Idrissa Akuna Elba (/ˈɪdrɪs/IH-driss; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor, DJ, and rapper. He has received aGolden Globe Award as well as nominations for threeBAFTA Awards and sixEmmy Awards. He was named in theTime 100 list of the Most Influential People in the World in 2016.[3] His films have grossed over$9.8 billion at the global box office, making him one of the top 20 highest-grossing actors. In 2025, Elba was named as the UK's ninth-most influential Black person in the2026 Powerlist.[4]
Elba made his directorial debut withYardie (2018).[8] He also performs as a DJ under the monikerDJ Big Driis orIdris and as anR&B singer.[9][10] He is a co-owner of theFormula E team,Kiro Race Co.[11]
Elba creditsThe Stage with giving him his first big break. After seeing an advertisement for a play, he auditioned and subsequently met his first agent while performing in the role.[17] In 1986, he began helping an uncle with his wedding DJ business; within a year, he had started his own DJ company with some of his friends.[12]
Elba briefly attendedBarking and Dagenham College,[18] leaving school in 1988 and winning a place in theNational Youth Music Theatre after a £1,500Prince's Trust grant.[19] To support himself between roles in his early career, he worked in odd jobs including tyre-fitting,cold-calling and night shifts at Ford Dagenham.[20] He worked in nightclubs under the DJ nickname "Big Driis" during his adolescence, but began auditioning for television roles in his early twenties.[12]
Elba's first acting role was inCrimewatch murder reconstructions, and in 1994, he appeared in a BBC children's drama calledThe Boot Street Band. In 1995, he landed his first significant role on a series calledBramwell, a medical drama set in 1890s England. In an episode of series 1, he played a central character, an African petty thief named Charlie Carter, who lost his wife to childbirth and had to figure out how to support his newborn daughter. His first named role arrived earlier in 1995 when he was cast as agigolo on the "Sex" episode ofAbsolutely Fabulous. Many supporting roles on British television followed, including series such asThe Bill andThe Ruth Rendell Mysteries. He joined the cast of the soap operaFamily Affairs[12] and went on to appear on the television serialUltraviolet and later onDangerfield.[21] He decided to move toNew York City soon afterward.[12] He returned toEngland occasionally for a television role, such as a part in one of theInspector Lynley Mysteries. In 2001, Elba playedAchilles in a stage production ofTroilus and Cressida in New York City.[12] In 1997, he starred in the first two episodes of the second series "Blood, Sweat and Tears" inSilent Witness. After a supporting turn on a 2001 episode ofLaw & Order, Elba landed a starring role on the HBO drama seriesThe Wire. From 2002 to 2004, Elba portrayedStringer Bell in the series, perhaps his best-known role in the United States.[citation needed] Elba is also known for playing the character Aaron Smith in the 2003Jamaican film,One Love.[22]
In 2007, Elba signed on to play the lead role of the filmDaddy's Little Girls, playing Monty, a blue-collar mechanic who falls in love with an attorney helping him gain custody of his kids, and finds the relationship and his custody hopes threatened by the return of his former wife. He appeared in28 Weeks Later (2007) andThis Christmas (2007), which brought in nearly $50 million (~$72.7 million in 2024) at the box office in 2007.[27][28] In 2008, he starred in the horror filmProm Night and theGuy Ritchie London gangster filmRocknRolla.[27] In 2009, he starred in the horror filmThe Unborn and inObsessed, a thriller that had him cast oppositeBeyoncé.[29] The latter was a box office success, taking $29 million in its opening weekend.[30] Elba's next film wasLegacy (2010),[31] in which he portrayed ablack ops soldier who returns to Brooklyn after a failed mission in Eastern Europe, where he has undertaken a journey looking for retribution.[31] He starred inDark Castle's adaptation ofDC/Vertigo'sThe Losers, under the direction ofSylvain White, in the role of Roque, the second-in-command of a black-ops team out for revenge against a government that did them wrong.[32] Filming took place inPuerto Rico, and the movie was released in April 2010.[33] Elba appeared in the thrillerTakers (2010). He playedHeimdall inKenneth Branagh's filmThor (2011), based on theMarvel Comicssuperhero of the same name.[34]
In August 2010, Elba signed up to portray the title character in a reboot ofJames Patterson'sAlex Cross film franchise.[26] However, in February 2011, he was replaced byTyler Perry.[35] InGhost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011), the sequel toGhost Rider (2007), Elba played an alcoholic warrior monk tasked with finding the title character.[36] In his first video game appearance, Elba voiced the characterTruck in the 2011 gameCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.[37][38] In February 2012, Elba confirmed that he would portray Nelson Mandela in the filmMandela: Long Walk to Freedom, which is based on hisautobiography.[39] As part of his preparation for the role, Elba spent a night locked in a cell alone onRobben Island, where Mandela had been imprisoned.[40] His performance earned him a nomination for theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama. In June 2012, Elba portrayed the role of Captain Janek in Ridley Scott'sPrometheus.[41] He joined the cast of the filmPacific Rim (2013) in the role of Stacker Pentecost.[42] He reprised his role as Heimdall inThor: The Dark World in 2013. In January 2014, he confirmed that he would be starring in a film adaptation ofLuther.[43] In 2014, he starred inNo Good Deed as a vengeful psychopathic serial killer.
Elba signed a deal with Apple to produce original content through his Green Door Pictures production company.[55] In February 2021, it was reported that the companies of Elba and his wife,Sabrina Dhowre, would be developing anAfrofuturist adult animated sci-fi series, tentatively titledDantai, forCrunchyroll, which would be about a time whenbiotech has "created an ever-widening gap between the haves and have-nots."[56][57][58] In an April 2021 interview withDen of Geek, he said the series is "mainly the brainchild" of his wife, whom he described as a "super geek when it comes to anime".[59] In June 2024, Elba launched a new production company called 22Summers with former Pulse & BBC exec Diene Petterle.[60] In August 2024, Elba received approval from the Tanzanian government to establish a film studio inZanzibar.[61][62] In September 2024, Elba joinedThings Fall Apart as an actor and executive producer.[63]
In January 2025, Idris Elba premiered a documentary into knife and gang-related crimes in the United Kingdom.[64]
Elba has appeared in music videos forFat Joe (2002),[65]Angie Stone (2004)[66] and rapperGiggs (2010).[67] In 2006, he recorded the four-songEPBig Man for Hevlar Records. He co-produced and performed on the intro toJay-Z's albumAmerican Gangster (2007). He DJed at the 2007NBA All-Star parties atThe Venetian and Ice House Lounge inLas Vegas.[68] In July 2009, Elba was the DJ forBET's current seriesRising Icons.[69] He announced the release of his first single "Please Be True".[70] In the August 2009 issue ofEssence, he announced the title of his six-song EP asKings Among Kings.[71] He released his EPHigh Class Problems Vol. 1 in the United Kingdom in February 2010, for which he has won many prizes, including aBillboard Music Awards nomination.[72]
In 2011, he performed on the intro toPharoahe Monch's albumW.A.R.. In the following year, he co-directed and performed in theMumford & Sons music video for "Lover of the Light".[73] In 2014, he producedK. Michelle's "The Rebellious Soul Musical" which debuted onVH1 on 19 August 2014.[74] In May, Elba featured onMr Hudson's single "Step Into the Shadows". Mr Hudson also produced his albumIdris Elba Presents Mi Mandela, released in November 2014.[75][76] He also featured on the remix of the Ghanaian music group, VVIP's single "Selfie" together with Nigerian rapperPhyno released on 12 September 2014, and the video was released on YouTube on 11 April 2015.
Elba performed a rap for the second album byNoel Fielding andSergio Pizzorno's band, theLoose Tapestries.[77] Elba also rapped in a remix ofSkepta's "Shutdown" which was uploaded on 1 June 2015 to SoundCloud.[78] On 17 August, a song was released on which Elba appeared on Nigerian singerD'banj's single "Confidential", featuring Sierra Leonean rapper Shadow Boxer with the video uploaded to YouTube on 20 August. In November 2015, Elba opened forMadonna during herRebel Heart Tour in Berlin, Germany. Elba is also featured on theMacklemore & Ryan Lewis albumThis Unruly Mess I've Made (2016). He had the idea to develop the music from his albumIdris Elba Presents Mi Mandela into a show, which eventually resulted in a play calledTree that premiered at theManchester International Festival in 2019.[79] However, authorship of the piece was disputed. On 2 July 2019,The Guardian published a story describing how writers Tori Allen-Martin and Sarah Henley said they had been removed from the production under what they described as questionable circumstances.[80] The two writers had worked on the project for four years, following an approach from Elba asking them to develop his idea for a musical based on the album, on which Allen-Martin had also collaborated.Kwame Kwei-Armah joined the project in May 2018, and rewrote part of their material. At the time of its premiere,Tree was billed as "created by Idris Elba and Kwame Kwei-Armah".[81][79] Allen-Martin and Henley described their creative input as having included research and script-writing, as well as coming up with the play's title, and that after being removed, they were threatened with legal action if they went public with the story.[82] Elba and Kwei-Armah both published rebuttals of what happened on Twitter.[83]
In July 2018, he launched his record label, 7Wallace Music.[84] Elba performed atCoachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2019.[85] In 2019, he featured on the track "Boasty" by Britishgrime artistWiley.[86] Elba also appears in the "Boasty" music video, delivering his verse in a mansion that includes a film set.[87] In 2019, Elba appears onTaylor Swift's song "London Boy" from her seventh studio albumLover. The intro of the song samples a snippet from an interview by Elba.[88] In April 2020, Elba collaborated with producer Jay Robinson on the track "Know Yourself", released onMau5trap.[89]
In 2020, after hearing CanadianR&B singerEmanuel's debut single "Need You", Elba reached out with an idea for a music video compiled from clips of people sharing the things that were helping them cope with theCOVID-19 pandemic.[90] Elba was credited as the creative director of the video and is being credited as an executive producer of Emanuel's forthcoming full-length debut album.[90] On 13 February 2021, Elba performed a guestDJ mix forMix Up on Australian national youth broadcasterTriple J.[91] On 22 September 2021, Elba announced he would be releasing a collaborative EP with Australian pop rock duoLime Cordiale titledCordi Elba,[92] which was released on 14 January 2022.[93] Elba also collaborated withPaul McCartney on a remix of his song "Long Tailed Winter Bird".[94]
On 8 January 2024, Elba released the song "Knives Down"[95] featuring UK rapper DB Maz as a part of his campaign against knife crime in the UK.[96] With the release of thePhantom Libertydownloadable expansion forCD Projekt Red's 2020 video gameCyberpunk 2077, two of three new radio stations introduced feature Elba. These are listed as 107.5 Darkstar Radio and 99.9 Impulse Radio. 107.5 Darkstar introduces two new tracks by Elba ("Choke Hold", "Roller Coaster"), and 99.9 Impulse features an hour-long DJ set by Elba and Private Press.[97] On 24 January 2024,Movement Electronic Music Festival in Detroit announced that Elba would be performing a back-to-back DJ set with veteranEDM DJ and producerKevin Saunderson in 2024.[98]
In 2024, Idris began his own label "Sound International" inspired by his uncle's legendary 1980s London "Sound System" which had an open-minded approach to music; the label aims to showcase diverse house music talent from around the world, with a goal to sign records from every country, highlighting the global unity and freedom within the house music genre.[99]
Discovery Channel produced a documentary,Idris Elba: Fighter, chronicling Elba's twelve-monthkickboxing andmixed martial arts training[100] underMuay Thai coach Kieran Keddle,[101] culminating in Elba's first professional kickboxing fight—and win—against Lionel Graves, a younger, more experienced Dutch opponent, at London'sYork Hall.[102][103]
Elba was married to Danish stylist Hanne "Kim" Nørgaard from 1999 until their divorce in 2003. He was then married to American real estate lawyer Sonya Nicole Hamlin for four months in 2006. He has a daughter with Nørgaard[105] and a son with English makeup artist Naiyana Garth.[106] He began a relationship with Canadian model and businesswomanSabrina Dhowre in early 2017.[107] They became engaged on 10 February 2018, during a screening of his filmYardie at anEast London cinema,[108] and were married on 26 April 2019 inMarrakesh.[109]
Elba and British cabinet ministerJustine Greening at a meeting with diaspora representatives at the "Defeating Ebola in Sierra Leone" conference inLondon, October 2014
In October 2014, Elba presented the seriesJourney Dot Africa with Idris Elba onBBC Radio 2, exploring all types ofAfrican music.[110] Elba was featured in various television commercials forSky box-sets in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2019.[111] He has collaborated with theUK parliament in their efforts to eradicateEbola from West Africa, working alongside the UKSecretary of State for International Development Justine Greening in 2014. Elba has created a collaboration with British fashion labelSuperdry, which launched at the end of November 2015.[112]
In January 2016, Elba addressed the UK parliament regarding the concern of the lack of diversity on screen. He said: "Change is coming but it's taking its sweet time". He spoke about the lack of diversity regarding race, gender and sexuality.[113] ThePrince's Trust, a UK youth charity founded byPrince Charles in 1976, which Elba credits with helping begin his career, appointed him as their anti-crime ambassador in April 2009.[114] He served on the Board of Governors of theBritish Film Institute between 2018 and 2022.[115] He voiced support for a vote to remain in theEuropean Union for the2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum.[116][117] He is a campaigner against knife crime.[118]
Elba attended the UK government's inaugural knife crime summit in 2024, alongsidePrime MinisterKeir Starmer and Home SecretaryYvette Cooper. Elba emphasized the importance of action over mere discussion, advocating for a wide range of perspectives, including those of parents, youth workers, and law enforcement to address the issue. The summit aimed to unite various community groups, tech companies, sports organizations, and public services in an effort to halve knife crime over the next decade. Elba's Elba Hope Foundation was part of this coalition, which was also focusing on restricting online knife sales and tightening regulations on dangerous weapons.[119] In 2025, he suggested banning "ninja swords" and removing the points from kitchen knives as possible solutions.[120]
In a 2019 podcast, Elba said that he is trying to quit social media because it made him depressed.[127]
Elba has discussed his experience withdyslexia making it difficult to read scripts, which led him to help develop a tool that allows for audio script reading.[128]
Elba was namedEssence's annual Sexiest Man of the Year in 2013[129] andPeople'sSexiest Man Alive in 2018.[130] In October 2014, he was presented with aMOBO Inspiration Award.[131] 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,[132] where he is one of the top 20 highest-grossing actors.[133]
^"Idris Elba:Singer, Actor (1972–)".Biography.com (FYI /A&E Networks). Retrieved2 August 2017.Idrissa Akuna Elba was born on September 6, 1972, in the Hackney section of East London, England. An only child of Sierra Leonean descent, Elba eventually attended the National Youth Music Theatre's training programs.
^Elgood, Rick; Letts, Don (15 July 2005),One Love (Drama, Music, Romance), Ky-Mani Marley, Cherine Anderson, Idris Elba, Exposed Film Productions AS, One Love Films, retrieved13 May 2025
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