Barkhad Abdi
Barkhad Abdi (Somali: Barkhad Cabdi;[1] born April 10, 1985) is a Somali-American actor. He made his acting debut as Somali pirate Abduwali Muse in the biographical drama film Captain Phillips (2013), which earned him a British Academy Film Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, along with Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.
Barkhad Abdi
Actor
2013–present
Following his breakthrough, Abdi appeared in the films Eye in the Sky (2015), Good Time (2017), The Pirates of Somalia (2017), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). Outside of film, he was featured as a series regular on the second season of the Hulu horror anthology Castle Rock (2019) and a recurring role in the Showtime satirical comedy series The Curse (2023).
Early life[edit]
Barkhad Abdi was born to Somali parents on April 10, 1985, in Mogadishu, Banaadir, Somalia. The name Barkhad in the Somali language literally means cistern, with water representing life.[2] 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.[3][4] In 1999, Abdi and his family relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota, home to a large Somali community.[4]
He graduated from Roosevelt High School in 2003 and attended Minnesota State University Moorhead.[4] 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.[5][6]
Philanthropy[edit]
In 2013, Abdi began to serve as an Ambassador for Adeso, a non-governmental organisation founded by the Somali environmentalist Fatima Jibrell.[18]
Personal life[edit]
Abdi resided in Los Angeles, California as of 2014[19] and in 2016 lived in Cedar-Riverside, Minneapolis, Minnesota.[20] The bump on his forehead is from a car crash he was in prior to auditioning for Captain Phillips.[21]