Idris Elba OBE, born March 28, 1964, is a British television, theatre, and film actor, producer and musician who has starred in both British and American productions. Elba is also a DJ under the moniker DJ Big Driis / Big Driis the Londoner, and a hip-hop soul recording artist.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Elba, an only child, was born in Hackney, London, UK. His father a Sierra Leonen[1][2] and his mother is from Ghana, West Africa.
Idris actual real first name is Idrisa (Sierra Leone, origin), but he shortened it to Idris professionally.
Career[]
Elba started acting in secondary school with encouragement from his drama teacher, on whom he also had a crush. He got his break as a supporting cast member of UK soap opera Family Affairs, but is perhaps best known for playing Russell "Stringer" Bell, one of the major characters in the HBO drama series The Wire. He also portrayed Captain Augustin Muganza in Sometimes in April, an HBO TV movie about the Rwandan genocide.
Elba has a large female fan base following an appearance on the cover of Essence's "Hot Hollywood Men" issue, April 2004 and again in Essence's November 2005 "10 Hottest Men on the Planet" issue. He recorded the four-song EP Big Man for Hevlar Records in 2006.
Personal life[]
Elba has a daughter named Isan and a son named Winston, in honor of Idris' father.
Credits[]
Star[]
| Season 1 credits | ||||
| "The Target" | "The Detail" | "The Buys" | "Old Cases" | "The Pager" |
| "The Wire" | "One Arrest" | "Lessons" | "Game Day" | "The Cost" |
| "The Hunt" | "Cleaning Up" | "Sentencing" | ||
| Season 2 credits | ||||
| "Ebb Tide" | "Collateral Damage" | "Hot Shots" | "Hard Cases" | "Undertow" |
| "All Prologue" | "Backwash" | "Duck and Cover" | "Stray Rounds" | "Storm Warnings" |
| "Bad Dreams" | "Port in a Storm" | |||
| Season 3 credits | ||||
| "Time after Time" | "All Due Respect" | "Dead Soldiers" | "Amsterdam" | "Straight and True" |
| "Homecoming" | "Back Burners" | "Moral Midgetry" | "Slapstick" | "Reformation" |
| "Middle Ground" | "Mission Accomplished" | |||
Filmography[]
- The Dark Tower (2017)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Molly's Game (2017)
- The Mountain Between Us (2017)
- Star Trek Beyond (2016)
- Finding Dory (2016)
- 100 Streets (2016)
- The Jungle Book (2016)
- Zootopia (2016)
- Bastille Day (2016)
- Beasts of No Nation (2015)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- The Gunman (2015)
- Second Coming (2015)
- No Good Deed Colin Evans (2014)
- Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013)
- Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- Pacific Rim (2013)
- Prometheus (2012)
- Luther (2011-2012)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)
- Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011)
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force (2011)
- Thor (2011)
- The Big C (2011)
- Takers (2010)
- The Losers (2010)
- Legacy: Black Ops (2010)
- Russell Simmons Presents Brave New Voices (2009)
- The Office (2009)
- Obsessed (2009)
- The Unborn (2009)
- The Human Contract (2008)
- RocknRolla (2008)
- Clubbed (2007)
- This Christmas (2007) ....Quentin Whitfield
- American Gangster (2007) ....Tango
- 28 Weeks Later (2007) ....General Stone
- The Reaping (2007) ....Ben
- Daddy's Little Girls (2007) ....Monty James
- The Gospel (2005) ....Charles Frank
- Sometimes in April (2005) ....Augustin Muganza
- The Wire (2002-2008) .... Russell 'Stringer' Bell
- One Love (2003) ....
- The Inspector Lynley Mysteries: Payment in Blood (2002) .... Robert Gabriel
- Buffalo Soldiers (2001) .... Kimborough
- In Defence (2000) TV Series .... PC Paul Fraser: (segment 3)
- Sorted (2000) .... Jam
- Dangerfield episode (1999) .... Matt Gregory
- Belle maman (1999) .... Grégoire
- Ultraviolet (1998) .... Vaughan Rice
Awards/Nominations[]
- BET Awards
- 2007, Best Actor: Daddy's Little Girls (Nominated)
- Black Reel Awards
- 2006, Best Actor: The Gospel (Nominated)
- 2006, Best Actor Network/Cable: Sometimes in April (Nominated)
- Image Awards
- 2006, Outstanding Actor in a Mini-Series/Television Movie: Sometimes in April (Nominated)
References[]