Portrait of Barkhad Abdi

Birthday profile

Barkhad Abdi

Barkhad Abdi, Somali-American actor and director

Born
April 10, 1985
Age in 2026
41
Zodiac sign
Aries
Birth year
1985

About Barkhad Abdi

Barkhad Abdi (Somali: Barkhad Cabdi, IPA: [bàrxád̪ ʕábd̪ì]; 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). 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 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.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

Barkhad Abdi timeline

  1. In 2013, Abdi was appointed as an Ambassador for Adeso, a non-governmental organisation founded by the Somali environmentalist Fatima Jibrell.
  2. 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.

The world when Barkhad Abdi was born

Barkhad Abdi was born in 1985. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1985

  • #1 song"We Are the World" – USA for Africa
  • Top movieOut of Africa
  • Top TV showThe Cosby Show
  • Best-selling bookThe Handmaid's Tale – Margaret Atwood

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentMichael Jordan named NBA Rookie of the Year
  • Top headlineLive Aid concert raises awareness for African famine
  • Technology milestoneNintendo NES released in the US
  • Defining fadNintendo NES
  • Notable inventionNintendo Entertainment System (NES) launches in US
  • World population4.85 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRonald Reagan
  • Sports championKansas City Royals (World Series)
  • Also wonLos Angeles Lakers (NBA)
  • U.S. population237.9M

1985 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Barkhad Abdi's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19852026
Gas$1.12$3.45/gal
Average home$75,500$435,000
Average income$27,735$67,500
Minimum wage$3.35$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$3.55$11.95
Postage stamp$0.22$0.73
Population237.9M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.