Idris Elba
Idris Elba is a distinguished British actor, renowned for his compelling performances in both television and film. He gained widespread recognition for his role as Russell "Stringer" Bell in the critically acclaimed HBO series *The Wire* (2002–2008) and as the titular detective in the BBC series *Luther* (2010–2019), for which he received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award. Born on September 6, 1972, in Hackney, London, Elba is of Sierra Leonean and Ghanaian descent. His journey into acting began in his teens after he received a government grant to study at the National Youth Music Theatre, leading to a career that has spanned diverse genres, including drama, horror, and science fiction.
In addition to his television work, Elba has appeared in major films such as *Prometheus* (2012), *Pacific Rim* (2013), and the *Thor* series, where he portrayed Heimdall. Alongside acting, he has pursued a successful career as a DJ and has ventured into production and direction, making his directorial debut with *Yardie* (2019). Elba is also notable for his musical talents and ongoing involvement in various creative projects, including a podcast with his wife, Sabrina Dhowre. Throughout his life, he has balanced personal and professional commitments, including raising his two children from previous relationships and his current marriage.
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Idris Elba
Actor
- Born: September 6, 1972
- Place of Birth: London, England
Contribution: Idris Elba is an accomplished British actor best known for his roles on the American television series The Wire (2002–8) and the BBC series Luther (2010–19). He has also appeared in numerous films, including Prometheus (2012), Pacific Rim (2013), and Marvel Studios' Thor franchise.
Background
Idris Elba was born Idrissa Akuna Elba on September 6, 1972, in the Hackney area of London, England. His father, Winston, emigrated from Sierra Leone, and his mother, Eve, came from Ghana. When he was in high school, Elba’s family moved from Hackney to Canning Town, a more outwardly respectable district of London that at the time was home to many members of the far-right White-only National Front party. As a result, he often got into fights due to being bullied because of his race and his name, which was perceived as being too feminine; the latter led him to shorten his first name from Idrissa to Idris.
When Elba was fifteen, he founded a DJ business with several of his friends. He also became a major part of a local pirate radio station. The following year, his theater teacher helped him acquire a government grant to pay for the National Youth Music Theatre, where he studied for two years. While at the theater, he toured with a production of Guys and Dolls, in which he played Big Jule.
Following his time at the National Youth Theatre, Elba worked as a DJ at various nightclubs under the name Big Driis. Not one to stick to a single field, Elba continued to work as a DJ on the side even after he found mainstream success. He also made plans for various other ventures in the future, including opening a restaurant.
Career
Elba’s first television role was that of an unnamed parachute instructor on an episode of the BBC sitcom 2point4 Children in 1994. He took similar bit parts in various other television shows and miniseries before landing a first-billed role on the UK television series Insiders, which ran for six episodes in 1997. Elba subsequently costarred with actor Jack Davenport in the 1998 science-fiction vampire-themed miniseries Ultraviolet. The following year, he appeared in twelve episodes of the BBC drama Dangerfield, following which he was once again relegated to guest roles in shows such as In Defence, London’s Burning, Law & Order, and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.
In 2002, Elba began appearing in the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire, created by David Simon. He played Russell “Stringer” Bell, the second-in-command of a large drug organization in Baltimore, Maryland. As the series went on, Bell attempted to remove the violence from the current system and establish himself as a legitimate businessman, rather than a criminal.
Even though his character had been written off the show in its third season in 2004, The Wire opened many doors for Elba. He starred in films such as The Gospel (2005), a religious story about the son of a sickly preacher; Daddy’s Little Girls (2007), a Tyler Perry film about a custody battle between a pair of divorced parents; and The Reaping (2007), a horror film about a modern town suffering from biblical plagues. He also had major roles in 28 Weeks Later (2007), This Christmas (2007), The Unborn (2008), RocknRolla (2008), The Human Contract (2008), Obsessed (2009), and The Losers (2010), among others.
In 2009, Elba appeared in several episodes of season five of the American version of The Office as Charles Miner, the company’s new regional vice president. Following this stint, he was cast as police detective John Luther in the BBC crime series Luther, which premiered in 2010 and for which he also served as producer. Luther was well received by critics and fans alike. For his work on the show, Elba won a Golden Globe Award, an NAACP Image Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Black Reel Award for best actor and was nominated for several others, including two Primetime Emmy Awards and two more Golden Globes. In addition, he twice won the BET Award for best actor, in 2010 and 2011. Luther concluded after five seasons, in 2019.
When not filming Luther, Elba appeared in the live-action superhero film Thor (2011) and starred in the films Prometheus (2012) and Pacific Rim (2013). He has credited the greater exposure he received as a result of Luther with affording him opportunities to appear in more major films. In early 2012, he was cast as Nelson Mandela in the biopic Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013), for which he received a Golden Globe nomination.
Elba then reprised his role of Heimdall in the hit Marvel superhero films Thor: The Dark World (2013), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), and Avengers: Infinity War (2018). He also contributed voice-overs for several successful children's films, including Zootopia (2016), Finding Dory (2016), and The Jungle Book (2016).
During this period Elba gave strong performances in the war drama Beasts of No Nation (2015), the mediocre survival romance The Mountain between Us (2017), and the well-received legal drama Molly’s Game (2017) as well. For his performance as the commandant in Beasts, Elba won the 2016 SAG Award for best male supporting actor.
Additionally, Elba branched out into other aspects of film. He produced and acted in the ensemble drama 100 Streets (2016) and made his directorial debut with a film adaptation of the crime novel Yardie (2019). Both films enjoyed only a mixed reception, however.
In 2017 Elba returned to the small screen with the part of Kent in the period miniseries Guerilla. He then starred as a hard-working immigrant in the semiautobiographical 1980s sitcom In the Long Run (2018–), the third season of which ran in 2020, and as a DJ-turned-nanny in the Netflix original show Turn Up Charlie (2019), which he helped create and produce but was canceled following its first and only season in 2020. The year 2019 also saw him take on roles in both an installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise, Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw, as well as a film version of the classic Broadway musical Cats; critics largely panned the latter, however.
After beginning the 2020s with a lead acting role as well as a producing role in Concrete Cowboy (2020), a film exploring the father-son relationship, Elba joined the growing list of DC Comics superhero film adaptations as the character Bloodsport in 2021's The Suicide Squad. Also in 2021, he played the villainous crime boss Rufus Buck in the largely acclaimed Western crime-drama The Harder They Fall. Furthermore, he had continued to be musically active while creating a fashion brand, and he premiered a new podcast, along with his wife, Sabrina Dhowre, in 2021. Elba went on to reprise the role of Heimdall in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022). He then continued to voice Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024).
Impact
Elba is a versatile actor who has been praised for his work in comedy as well as in horror, drama, and science fiction. He has also proven himself to be an accomplished and well-respected club DJ, radio DJ, and musician.
Personal Life
Elba was previously married to Hanne Norgaard from 1997 to 2001 and to Sonya Nicole Hamlin in 2006. He and Norgaard have a daughter, Isan, who was born in 2002, and he later had a son, Winston, with his former partner Naiyana Garth. Elba married his third wife, Sabrina Dhowre, in 2019.
Bibliography
Elba, Idris. “Idris Elba Interview.” ShortList. ShortList, n.d. Web. 30 July 2013.
Elba, Idris. “Idris Elba on Prometheus, Learning to Box, and His Party House.” Interview by Jada Yuan. New York. New York Media, 8 June 2012. Web. 31 July 2013.
Jeffries, Stuart. “The Midas Touch.” Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 4 May 2009. Web. 31 July 2013.
Lamont, Tom. "Idris Elba: 'I Used to Work to Exorcise My Demons.'" The Guardian, 24 July 2021, www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/jul/24/idris-elba-work-to-exorcise-demons-suicide-squad-the-wire-luther. Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.
Naughton, John. “Luther Rising.” British GQ. Condé Nast UK, 1 Mar. 2013. Web. 30 July 2013.
Radish, Christina. “Idris Elba Talks Prometheus, Pacific Rim, Thor 2, Luther Season 3, Preparing to Play Nelson Mandela and More.” Collider. Collider, 6 June 2012. Web. 30 July 2013.
Sawyer, Miranda. “Idris Elba: Life after ‘Stringer’ Bell.” Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 23 Jan. 2010. Web. 30 July 2013.