Idris Elba
Birthdate: Sep 6, 1972
Birthplace: Hackney, London, England, UK
Idris Elba (birthname: Idrissa Akuna Elba) belongs to the upper tier of actors with Trans-Atlantic appeal, equally renowned in his native U.K. and in the U.S., where he first made an impact in Marvel’s Thor (2011) as Heimdall. He followed up his striking and award-winning turn as Nelson Mandela in the limited series, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom with roles in four blockbusters—Ridley Scott’s Prometheus (2012), Pacific Rim (2013), Thor: The Dark World (2013) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).
Idris Elba gained further prestige as a fearsome warlord in Cary Joji Fukunaga’s Beasts of No Nation (2015), one of Netflix’s first major original features, which earned him four awards and six nominations. But it was his title role in the hit series, Luther (2010-2011, 2013, 2015, 2019), which finally scored Elba his widest visibility and confirmed his position as a leading man. The successful recording artist diversified his resume with voice work in animated features Zootopia (2016), The Jungle Book (2016), and Finding Dory (2016).
Despite occasional misfires like the Stephen King adaptation of The Dark Tower (2017), Idris Elba has nimbly shifted between MCU megahits like Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Fast & Furious Presents Hobbs & Shaw (2019) and The Suicide Squad (2021) and more artistic ventures such as Molly’s Game (2017) with Jessica Chastain and The Mountain Between Us (2017) with Kate Winslet. 2022 ushers in one of Elba’s biggest profile roles to date, co-starring with Tilda Swinton in George Miller’s supernatural adventure, Three Thousand Years of Longing. In 2018, Elba made his debut as a feature film director with the British urban drama, Yardie.
Personal Details
Idris Elba was born in 1972 in London to parents Winston and Eve Elba. His national heritage mix includes Sierra Leone and Ghana, with Creole on his father’s side. He shortened his name to Idris while studying acting. He developed DJ skills working with his uncle and supported himself with night shifts at Ford’s Dagenham car plant where his father worked.
While he was going on auditions, he also gained a spot in England’s National Youth Music Theatre. His first wife was Hanne “Kim” Nørgaard, with whom he has a daughter. His second wife was Sonya Hamlin. His third wife is model Sabrina Dhowre, to whom he proposed during a screening of his movie Yardie. He has a son with his ex-girlfriend Naiyana Garth. He and his wife Sabrina tested positive for COVID-19, putting Elba at higher risk because he has an asthmatic condition.
Known For
Beasts of No Nation
(2015)
The Losers
(2010)
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
(2013)
Awards
Two-time winner and two-time nominee, Screen Actors Guild (2007, 2015-2016); four-times nominee, Emmy Awards (2011-12, 2014, 2016); winner and four-time nominee, Golden Globe Awards (2010-12, 2014-2016).
Actor
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Golden Globe
Golden Globes, USA
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Filmography
actor
Previous (52)
- 2024 | Sonic the Hedgehog 3asKnuckles
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails reunite against a powerful new adversary, Shadow, a mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they have faced before. With their abilities outmatched, Team Sonic must seek out an unlikely alliance.
- 2023 | Luther: The Fallen Sun
- 2023 | Luther: The Fallen Sunas John Luther
- 2022 | Three Thousand Years of LongingasThe Djinn
Three Thousand Years of Longing
A lonely scholar, on a trip to Istanbul, discovers a Djinn who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom.
- 2022 | Thor: Love and ThunderasHeimdall
Thor: Love and Thunder
Thor enlists the help of Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster to fight Gorr the God Butcher, who intends to make the gods extinct.
- 2022 | Sonic the Hedgehog 2asKnuckles
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
When the manic Dr. Robotnik returns to Earth with a new ally, Knuckles the Echidna, Sonic and his new friend Tails is all that stands in their way.
- 2021 | The Suicide SquadasBloodsport
The Suicide Squad
Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker, and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.
- 2021 | Concrete CowboyasHarp
Concrete Cowboy
While spending the summer in North Philadelphia, a troubled teen (Caleb McLaughlin) is caught between a life of crime and his estranged father’s (Idris Elba) vibrant urban-cowboy subculture. Inspired by the novel 'Ghetto Cowboy' by G. Neri, Concrete Cowboy is directed by Ricky Staub and co-stars Jharrel Jerome, Byron Bowers, Lorraine Toussaint and Clifford "Method Man" Smith.
- 2020 | Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert
- 2019 |
- 2019 | Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & ShawasBrixton
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
Lawman Luke Hobbs and outcast Deckard Shaw form an unlikely alliance when a cyber-genetically enhanced villain threatens the future of humanity.
- 2018 |
- 2017 | Cut from a Different Cloth
- 2017 | Cut from a Different Cloth
- 2018 | Molly’s GameasCharlie Jaffey
Molly’s Game
The true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target.
- 2017 | Thor: RagnarokasHeimdall
Thor: Ragnarok
Imprisoned on the planet Sakaar, Thor must race against time to return to Asgard and stop Ragnarök, the destruction of his world, at the hands of the powerful and ruthless villain Hela.
- 2017 | The Mountain Between UsasBen Bass
The Mountain Between Us
Stranded after a tragic plane crash, two strangers must forge a connection to survive the extreme elements of a remote snow-covered mountain. When they realize help is not coming, they embark on a perilous journey across the wilde...
- 2017 | The Dark TowerasRoland
The Dark Tower
A boy haunted by visions of a dark tower from a parallel reality teams up with the tower's disillusioned guardian to stop an evil warlock known as the Man in Black who plans to use the boy to destroy the tower and open the gates o...
- 2016 | 100 Streets
- 2016 | 100 Streetsas Max
- 2016 | The Takeas Sean Briar
- 2016 | Star Trek BeyondasKrall
Star Trek Beyond
The crew of the USS Enterprise explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy, who puts them, and everything the Federation stands for, to the test.
- 2016 | Finding DoryasFluke
Finding Dory
Friendly but forgetful blue tang Dory begins a search for her long-lost parents, and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way.
- 2016 | The Jungle BookasShere Khan
The Jungle Book
After a threat from the tiger Shere Khan forces him to flee the jungle, a man-cub named Mowgli embarks on a journey of self discovery with the help of panther Bagheera and free-spirited bear Baloo.
- 2016 |
- 2015 | Mandela, My Dad and Me
- 2015 | Beasts of No Nation
- 2015 | The GunmanasBarnes
The Gunman
A sniper on a mercenary assassination team, kills the minister of mines of the Congo. Terrier's successful kill shot forces him into hiding. Returning to the Congo years later, he becomes the target of a hit squad himself.
- 2014 | Enchanted Kingdomas Narrator
- 2014 | Second Comingas Mark
- 2014 | No Good DeedasColin
No Good Deed
An unstable escaped convict terrorizes a woman who is alone with her two children.
- 2013 | Mandela: Long Walk to Freedomas Nelson Mandela
- 2013 | Pacific RimasStacker Pentecost
Pacific Rim
As a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse.
- 2012 | The Furious Gods: Making Prometheus
- 2012 | PrometheusasJanek
Prometheus
Following clues to the origin of mankind, a team finds a structure on a distant moon, but they soon realize they are not alone.
- 2012 | Ghost Rider: Spirit of VengeanceasMoreau
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
Johnny Blaze, tortured by the Ghost Rider's curse, gets a chance of redemption through protecting the Devil's son, whose father is pursuing him.
- 2011 | Gumball 3000: LDN 2 NYC
- 2011 | Thoras Heimdall
- 2010 | Legacyas Malcolm Gray
- 2010 | Takersas Gordon Jennings
- 2010 | The Losersas Roque
- 2009 | Obsessedas Derek
- 2009 | The Unbornas Arthur Wyndham
- 2008 | The Human Contractas Larry
- 2008 | RocknRollaas Mumbles
- 2007 | This Christmasas Quentin Whitfield
- 2007 | 28 Weeks Lateras Stone
- 2007 | The Reapingas Ben
- 2007 | Daddy's Little Girlsas Monty
- 2005 | The Gospelas Reverend Charles Frank
- 2003 | One Loveas Aaron
- 1999 | Beautiful Motheras Grégoire
Some Facts About Idris Elba
Sexiest: Idris Elba was picked Sexiest Man of the Year in 2013 by Essence magazine, and Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine in 2018.
Honors: Idris Elba was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2016.
Speed Racer: While filming Idris Elba: No Limits for Discovery Channel, Elba broke the land speed record in Wales’ Pendine Sands “Flying Mile” automobile race. He reached 180 mph in a Continental GT Speed.
Athlete: Elba also filmed a documentary, Idris Elba: Fighter, which covered his 12-month training in kickboxing and mixed martial arts; Elba won his only professional kickboxing fight against Lionel Graves in London in 2016.
