Djimon Hounsou

3.1.1. Music Videos

Hounsou made early appearances in several prominent music videos between 1989 and 1991. He was featured in "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul, "I Don't Wanna Lose You" by Tina Turner, and "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" by Janet Jackson, where he co-starred with Antonio Sabato Jr.. He also appeared in Madonna's "Express Yourself" and En Vogue's "Hold On".

3.1.2. Film Debut and Early Roles

Hounsou's film debut was in the 1990 Sandra Bernhard film Without You I'm Nothing. He secured early television parts in popular series such as Beverly Hills, 90210 and ER, and had a guest starring role on Alias. He took on a more significant role in the 1994 science fiction film Stargate, where he was credited simply as "Djimon."

3.1.3. Major Film Roles

Hounsou gained widespread critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award nomination for his powerful portrayal of Joseph Cinqué in Steven Spielberg's 1997 film Amistad. He further solidified his presence as Juba in the 2000 historical drama Gladiator, a role for which the cast received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.

In 2004, Hounsou earned his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance as Mateo in In America, marking him as the fourth African male to receive an Oscar nomination. For this role, he also won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male, the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture, and the San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor.

His second Academy Award nomination came in 2007 for his work as Solomon Vandy in Blood Diamond. This performance also earned him the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor, and nominations from the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Screen Actors Guild.

Hounsou has since taken on diverse roles across various genres and major franchises. He appeared as a mercenary in The Island (2005) alongside Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson, and played Papa Midnite in the DC Comics adaptation Constantine (2005). Other notable film appearances include Agent Henry Carver in the 2009 science-fiction film Push, a French commando in the 2011 film Special Forces, and Quinton Jamison in the 2013 comedy Baggage Claim. He also voiced Drago Bludvist in How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) and played villains in Seventh Son and Furious 7 (both 2015), the latter as Mose Jakande. In 2016, he appeared as Chief Mbonga in The Legend of Tarzan.

Hounsou has also played significant roles in two major cinematic universes. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he portrays Korath the Pursuer in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Captain Marvel (2019). In the DC Extended Universe, he appeared as the Fisherman King Ricou in Aquaman (2018), and as the wizard Shazam in Shazam! (2019), Black Adam (2022), and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023).

His recent filmography includes roles in A Quiet Place Part II (2020), The King's Man (2021) as Shola, Gran Turismo (2023) as Steve Mardenborough, and General Titus in Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023) and Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024). He will also appear in A Quiet Place: Day One (2024), Beneath the Storm (2025), and The Zealot (2025).

3.1.4. Television Appearances

In addition to his film work, Hounsou has made notable appearances on television. After early roles in Beverly Hills, 90210 and ER, he had a recurring role as Kazari Bomani on Alias from 2003 to 2004. In 2016, he joined the second season of the television series Wayward Pines as CJ Mitchum, appearing in eight episodes. He also appeared as Master Ge in the 2019 Chinese series The Longest Day in Chang'an.

3.1.5. Voice Acting

Hounsou has lent his voice to several animated projects and video games. He voiced T'Challa / Black Panther in the 2010 animated series Black Panther. He reprised his role as Drago Bludvist in DreamWorks Dragons in 2018 and Korath in the 2021 Disney+ animated series What If...?. He also provided the voice for the Martian Emperor in an episode of Invincible in 2021. For video games, he provided the voice and motion capture for Coach Henry Bishop in NBA 2K21 (2020), and voiced Sumo in Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022) and Ozi's Father in Ozi: Voice of the Forest (2023).

3.3.1. Directorial Debut

In 2018, Djimon Hounsou made his directorial debut with the documentary film In Search of Voodoo: Roots to Heaven. He also served as a writer and producer for the film, which explores the history, nature, and religious practices of West African Vodun. The documentary premiered at the Miami International Film Festival on March 10, 2018.

In 2010, Hounsou was featured as the narrator in ESPN's "32 Teams, 1 Dream" commercials for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He has also been a vocal advocate for environmental issues, speaking at the Summit on Climate Change at the United Nations on September 22, 2009. On December 1, 2009, he publicly stated to French media that developed countries "need to be held accountable" for their contributions to climate change. In 2024, Hounsou had a guest performance on South African record producer and DJ Black Coffee's "Ode to Ancestors" song, which was included in an Extended Play (EP) inspired by Zack Snyder's movie, Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver.