Hounsou immigrated to Paris at the age of 13 with a brother, and lived on the streets, until he was discovered by fashion designer Thierry Mugler, who made him a model. Modeling led to acting. His film debut was in Without You I'm Nothing, and he has had television parts 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)", which co-starred Antonio Sabato Jr.
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 first black African to be nominated for an Oscar. That year, with Charlize Theron, a South African actress nominated for her work in Monster, was the first time that two African-born performers were nominated for an Oscar in the same year.
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.
On February 24, 2007, it was announced that Hounsou will be the new Calvin Klein Underwear model. Starting with the Fall 2007 season, he will be the featured in the brand's global print advertising campaign including the launch of their new Calvin Klein Steel product line. Former Calvin Klein Underwear models include such notables as international soccer star Freddie Ljungberg and co-Academy Award nominee Mark Wahlberg.
--Wikipedia
BENIN