Hollywood actor, Djimon Hounsou visits home village in Benin Republic

Despite all his success in Hollywood and superstar status, Djimon Hounsou, who starred along with Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio in the movie, Blood Diamond; with Russell Crowe (Maximus) in Gladiator; Furious 7 and others, still creates time to visit his village and Cotonou, the capital of  Benin Republic.

He is also a cheerleader for the country’s national football team.

His Facebook posts include photo memories of his home visits. His last visit was in June and in one of his Facebook posts, he said he had ‘a good time’.

In a previous visit, he took his son, Kenzo Lee back to his village, where he remarked: “On a dirt road where all the dreams started”.

Djimon Gaston Hounsou, born on 24 April 1964 is a Beninese American actor and model.

He was born as the fifth child to a cook – Pierre Hounsou and his wife Albertine on the 24th of April 1964 in Cotonou. He arrived Lyon, France at the age of 13 to live with his brother and get a good education with his family hoping he would become a doctor someday.

However, his brother threw him out when he dropped out of school and he drifted off to Paris, living on the streets and rummaging through garbage bins to find something to eat.

Djimon Hounsou At the beach Plage de Togbin in Benin

Djimon Hounsou at a beach bar

Blessed with a well-built body, Djimon Hounsou was introduced to the iconic French Designer, Thierry Mugler by a fashion photographer who had spotted him. By the time Djimon moved to the US in 1990, he had become one of the most popular models on the Paris runway and was good enough to be cast in three musical videos directed by David Fincher, based on his work with Mugler.

Djimon Hounsou (with his son)Kenzo Lee Hounsou  in his village in Benin Republic. Photo taken in 2018 

Djimon Hounsou in his village in Benin Republic with his son Kenzo Lee Hounsou. Photo taken in 2018.

He made his film debut in the Sandra Bernhard film Without You I’m Nothing (1990) and gained widespread recognition for his role as Cinqué in the Steven Spielberg film Amistad (1997). He gained further recognition for his roles in Gladiator (2000), In America (2003), and Blood Diamond (2006), receiving Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nominations for both the latter films. He also had a minor role in Furious 7 (2015). He has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. Djimon Hounsou plays an important role as well in the French movie Forces spéciales in 2011.

Djimon Hounsou visiting  the animal park of Pendjari in Benin.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he plays the role of Korath the Pursuer in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Captain Marvel (2019). Additionally, in the DC Extended Universe, he played the role of the Fisherman King in Aquaman (2018) and Wizard Shazam in Shazam! (2019).