Barkhad Abdi at the ‘Captain Phillips’ premiere

Actor Barkhad Abdi (center) poses with fellow actors Mahat M. Ali (left) and Faysal Ahmed before the world premiere of their film Captain Phillips at the 51st New York Film Festival. This was in New York City on September 27, 2013. The film (which starred Tom Hanks in the title role) recounted the hijacking by Somali pirates of the cargo ship Maersk Alabama in 2009. Abdi played the lead pirate. He had never before acted in a film, and was nominated for an Academy Award as best supporting actor for his work.