Djimon Hounsou acted in Amistad (1997), Blood Diamond (2006), Never back down (2008), Gladiators (2000), Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) Hounsou has a net worth of $12 million. He began his career as a model in Paris in the early 1990s. He appeared in campaigns for Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Laurent, and Dior. He also starred in music videos for artists such as Madonna and En Vogue.

He was born in Cotonou, Dahomey present-day Benin. He emigrated to Lyon in France at the age of 12 with his brother, Edmond. Soon after arriving there, he dropped out of school and was homeless for a time. A chance meeting with a photographer led to an introduction to fashion designer Thierry Mugler, who encouraged Hounsou to pursue a modeling career.

In 1987, he became a model and established a career in Paris. He moved to the United States in 1990. The same year, in 1990, He made his film debut in Without You I’m Nothing and the rest was history. His best known movie, is Amistad made by Stephen Spielberg. In 2007, Hounsou began dating model Kimora Lee Simmons, the ex wife of the legendary hip hop music label, Def Jam, founder, Russell Simmons. In 2009, Simmons gave birth to their son, Kenzo Lee Hounsou. Hounsou and Simmons visited Hounsou’s family in his native Benin in the summer of 2008, where the two participated in a traditional commitment ceremony. Though he and Kimora have since separated.