Idris Elba

Born: 1972-09-06 (age 54)
Birthplace: Hackney, London, England
Occupation: Actor, Rapper, Singer, Dj, Director, Producer, Kickboxer
Spouse: Sabrina Dhowre
Alma Mater: National Youth Music Theatre, Barking and Dagenham College
AKA: Idrissa Akuna Elba, DJ Big Driis, Driis

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Career Stats

Stable

Movies: 1
Supporting: 1

Career Overview

Idris Elba has 1 film credits since 2027 .

Peak: 2027

Role Distribution

Actor ×1

Genre Breakdown

Versatility: MediumFav: Fantasy

Action

Adventure

Drama

Fantasy

Biography

EARLY LIFE

Idrissa Akuna Elba was born on September 6, 1972, in Hackney, London, England. His father was from Sierra Leone and his mother was from Ghana. He became involved in acting at school in Canning Town and received a Prince's Trust grant to join the National Youth Music Theatre. To support himself, he worked various odd jobs, including as a DJ under the name DJ Big Driis.

CAREER

Idris Elba gained prominence for his roles as Stringer Bell in HBO's 'The Wire' (2002–2004) and DCI John Luther in the BBC One series 'Luther' (2010–2019), for which he won a Golden Globe. He portrayed Nelson Mandela in 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom' (2013) and a warlord in 'Beasts of No Nation' (2015), earning a Screen Actors Guild Award for the latter. He has also appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Heimdall, directed the film 'Yardie' (2018), and lent his voice to animated films like 'Zootopia' and 'The Jungle Book'. Elba has expanded into production with his companies, Green Door Pictures and 22Summers.

PERSONAL LIFE

Idris Elba has been married to Sabrina Dhowre since April 26, 2019. He has a daughter from his first marriage to Hanne Nørgaard and a son with makeup artist Naiyana Garth. Beyond his entertainment career, Elba is an activist, championing diversity in the creative industries and campaigning against knife crime in the UK. He is a lifelong supporter of Arsenal FC.