Early life

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. 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 a DJ.

Career

Abdi made his debut in the 2013 film Captain Phillips. He played 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".

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. He was paid $65,000 for his role in the film. After production finished, he returned to work at his brother's store.

In January 2014, Abdi read scripts for a television show. He landed a role 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 appears in the 2015 thriller Eye in the Sky, playing Jama Farah.

Besides acting, Abdi has directed a film, Ciyaalka Xaafada, as well as several music videos.

Philanthropy

In 2013, Abdi began to serve as an Ambassador for Adeso, an NGO founded by the Somali environmentalist Fatima Jibrell.

Personal life

Abdi resides in Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2013	Captain Phillips	Abduwali Muse	BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Black Reel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Black Reel Award for Best Breakthrough Performance - Male Capri Breakout Actor Award London Film Critics' Circle Award for Supporting Actor of the Year Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Performer Nominated—Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Denver Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Detroit Film Critics Society for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Georgia Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Empire Award for Best Male Newcomer Nominated—Gold Derby Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture Nominated—Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Villain Nominated—National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated—St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
2015	Eye in the Sky	Jama Farah
	Wolf Who Cried Boy	Reggie
2016	The Brothers Grimsby	Tabansi Nyagura
	Extortion	Miguel Kaba

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2015	Hawaii Five-0	Roko Makoni	1 episode
2016	Family Guy	Abduwali Muse	1 episode: "Road to India"

[ Source: Wikipedia ]