Back Idris Elba AF إدريس إلبا Arabic ايدريس ايلبا ARZ Idris Elba AST İdris Elba AZ ادریس البا AZB Ідрыс Эльба BE Идрис Елба Bulgarian ইদ্রিস এলবা Bengali/Bangla Idris Elba Catalan

Idris Elba

Not to be confused with Idris elba, a species of parasitic wasp named after the actor.

Idris Elba

OBE
Idris Elba at the Berlinale 2018
Elba in 2018
Born
Idrissa Akuna Elba

(1972-09-06) 6 September 1972 (age 51)
London, England
Other names
  • DJ Big Driis
  • Idris[1]
Citizenship
  • United Kingdom
  • Sierra Leone[2]
Occupations
  • Actor
  • disc jockey
  • rapper
  • singer
Years active1994–present
Works
Spouses
  • Hanne Nørgaard
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1999; div. 2003)​
  • Sonya Nicole Hamlin
    ​
    ​
    (m. 2006; ann. 2006)​
  • ​
    (m. 2019)​
AwardsFull list
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
Labels

Idrissa Akuna Elba OBE (/ˈɪdrɪs/ IH-driss; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor, rapper, singer, and DJ. An alumnus of the National Youth Music Theatre in London, he is known for roles including Stringer Bell in the HBO series The Wire (2002–2004), DCI John Luther in the BBC One series Luther (2010–2019), and Nelson Mandela in the biographical film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013). For Luther, he received four nominations each for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor, winning one of the former.[3][4][5]

Elba appeared in American Gangster (2007), Obsessed (2009) and Prometheus (2012). He portrayed Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), beginning with Thor (2011), and Bloodsport in The Suicide Squad (2021), set in the DC Extended Universe. He also starred in Pacific Rim (2013), Beasts of No Nation (2015), for which he received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for Best Supporting Actor, and Molly's Game (2017). One of his other prominent roles was that of Rufus Buck in the Western film The Harder They Fall (2021). Elba has also voiced characters in Zootopia, The Jungle Book, Finding Dory (all 2016) and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022). He made his directorial debut with Yardie (2018).[6]

In 2016, Elba was named in the Time 100 list of the Most Influential People in the World.[7] As of May 2019, his films have grossed over $9.8 billion at the global box office, including over $3.6 billion in North America,[8] where he is one of the top 20 highest-grossing actors.[9] Apart from acting, Elba performs as a DJ under the moniker DJ Big Driis or Idris and as an R&B singer.[10][11]

  1. ^ Yuan, Jada (8 June 2012). "Idris Elba on Prometheus, Learning to Box, and His Party House". vulture.com. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  2. ^ "Idris Elba given Sierra Leone citizenship". BBC. 20 December 2019.
  3. ^ Lowry, Brian (10 July 2014). "Emmy Nominations 2014 — Full List: 66th Primetime Emmys Nominees". Variety. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  4. ^ "Wire actor Elba joins BBC drama". BBC News. 4 September 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  5. ^ "Idris Elba". Prince's Trust. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  6. ^ Cabin, Chris (5 July 2016). "Idris Elba Set to Make Directorial Debut With Yardie". Collider. Archived from the original on 7 July 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  7. ^ David Simon. "Idris Elba: TIME 100". Time. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  8. ^ "Idris Elba Movie Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  9. ^ "People Index – Actors: Total Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  10. ^ "Idris Elba Interview: The Hustler" Archived 7 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Esquire. Retrieved 18 April 2016
  11. ^ Canada, Danielle (13 September 2011). "Idris Elba (Driis) Releases New Music Video 'Secret Garden'". hiphopwired.com.