Djimon Hounsou

Djimon Gaston Hounsou (, ; ; born April 24, 1964) is a Beninese-born actor. He began his career appearing in music videos and made his film debut in Without You I'm Nothing (1990). He then earned widespread recognition for his role as Cinqué in the Steven Spielberg film Amistad (1997), which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. For his performances in In America (2002) and Blood Diamond (2006), Honsou was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he portrays Korath the Pursuer in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Captain Marvel (2019) and What If...? (2021). In the DC Extended Universe, he appears as the Fisherman King in Aquaman (2018), and as the wizard Shazam in Shazam! (2019), Black Adam (2022), and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023). His other notable films include Stargate (1994), Gladiator (2000), Constantine, The Island (both 2005), Special Forces (2011), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014), Furious 7 (2015), The Legend of Tarzan (2016) and A Quiet Place Part II (2021). Hounsou made his directorial debut with the documentary film In Search of Voodoo: Roots to Heaven (2018). Early life Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Benin, to Albertine and Pierre Hounsou. He immigrated to Lyon in France at the age of 12 with his brother, Edmond. Soon after arriving there, he dropped out of school and was homeless for a time. A chance meeting with a photographer led to an introduction to fashion designer Thierry Mugler, who encouraged Hounsou to pursue a modelling career. In 1987, he became a model and established a career in Paris. He moved to the United States in 1990.