We may not be aware, but quite a lot of celebrities were born in Africa. Some of them moved to Europe or the US with their families while some of them still reside in their home country.

Nevertheless, all of them had significant impacts on the society both with their brilliant works and their volunteering activities that raised awareness among millions.

Djimon Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Benin in 1964. He moved to France at the age of twelve with his brother. During his time in France, he faced many financial difficulties and even became homeless for a while. He began modelling upon a chance encounter and being introduced to fashion designer Thierry Mugler. He then moved to the United States in 1990.

Photo Credit: Djimon Hounsou

His first screen appearance was in music videos such as Straight Up by Paula Abdul, Express Yourself by Madonna and Love Will Never Do by Janet Jackson. He also appeared in small roles in the film Without You I’m Nothing and TV parts on Beverly Hills, ER and Alias.

His breakthrough came with movies such as Steven Spielberg’s Amistad and the 2000 film Gladiator and the 2006 film Blood Diamond. He received numerous nominations from Academy Awards, Golden Globe and National Board of Review awards for his performances. He also took part in works of Marvel Studios by playing in Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel. Recently, he has played the Wizard Shazam in Shazam! He continued modelling in the meantime as a Calvin Klein underwear model…



 Happy birthday Djimon Hounsou