This is the biography of one of the top 20 highest-paying actors, Idrissa Akuna Elba, popularly known as Idris Elba. He is a multi-talented celebrity. Be it acting, writing, producing, rapping, singing, songwriting, or DJing, he has excelled in everything. He has done Hollywood movies, acted in TV shows, featured in music shows, appeared on BBC radio, did plays, kickboxing, and many things.
Family
Idris was born at Forest Gate Hospital in Hackney, London. His father worked at the Ford Dagenham plant and his mother was a housewife.
| Father | Winston |
| Mother | Eve |
| Wife | Sabrina Dhowre Elba |
| Son | Winston Elba |
| Daughter | Isan Elba |
| Religion | Christian |
| Marital status | Married |
| Age | 50 years |
| Date of Birth | 6 September 1972 |
| Place of Birth | Hackney, London, England |
| Net Worth | USD 45 million |
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Idris has been married 3 times now. His first wife was Hanne “Kim” Norgaard. They both married in 1999 and gave birth to a daughter, Isan Elba, in 2002. After a few years, they both separated. In 2006, Idris married Sonya Nicole Hamlin 2006, but that relationship lasted for 4 months only. He had a girlfriend, Naiyana Garth, who gave birth to his son, Winston Elba.
Height & Weight
| Height (Centimetres) | 189 cm, 1.89 m |
| Height (Inches) | 6 feet 2 inches |
| Weight (Kilograms) | 97 kg, 214 Pounds |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Body Measurements | 43-34-16 |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
| Eye’s Color | Dark Brown |
Education
Idris has done his schooling at Kingsland High School, Canning Town where he started his career in acting. He left school in 1988.
Early Life and Career
Idris has shown his interest in acting during school life when he performed in “The Stage”. In 1986, he started working with his uncle in the DJ business and started his own business after one year. After leaving school, he worked in Youth Music Theatre. He also worked on part-time and night shifts to manage his expenses during his early struggle phase of life. His DJ name was “Big Driis” and used to play DJ in nightclubs.
- In 2015, he was featured in the album “Murdah Loves John”.
- A cameo role in Taylor Swift’s “London Boy” was released in 2019.
- Featured in the song “Party & BullShit” in 2019.
- Featured in the song “Fear or Faith part 2” by Future Utopia in 2020.
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Movies
He has been featured in many Movies from the year 1999 till now. Have a look at them :
| Year of Release | Movie Name |
| 1999 | Belle maman |
| 2000 | Sorted |
| 2001 | Buffalo Soldiers |
| 2003 | One Love |
| 2005 | The Gospel |
| 2005 | Sometimes in April |
| 2007 | Daddy’s Little Girls |
| 2007 | The Reaping |
| 2007 | 28 Weeks Later |
| 2007 | American Gangster |
| 2007 | This Christmas |
| 2008 | Prom Night |
| 2008 | RocknRolla |
| 2008 | The Human Contract |
| 2009 | The Unborn |
| 2009 | Obsessed |
| 2010 | Legacy (executive producer) |
| 2010 | The Losers |
| 2010 | Takers |
| 2011 | Thor |
| 2011 | Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance |
| 2012 | Prometheus |
| 2013 | Pacific Rim |
| 2013 | Thor: The Dark World |
| 2013 | Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom |
| 2014 | No Good Deed (executive producer) |
| 2014 | Second Coming |
| 2015 | The Gunman |
| 2015 | Avengers: Age of Ultron |
| 2015 | Beasts of No Nation |
| 2016 | Zootopia (Voice support) |
| 2016 | The Jungle Book (Voice support) |
| 2016 | Bastille Day |
| 2016 | Finding Dory (Voice support) |
| 2016 | 100 Streets |
| 2016 | Star Trek Beyond |
| 2017 | The Dark Tower |
| 2017 | Molly’s Game |
| 2017 | The Mountain Between Us |
| 2017 | Thor: Ragnarok |
| 2018 | Avengers: Infinity War |
| 2018 | Yardie |
| 2019 | Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw |
| 2019 | Cats |
| 2020 | Concrete Cowboy |
| 2021 | The Suicide squad |
| 2021 | The Harder They Fall |
| 2022 | Sonic The Hedgehog 2 |
| 2022 | Thor: Love and Thunder |
| 2022 | Beast |
| 2022 | Three Thousand Years of Longing |
| The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse |
TV Career
He is appearing on TV shows way back in 1999, be it a guest appearance, as an executive producer or hosting the show.
| Year of Release | TV Show Name | Additional Comments about his role |
| 1994 | 2 point 4 Children | Episode: Fortuosity |
| 1994 | Space Precinct | Episode: Double Duty |
| 1994–1995 | The Bill | 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Absolutely Fabulous | Episode: Sex |
| 1995 | Bramwell | Episode: The Outcast’s Baby |
| 1996 | The Governor | 6 episodes |
| 1996 | Crocodile Shoes II | Episode: Troubled Man |
| 1996 | The Ruth Rendell Mysteries | 4 episodes |
| 1996 | Crucial Tales | Episode: Spiders and Flies |
| 1997 | Insiders | 6 episodes |
| 1997 | Family Affairs | 7 episodes |
| 1997 | Silent Witness | Episode: Blood, Sweat & Tears |
| 1998 | Verdict | Episode: Neighbours from Hel” |
| 1998 | Ultraviolet | 6 episodes |
| 1999 | Dangerfield | 12 episodes |
| 2000 | In Defence | 1 episode |
| 2001 | London’s Burning | 2 episodes |
| 2001 | Law & Order | Episode: 3 Dawg Night |
| 2002 | The Inspector Lynley Mysteries | Episode: Payment in Blood |
| 2002 | Hack | Episode: My Alibi |
| 2002–2004 | The Wire | 37 episodes |
| 2003 | CSI: Miami | Episode: The Best Defense |
| 2003 | Queens Supreme | Episode: Mad About You |
| 2003 | Soul Food | Episode: Sacrifice Fly |
| 2005 | Girlfriends | Episode: All in a Panic |
| 2005 | Sometimes in April | Television film |
| 2005 | Jonny Zero | Episode: To Serve and to Protect |
| 2006 | All in the Game | Television film |
| 2008 | The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency | Episode: The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency |
| 2009 | The Office | 7 episodes |
| 2010 | The Big C | 4 episodes |
| 2010 | Walk Like a Panther | As executive producer |
| 2010–2019 | Luther | 20 episodes; and associate producer |
| 2011 | Aqua Teen Hunger Force | Voice in Episode: Intervention |
| 2011 | How Hip Hop Changed the World | As Executive producer |
| 2011 | Demons Never Die | As Executive producer |
| 2012 | Idris Elba’s How Clubbing Changed the World | Hosted the show |
| 2013 | Idris Elba: King of Speed | Hosted the show |
| 2013, 2015 | Playhouse Presents | Also writer and directed “The Pavement Psychologist” |
| 2015 | Idris Elba: No Limits | Hosted the show |
| 2017 | Guerrilla | 6 episodes; also as executive producer |
| 2017 | Idris Elba: Fighter | Hosted the show; also as executive producer |
| 2017 | The Best FIFA Football Awards 2017 | Hosted the show |
| 2018 | In the Long Run | Also creator |
| 2018 | The Best FIFA Football Awards 2018 | Hosted the show |
| 2019 | Saturday Night Live | Episode: Idris Elba/Khalid |
| 2019 | Turn Up Charlie | Also creator and as executive producer |
| 2020 | Coronavirus, Explained | Narrator |
| 2020 | Idris Elba Meets Paul McCartney | BBC Special |
| 2022 | Idris Elba’s Fight School | Presenter |
| 2022 | Zootopia+ | Chief Bogo |
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On Magazine Covers
Idris Elba has been featured on the front page of many leading magazines.
List of magazines that featured Idris on their hotspot :
- DETAILS
- LOADED
- PEOPLE
- ESSENCE
- GQ
- VANITYFAIR
- MEN’S HEALTH
- MAXIM
- ESQUIRE
- UNRESERVED
- UPSCALE
- ENTERTAINMENT
- VOGUE
Music Singles
Since 2002, Idris is singing, appearing, DJing, recording in fact, doing everything he can do to fulfill his desire.
He started his career in the music industry with appearances in music videos for “Fat Joe” in 2002 and for “Angie Stone” in 2004 respectively. He was a co-producer as well as a performer in the album “American Gangster” in 2007. Not only that, he was a DJ at NBA All-Star Party and Ice House Lounge in 2007. Later in 2009, He DJed for “Rising Icons”. He went on to perform on the intro of the “W.A.R.” album in 2011. He was a performer as well as co-director of the music video “Lover of the Light”. He was the producer of the musical series “The Rebellious Soul Musical” which premiered on VH1 in 2014. He was also featured in “Step Into the Shadows”. He performed a rap in the album “The Loose Tapestries”. In 2015, he appeared in the song “Confidential”. He was seen during Madonna’s Berlin tour “Rebel Heart Tour” in 2015. In 2017, his record label “7Wallace Music”, was launched and he also performed at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2019.
Extended Plays
| EP Description | Year of Release |
| High-Class Problems Vol. 1 | 2010 |
| Idris Elba Presents Mi Mandela | 2014 |
| Cordi Elba | 2022 |
Remixes
- Trust in Me
- The Bare Necessities
Featured Singles
| Year of Release | Description |
| 2016 | Dance Off |
| 2019 | Boasty |
| 2019 | Come Alive |
| 2019 | New Breed |
| 2021 | Apple Crumble |
| 2022 | Holy Moley |
| 2022 | Unnecessary Things |
| 2022 | Vroom |
Awards
Since 2005, Idris has been nominated for many awards for his outstanding performances in various movies. He has been nominated 4 times for the Golden Globe Award in “Best Actor” category, which he had won once. Apart from that, he was also nominated 5 times for Emmy Awards. But he has won awards for the following movies :
| Movie Name | Award Category | Year |
| The Losers | BET award for best actor | 2010 |
| Takers and Luther | BET award for best actor | 2011 |
| Luther | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | 2011 |
| Luther | Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film | 2011 |
| Luther | Black Reel Award for Best Actor: T.V. Movie/Cable | 2012 |
| Luther | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | 2014 |
| Beasts of No Nation | Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor | 2015 |
| Beasts of No Nation | Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male | 2015 |
| Beasts of No Nation | Kermode Award for Best Actor | 2015 |
| Beasts of No Nation | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role | 2015 |
| Luther | Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries | 2015 |
| Luther | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | 2015 |
| The Jungle Book | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance | 2017 |
| Thor : Ragnorok | NAACP award for supporting actor | 2018 |
Apart from these, he has been nominated for 32 awards in various categories for his different movies.
Social Media Instagram
Idris has a huge fan following on her social media accounts.
There are more than 4.7 million followers on his Instagram account.
Voiced for Video Games
| Year of Release | Video Game Title |
| 2011 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 |
| 2014 | FIFA 15 |
| 2016 | Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege |
| 2019 | NBA 2K20 |
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In Music Videos
Idris has appeared and featured in music videos of the following music artists and bands.
| Year of Release | Singer / Artist / Musical Band |
| 2012 | Mumford and Sons |
| 2012 | Giggs – Hustle On |
| 2014 | K Michelle – Maybe I Should Call |
| 2016 | Macklemore |
| 2019 | Wiley, Sean Paul, & Stefflon Don |
| 2019 | Stormzy |
Kickboxing career
Idris Elba has a 12-month-long kickboxing and marital arts training history. He had his first professional kickboxing match against Lionel Graves in 2016, which he won. Discovery Channel even produced a documentary on this “Idris Elba: Fighter”.
Idris and his wife Sabrina Elba, along with many international celebrities, were also seen together at a campaign “One World: Together at Home”, intended to promote social distancing as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 epidemic.
Some Other Facts
- In 2007, he was selected as 1 of the People’s most 100 beautiful People in the world.
- Has been offered citizenship of Sierra Leone on his maiden visit in 2019.
- was nominated as the sexiest man of the year in 2013.
- was honored with the MOBO inspiration award in 2014.
- In 2016, he was appointed as an officer of the “Order of the British Empire” (OBE).
- won the title for the “Rear of the Year” in 2017.
- was nominated as Sexiest Man Alive by People’s magazine in 2018.
- aired the series “Journey Dot Africa with Idris Elba” on BBC radio in 2014.
- In 2014, he collaborated with UK Government in their Ebola eradication movement from West Africa.
- Listed in the top 100 most influential people in the UK of African/African-Caribbean descent in 2020 as well as 2021 editions of the power list respectively.
- Featured in “Long Tailed Winter Bird (Idris Elba Remix” in 2021.