Barkhad Abdi

Born in the city of Mogadishu, Somalia, Barkhad Abdi left his native country at the age of seven when civil unrest broke out, resulting in widespread violence and lawlessness. He was raised largely in Yemen before his family relocated to the burgeoning Somali community in Minneapolis, Minnesota. There, he studied engineering at Minnesota State University while working at a variety of jobs, including disc jockey and limousine driver at a relative's chauffeur company. While employed at the latter position, Abdi took part in a open casting call for Somalis to appear in "Captain Phillips." After two rounds of auditions, Abdi was cast as the lead pirate, Abduwali Muse, who embodies the fate of many Somalis, who are forced to turn to hijacking in order to survive the punishing living conditions in their country. Critical praise was near-universal for his debut performance, which netted Abdi a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, as well as Oscar and Golden Globe nominations and an array of supporting actor awards from various film critic societies.