Barkhad Abdi (Somali: Barkhad Cabdi) (born April 10, 1985) is a
Somaliâ€"American actor and director. He made his acting debut
alongside Tom Hanks in the Paul Greengrass film Captain Phillips
(2013), for which he received great critical acclaim as well as a
British Academy Film Award win for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He
also received Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors
Guild Award nominations. Abdi's other film roles include Gavin Hood's
Eye in the Sky (2015), the Safdie Brothers' Good Time, and Denis
Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 (both 2017). He is also known for his
roles in television including his main role on the Hulu series Castle
Rock.Abdi was born in Mogadishu, Banaadir. Around the age of six or
seven, when the Somali Civil War broke out, he and his family moved to
Yemen to join his father, who had taken up teaching. In 1999, Abdi and
his family relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where there is a large
Somali community. He subsequently attended Minnesota State University
Moorhead. The name Barkhad in the Somali language literally means
cistern with water representing life. Before entering the film
industry, Abdi sold mobile phones at his brother's shop at a mall in
Minneapolis. He also worked as a limousine driver at a relative's
chauffeur company and as a DJ.Abdi made his debut in the 2013 film
Captain Phillips, playing ship hijacker and pirate leader Abduwali
Muse. He was cast following a worldwide search for the lead roles.
Abdi and three other actors were subsequently chosen from more than
700 participants at a 2011 casting call in Minneapolis. According to
the casting director, the four were selected because they were "the
chosen ones, that anointed group that stuck out". He was paid $65,000
for his appearance in the film and returned to working in his
brother's shop afterwards. For his work, Abdi was nominated for the
Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Academy Award
for Best Supporting Actor, and a Golden Globe Award. He won a BAFTA
Award for Best Supporting Actor. Abdi's experience in Captain Phillips
was his first in the film industry.In 2015, Abdi appeared in an
episode of the series Hawaii Five-0, playing former warlord Roko
Makoni. Later that year, he began work on the comedy film Trainwreck,
though he did not appear in the finished film. He also appeared in the
2015 thriller Eye in the Sky, playing Jama Farah, and he had a role in
The Brothers Grimsby.
Somaliâ€"American actor and director. He made his acting debut
alongside Tom Hanks in the Paul Greengrass film Captain Phillips
(2013), for which he received great critical acclaim as well as a
British Academy Film Award win for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He
also received Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors
Guild Award nominations. Abdi's other film roles include Gavin Hood's
Eye in the Sky (2015), the Safdie Brothers' Good Time, and Denis
Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 (both 2017). He is also known for his
roles in television including his main role on the Hulu series Castle
Rock.Abdi was born in Mogadishu, Banaadir. Around the age of six or
seven, when the Somali Civil War broke out, he and his family moved to
Yemen to join his father, who had taken up teaching. In 1999, Abdi and
his family relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where there is a large
Somali community. He subsequently attended Minnesota State University
Moorhead. The name Barkhad in the Somali language literally means
cistern with water representing life. Before entering the film
industry, Abdi sold mobile phones at his brother's shop at a mall in
Minneapolis. He also worked as a limousine driver at a relative's
chauffeur company and as a DJ.Abdi made his debut in the 2013 film
Captain Phillips, playing ship hijacker and pirate leader Abduwali
Muse. He was cast following a worldwide search for the lead roles.
Abdi and three other actors were subsequently chosen from more than
700 participants at a 2011 casting call in Minneapolis. According to
the casting director, the four were selected because they were "the
chosen ones, that anointed group that stuck out". He was paid $65,000
for his appearance in the film and returned to working in his
brother's shop afterwards. For his work, Abdi was nominated for the
Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Academy Award
for Best Supporting Actor, and a Golden Globe Award. He won a BAFTA
Award for Best Supporting Actor. Abdi's experience in Captain Phillips
was his first in the film industry.In 2015, Abdi appeared in an
episode of the series Hawaii Five-0, playing former warlord Roko
Makoni. Later that year, he began work on the comedy film Trainwreck,
though he did not appear in the finished film. He also appeared in the
2015 thriller Eye in the Sky, playing Jama Farah, and he had a role in
The Brothers Grimsby.
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