Age: 62
male
Djimon Gaston Hounsou (born April 24, 1964) is a Beninese-American actor and model. He began his career appearing in music videos, made his film debut in Without You I'm Nothing and earned widespread recognition for his role as Cinqué in the Steven Spielberg film Amistad. As an actor, Hounsou has been nominated for two Academy Awards. Hounsou became a naturalized American citizen in 2007. He was reluctant to renounce his Beninese citizenship and therefore opted to become a dual citizen of both Benin and the United States, effectively rendering him a Beninese-American. Djimon Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Benin, in 1964, to lbertine and Pierre Hounsou. He immigrated to Lyon in France at the age of thirteen with his brother, Edmond. In 1987, he became a model and established a career in Paris. He moved to the U.S. in 1990. One year before obtaining his college degree, he dropped out of school. In 1989, he appeared in a music video of Straight Up by Paula Abdul. Hounsou's film debut was in the 1990 Sandra Bernhard film Without You I’m Nothing, and he has had television roles on Beverly Hills, 90210 and ER and a guest starring role on Alias, but received a larger role in the science fiction film Stargate. His first on-screen appearance was in the 1990 Janet Jackson video “Love Will Never Do (Without You).” He also starred in a 2002 Gap commercial directed by Peter Lindbergh, dancing to a rendition of John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" by Arrested Development's Baba Oje. He received wide critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award nomination for his role as Cinqué in the 1997 Steven Spielberg film Amistad. He gained further notice as Juba, in the 2000 film Gladiator. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for In America, in 2004, becoming the fourth African male to be nominated for an Oscar (along with Basil Rathbone, Cecil Kellaway and Omar Sharif). In 2006, he won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Blood Diamond; he received Broadcast Film Critics Association, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Academy Award nominations for this performance. In 2007, Hounsou began dating model/CEO of Baby Phat, Kimora Lee Simmons. In 2008 Hounsou and Simmons visited Hounsou's family and while there, the two participated in a traditional commitment ceremony. On May 30, 2009, Simmons gave birth to their son, Kenzo Lee Hounsou, reportedly named because Kenzo means 3 (Kimora's third child).
A reclusive, temperamental bird named Red lives in a village on Bird Island with other flightless birds. When his temper causes a "premature hatching" of another bird's egg, he is sentenced to take an anger management class. Red’s classmates - Chuck (who is hyperactive and can move at the speed of light) and Bomb (who can cause explosions with his anger and fear) - try to befriend him, but he avoids them. One day, a boat docks at the island's shore, destroying Red's house. The birds are greeted by green-colored pigs and their captain Leonard, who claim to be peaceful explorers bringing offerings of friendship. The pigs ingratiate themselves with the birds, introducing them to various innovations, notably a giant slingshot, but begin to overwhelm the island with their numbers. Red becomes suspicious. Red recruits Chuck and Bomb to find Mighty Eagle, the only flying bird and the island's protector, who has not been seen for many years. They find Mighty Eagle on top of Bird Mountain, but he is overweight, self-absorbed, leads the life of a slacker, and refuses to help them. Red discovers the pigs planting dynamite around the island while the other birds are distracted with a rave party, but they arrive too late to sound a warning; the pigs escape with the eggs and activate the dynamite, destroying the village. The other birds apologize to Red for not believing him and, under his leadership, they organize an army and construct a boat from the rubble to follow the pigs to Piggy Island. The birds discover the pigs living in a walled city ruled by Leonard, whose true name is "King Mudbeard". Deducing the eggs are in the castle at the center of the city, the birds use the slingshot to attack by launching themselves over the walls and into the city's buildings, destroying them. Red, Chuck, and Bomb discover the eggs inside a net being lowered into a giant pot; the pigs are planning to cook and eat them. Mighty Eagle arrives to retrieve Red's group and the eggs, having had a change of heart after witnessing their efforts. One egg falls out of the net and Red battles King Mudbeard for it, but learns to control his anger and distracts him long enough to retrieve the egg. An explosion from Bomb ignites the pigs' reserve of dynamite, but the pot collapses and falls over top of Red, shielding him and the egg from the blast as the city is destroyed. Red reunites with the other birds as the egg hatches, revealing three small blue birds. Mighty Eagle approaches Red, Chuck, and Bomb, claiming he merely appeared lazy to help them find faith in themselves, and takes credit for saving the eggs. On Bird Island, Red discovers the other birds have rebuilt his house in the center of the village and the rest of the rescued eggs have hatched into chicks, who sing to him in gratitude. Moved, Red allows Chuck and Bomb to move in with him. The pigs are revealed to have survived, with King Mudbeard plotting to steal the birds' eggs again. In a mid-credits scene, the three blue birds use the slingshot to launch themselves out to ocean.
