam" character the Wizard in a scene showing him telling Billy Batson (Asher Angel) about his superpowers.
Hounsou returned to the "Shazam" universe in "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" (2023).
The "Shazam" (2019) sequel, "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," follows Billy Batson's (Asher Angel) superhero alter ego Shazam (Zachary Levi), as he goes up against a group of goddesses who threaten to steal his powers.
Hounsou's role in "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" was his third time playing the Wizard.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyltsimpqdlmKTCr7%2FOrmSmp6aesrR5wpqpnp2iYsGqucSloKedXWd9c3%2BMbA%3D%3D