Djimon Hounsou Net Worth and Salary: Djimon Hounsouuu is an Oscar-nominated Benin-American actor and model who has a net worth of $12 million. He is best known for his appearances in the films Amistad (1997), Gladiator (2000), In America (2003), Blood Diamond (2006) and Furious 7 (2015). He is also known for playing the character Korath, the stalker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The first years of life: Djimon Gaston Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Republic of Dahomey (now known as Benin) on April 24, 1964. His parents are Albertine and Pierre Hounsou. The Republic of Dahomey was a former French colony that gained full independence from France in August 1960. Then, in 1975, it was renamed Benin. When he was twelve, Hounsou emigrated with his brother Edmond to Lyon, France.
Shortly after moving to France, Hounsou dropped out of school. He faced hardships, including being temporarily homeless, but after a chance meeting with fashion designer Thierry Mugler, Hounsou became a model. She had decided to take up modeling at Mugler’s urging. Hounsou began her modeling career in Paris in 1987, and three years later, moved to the United States.
Career: Hounsou began his acting career with appearances in music videos. From 1989 to 1991, she appeared in several music videos for popular high-profile recording artists, including Paula Abdul for “Straight Up”, Madonna for “Express Yourself” and Janet Jackson for “Love Will Never Do” . (Without you)”.
In 1990, Hounsou made a successful transition to film and made her film debut in Without You I’m Nothing, directed by Sandra Bernhard. Throughout the 1990s, he continued to appear in various projects, including the films “Stargate” (1994), “and television series such as “Beverly Hills, 90210” (1990) and “ER” (1999). In 1997, Hounsou gained even more prominence and recognition after appearing as the character Cinque in the film Amistad directed by Steven Spielberg.
Hounsou’s career continued to rise with roles in prominent and popular films such as “Gladiator” (2000), “In America” (2004), “The Island” (2005) and “Blood Diamond” (2006). For his performance in “In America,” he was actually nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. This was an amazing achievement – he is the fourth African man in history to be nominated for an Oscar. “Blood Diamond” earned him another Academy Award nomination, as well as Actors Guild Award and Broadcast Film Critics Association nominations. Plus, he actually won an award for “Blood Diamond” — he received the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Hounsou has enjoyed roles in several popular film franchises. He plays a villain, the Nigerian-French mercenary Mose Jakande — in the seventh installment of the “Fast and the Furious” franchise, “Furious 7” (2015). In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Hounsou plays Korath the stalker. He appeared as Korath in the Marvel films “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014), “Captain Marvel” (2019). In another comic book universe, the DC Extended Universe, he appeared in the movie “Aquaman” (2018) as the Fisher King Ricou and in the movie “Shazam!” (2019) as Shazam the Wizard.
Hounsou’s other films include Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life (2003), Blueberry (2004), Constantine (2005), Eragon (2006), Never Back Down ( 2008), “The Tempest” (2010), “Elephant White” (2011), “Baggage Claim” (2013), “Seventh Son” (2014), “The Vatican Tapes” (2015), “The Legend of Tarzan ” (2016), “Same Kind of Different as Me” (2017), “Serenity” (2019) and “Charlie’s Angels” (2019), among others.
In addition to his on-screen acting roles, Hounsou has also worked as a voice actor. In 2000, he appeared in the animated children’s series “The Wild Thornberrys” in the episode “Luck Be an Aye-Aye”. In 2010, he voiced the character of T’Challa / Black Panther in the animated television series “Black Panther”. In 2014, he voiced the character Drago Bludvist in the DreamWorks animated film How to Train Your Dragon 2.
Other works: Even after his acting career took off, Hounsou still modeled occasionally. In February 2007, Calvin Klein announced that Hounsou would be the brand’s new underwear model. He was represented by Omar Albertto, the famous modeling agent in Los Angeles at the time. He was featured in 2010 in a series of commercials on ESPN for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Hounsou has also engaged in activism; in September 2009, he was a speaker at the United Nations Climate Change Summit.
Personal life: Hounsou began dating model and fashion designer Kimora Lee Simmons in 2007. They have one son together, a son named Kenzo Lee Hounsou, who was born in 2009. Hounsou and Simmons were together until November 2012, when they – they announced the separation. They never legally married in the United States, but attended a traditional engagement ceremony with his family in his native Benin in 2008.
immobility : In January 2020, Djimon bought a house in LA’s Westchester neighborhood for $2.1 million.
