Idris Elba

Background

Idris Elba was born on September 6, 1972, in Hackney, London. Winston, his father, is from Sierra Leone, and Eve, his mother, is from Ghana. Winston was employed at a Ford plant in Dagenham. Elba shortened his name to ‘Idris’ when attending Canning Town High School. He became interested in performing during this time. He got his first part in the play “The Stage” after replying to a newspaper advertisement. He and his friends also started a DJ company. The Prince’s Trust then gave him a stipend, allowing him to join the National Music Theater.

Elba began his acting career in the TV shows “The Bill,” “Bramwell,” “The Governor,” “Family Affairs,” “Ultraviolet,” and “London’s Burning,” where he played both guest and minor roles. In 1999, he made his cinematic debut in Gabriel Aghion’s French feature “Belle maman,” in which he played a supporting role. He rose to prominence as the main character in the British crime drama series “The Wire.” It was favorably received by reviewers as well as the general public. It also received many accolades. In the following years, he appeared in several television and feature films. “Buffalo Soldiers” (2001), “The Gospel” (2005), “Daddy’s Little Girls” (2007), and “Obsessed” (2009) with Beyonce are some of his more popular movies. He has played the titular character in the TV series “Luther” since 2010, for which he has received critical acclaim. His popularity skyrocketed after he appeared in the 2011 superhero flick “Thor,” and later In the 2013 sequel “Thor: The Dark World.” In the 2013 documentary “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” he portrays the revolutionary Nelson Mandela. In the following years, he acted in “Second Coming” (2014), “The Gunman” (2015), and “Star Trek Beyond” (2016). He reprised his role In “Thor: Ragnarok,” the second sequel to the 2011 superhero blockbuster “Thor.”

Elba has been in Fat Joe, Angie Stone, and Giggs’ music videos. He’s directed and produced music videos for K Michelle and Mumford & Sons. He married three times: first to Hanne Nørgaard (from 1999 to 2003), and then to Sonya Nicole Hamlin (for four months in 2006). He has two children, one with Nørgaard and the other with his ex-girlfriend Naiyana Garth. In early 2017, Elba began dating model Sabrina Dhowre. On February 10, 2018, the couple got engaged at an East London cinema while screening his film “Yardie.” They married in Marrakesh on April 26, 2019.