Apr 24, 1964

Cotonou, Benin

is an Academy Award-nominated African actor, dancer and fashion model who was born in Cotonou, Benin.
Hounsou immigrated to Paris at the age of 13 with a brother, and lived on the streets, until he was discovered by fashion designer Thierry Mugler, who made him a model. Modeling led to acting. His film debut was in Without You I'm Nothing, and he has had parts on Beverly Hills, 90210 and ER and a guest starring role on Alias, but his first major role was in the science fiction film Stargate.
H... ... (read more...) is first on-screen appearance was in the 1990 Janet Jackson video "Love Will Never Do (Without You)", which co-starred Antonio Sabato Jr.<br/><br/>

He received wide critical acclaim for his role as Cinqué in the Steven Spielberg film Amistad. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for In America in 2004. That year, with Charlize Theron, a South African actress nominated for her work in Monster, was the first time that two African-born performers were nominated for an Oscar in the same year. (In 1963, Egyptian-born Omar Sharif became the first non-white African-born Academy Award nominee. British actor Cecil Kellaway, a two-time nominee who was first nominated in 1949, was born in South Africa.)