Barkhad Abdi is a Somali-American actor. Abdi was born in Mogadishu, located in the southern Banaadir region of Somalia. He was raised in Yemen. In 1999, at the age of 14, Abdi moved with his family to Minneapolis. He subsequently attended Minnesota State University Moorhead. Before entering the film industry, he worked as a limousine driver and disc jockey in Minnesota. Abdi made his film debut in the 2013 movie Captain Phillips, where he stars as Abduwali Muse, a ship hijacker and pirate leader. He received a nomination for the role from the Screen Actors Guild for the Best Supporting Actor Award. Additionally, Abdi received a Golden Globe Award nomination and a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Abdi is presently directing a movie, Ciyaalka Xaafada. He has also directed s