Barkhad Abdi
Somali-born Barkhad Abdi gave one of the most indelible performances of 2013, playing a real-life pirate who overtook an American freighter in the harrowing thriller "Captain Phillips" from director Paul Greengrass. Despite having never acted before, Abdi's soulful presence underscored the desperation of hijacker Abduwali Muse, who abducted American captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) in an ill-fated attempt to gain a fortune in ransom money. Like the Cambodian doctor Haing S. Ngor did for his role in "The Killing Fields" (1984), Abdi drew on his own real-life experiences as a witness to the violence in Somalia for his performance and earned an Oscar nomination for his efforts. In the process, Abdi not only delivered a stellar performance which launched a promising acting career, but also put a sympathetic face on the conditions that drove many of his countrymen to commit criminal acts like those depicted in the film.
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Barkhad Abdi
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
21% |
|
Agent Game | Omar (Character) | - | 2022 |
67% |
|
Tyson's Run | Aklilu (Character) | - | 2022 |
No Score Yet |
|
Beneath a Sea of Lights | Caweys (Character) | - | 2020 |
89% |
|
A Girl From Mogadishu | Hassan (Character) | - | 2019 |
59% |
|
The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir | Wiraj (Character) | $56.7K | 2018 |
63% |
|
The Pirates of Somalia | Abdi (Character) | - | 2017 |
88% |
|
Blade Runner 2049 | Doc Badger (Character) | $91.5M | 2017 |
91% |
|
Good Time | Dash (Character) | $2.0M | 2017 |
No Score Yet |
|
Extortion | Miguel Kaba (Character) | - | 2017 |
No Score Yet |
|
Men in the Arena | Unknown (Character) | - | 2015 |
95% |
|
Eye in the Sky | Jama Farah (Character) | $18.7M | 2015 |
93% |
|
Captain Phillips | Muse (Character) | $107.1M | 2013 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
97% | 85% | Little America | Mohamed (Character) | 2022 |
88% | 79% | Castle Rock | Abdi Omar (Character) | 2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Conan | Guest | 2017 |
No Score Yet | 64% | Family Guy | Abduwali Muse (Guest Voice) | 2016 |
No Score Yet | 69% | Hawaii Five-0 | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2015 |
No Score Yet | 42% | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Guest | 2014 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Tavis Smiley | Guest | 2014 |