Ger Duany | |
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in Akobo, South Sudan in 2011
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Born |
Ger Duany November 9, 1978 Akobo, South Sudan |
Alma mater | University of Bridgeport |
Occupation | Actor, model |
Years active | 2004–present |
Website | http://gerduany.com |
Ger Duany (born November 9, 1978) is a South Sudanese actor and model based in the United States.
Duany was born in Akobo, South Sudan in 1978. He was forcefully recruited as a child soldier during the Second Sudanese Civil War. Duany successfully fled to Ethiopia at age 14, then to Kenya, and finally sought refuge in the United States when he was sixteen, becoming one of the Lost Boys of Sudan.
Duany attended the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut.
Duany made his debut as an actor in the 2004 philosophical comedy film I Heart Huckabees, in which he played a refugee called Stephen Nimieri. Duany was picked for the role because the film's producer and director David O. Russell wanted someone who had endured the real-life experience of being a refugee.
In 2010, Duany made an uncredited appearance in another Russell film, The Fighter, starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale. He later had an important role in the 2011 drama Restless City.
In mid-2011, he co-produced and starred in the documentary Ger: To Be Separate, about his journey from war child to refugee to Hollywood actor and international model. The film also showed his return to South Sudan, voting for the first time and celebrating the country's newly acquired independence on 9 July 2011.