Barkhad Abdi
Barkhad Abdi (Barkhad Cabdi; born April 10, 1985) is a Somali actor. He made his acting debut as the 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 Actor Award nominations. 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).
Barkhad Abdi

Christopher William Adach from London, UK · WiPe - random_-2 · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Name
- Barkhad Abdi
- Born
- 10 April 1985
- Birthplace
- Mogadishu, Somalia
- Education
- Minnesota State University, Moorhead
- Occupation
- Actor
- Awards
- Full list
- Nationality
- Somalia · United States
- Fields
- acting · film direction
- Honours
- BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- Languages
- English
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Barkhad Abdi (Barkhad Cabdi; born April 10, 1985) is a Somali actor. He made his acting debut as the 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 Actor Award nominations. 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).
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
No house-authored Note is published until its assertions and sources pass the VALÉORINE evidence contract. The documentary article remains available in full while that enrichment is being consolidated.
Documentary enrichment in progress · no unsupported statement published
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Barkhad Abdi. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Evidence Panel
not yet certified
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
- 0
- Open conflicts
- 0
Authority files
wikidata · Q15381644 · wikipedia · Barkhad Abdi
In this article
Biography
Biography
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).
Barkhad Abdi studied at Minnesota State University Moorhead and Roosevelt High School. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is acting and film direction. Residence is recorded at Los Angeles. Distinctions recorded are BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

P1030139
aphrodite-in-nyc from new york city · P1030139 Uploaded by stemoc
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Barkhad Abdi • Born — 10 April 1985 • Birthplace — Mogadishu, Somalia • Education — Minnesota State University, Moorhead • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 2013–present • Awards — Full list
Early life and education
Early life and education
Barkhad Abdi was born to Somali Omar Mahmoud Majerten parents on April 10, 1985, in Mogadishu, Banaadir, Somalia. The name Barkhad in the Somali language literally means cistern, with water representing life. 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 immigrated to the US, settling in Minneapolis, Minnesota, home to a large Somali community. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in 2003 and 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 as a DJ.
Captain Phillips
Captain Phillips
• Illustration — Abdi during the Eye in the Sky premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, 2015 Abdi made his debut in the Paul Greengrass directed film Captain Phillips (2013), playing ship hijacker and pirate leader Abduwali Muse. He was cast opposite Tom Hanks, following a worldwide search for the lead roles. Abdi and three other actors were 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 performance Abdi earned the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also received nominations for the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor. Abdi's experience in Captain Phillips was his first in the film industry.
Later career
Later career
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 appeared in the 2015 thriller Eye in the Sky as Kenyan undercover agent Jama Farah, and he had a role in Grimsby. In the 2017 film The Pirates of Somalia, Abdi played the Somali government-sponsored local agent and translator for Canadian freelance journalist Jay Bahadur. His character coordinates interviews between local pirate leaders and Bahadur, who records the motivations of Somali piracy in the weeks leading up to the Maersk Alabama hijacking. In October 2017, Abdi featured in Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049, in a minor role of a scientist. Abdi made his directorial debut with the Somali film Ciyaalka Xaafada. He has directed several music videos. In 2019, Abdi reunited with Captain Philips castmate Faysal Ahmed, in the second season of Castle Rock, in which he starred in 10 episodes. In 2022, he acted in the films Tyson's Run and Agent Game starring Mel Gibson and appeared in the Apple TV+ series Little America. In 2023 he acted in the A24 / Showtime satirical comedy-drama series The Curse starring Emma Stone, Nathan Fielder, and Benny Safdie.
Philanthropy
Philanthropy
In 2013, Abdi was appointed as an Ambassador for Adeso, a non-governmental organisation founded by the Somali environmentalist Fatima Jibrell.
Personal life
Personal life
Abdi resided in Los Angeles, California as of 2014 and in 2016 lived in Cedar-Riverside, Minneapolis, Minnesota. The bump on his forehead is from a car crash he was in prior to auditioning for Captain Phillips.
Television
Television
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2015 — Hawaii Five-0 — Roko Makoni — Episode: "E 'Imi pono" • 2016 — Family Guy — Abduwali Muse (voice) — Episode: "Road to India" • 2019 — Castle Rock — Abdi Omar — 10 episodes • 2021–2022 — Blade Runner: Black Lotus — Doc Badger (voice) — 6 episodes • 2022 — Little America — Mohamed — Episode: "Camel on a Stick" • 2023 — The Curse — Abshir — 6 episodes • Carol & The End of The World — Bashiir Hassan (voice) — Episode: “The Life & Times of Bashiir Hassan”
Identity
Identity
Barkhad Abdi is recorded with the occupation film producer. Recorded as having studied at Minnesota State University Moorhead and Roosevelt High School.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1985
Barkhad Abdi was born on 10 April 1985.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- Los Angeles
Named but not plotted · 1
Mogadishu.
Birth place
Film
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2013 — Captain Phillips — Abduwali Muse • 2015 — Eye in the Sky — Jama Farah • Wolf Who Cried Boy — Reggie — Short film • 2016 — Grimsby — Tabansi Nyagura • 2017 — Extortion — Miguel Kaba • Good Time — Dash • Blade Runner 2049 — Doc Badger • The Pirates of Somalia — Abdi • 2018 — The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir — Wiraj • 2019 — A Girl from Mogadishu — Hassan • 2020 — Beneath a Sea of Lights — Caweys • 2022 — Tyson's Run — Aklilu • Agent Game — Omar • 2025 — Run — Ismael • Synthetic — Post-production • Maalstroom — Bahdoon — Post-production
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Barkhad Abdi”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q15381644: Barkhad Abdi
Unverified · Wikidata
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolvedauthority record
Unverified
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
37,604 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Barði JóhannssonPerson
- Barış AtayPerson
- Barış FalayPerson
- Barkha BishtPerson
- Barnaby ClayPerson
- Barnaby MetschuratPerson
- Barnard HughesPerson
- Barnet KellmanPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Barkhad Abdi?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.