Idris Elba – biography, photos, facts, family, kids, affairs, height and weight 2019

Idris Elba’s biography

Idris Elba is a star of The Wire, Luther series, Guy Ritchie's RocknRollа crime picture, the Thor superhero film, the screening of Stephen King's The Dark Tower novel and many other noteworthy projects.

Childhood and family

Idrissa (Idris) Akuna Elba was born in the autumn of 1972 in Hackney, London. His father, Winston Elba was an employee at the Ford plant, and his mother Eve, a native of the African state of Ghana, was an office worker. The parents of the future actor met and married in the homeland of Winston, in Sierra Leone. A little later, they emigrated to the UK and settled in London.

The name Idris is translated from the Welsh dialect as ardent lord. This name is also found in the Koran - it was the name of one of the preachers of Islam.

Since childhood Elba’s main passion was music. Alongside his uncle Idris was writing songs for wedding ceremonies. So he became interested in arrangement, later mastered the DJ console and began performing at parties under the pseudonym Big Driis. At the age of 16 in 1987 the boy founded his own studio, which was engaged in organizing performances of young DJs.

However, the occupation practically didn’t bring any income so he had to work hard at several jobs to support himself and his family, pay apartment rentals. During that period Idris Elba was engaged in tire mounting, responsible for calling the potential clients of the auto service, and at nights he worked behind the conveyor at the same Ford factory where his father worked.

At the end of the eighties Idris Elba won a government grant to study at the National Youth Music Theatre, where he began acting. At first acting was an optional subject in the schedule of the talented young DJ but over time the thirst for acting became increasingly stronger, until finally it outweighed the rest.

Idris Elba’s acting career

Idris Elba began his way to glory in the early 90s. In 1995 he received a role in the first season of the Bramwell soap opera about doctors of the Victorian era. His character was handsome thief Charlie Carter, who lost his wife in birth and with his newborn daughter in his hands.

The score of Idris Elba’s successful films has long gone to dozens

After that Idris Elba became a frequent guest on British television channels, appearing on the theatrical stage in parallel. A peculiar breakthrough for the young British guy was the Shakespearean setting of Troilus and Cressida, where he played the role of Achilles.

Over the next 7 years Idris was noted in about 20 TV projects but he was brought to fame by The Wire detective drama series, which was released on HBO from 2002 to 2008. Elba brought to life the image of a smart and merciless drug dealer Stringer Bell.

The Wire: Idris Elba playing Stringer

Three years later he starred in the acclaimed drama Sometimes in April telling about the Rwandan genocide. Then The Gospel musical picture, the Daddy's Little Girls melodrama and also The Reaping and 28 Weeks Later horror films filled the actor's filmography.

In 2008 Idris appeared in The RocknRolla by Guy Ritchie, forming the Wild Gang along with the characters of Gerard Butler and Tom Hardy. His character, a gangster called Mumbles, literally fascinated the audience. The same year the actor was first nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Awards for his role in the American Gangster crime picture by Ridley Scott.

At that time the award bypassed the actor, however, later the name of the talented native of London began to appear frequently in the list of its nominees. The Big C series, as well as the Luther British detective drama were Successful in this regard for the actor. The latter became especially popular among TV viewers and as a result, the role of the London investigator John Luther, an adherent of unconventional working methods, brought his performer to the Golden Globe award and several nominations for Emmy.

Luther is the most popular series starring Idris Elba

The success of the Luther from the first series drew the Hollywood moviemakers’ attention to the actor and already in 2011 Idris Elba joined the Marvel universe, becoming the guardian of Asgard’s gates in the Thor blockbuster with Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. The picture (and its sequel released in 2013) became the most commercially successful project of the actor.

In 2012 the actor again collaborated with Ridley Scott, this time in the science fiction genre. He was recalled by the audience of the Prometheus, who especially liked their joint scene with Charlize Theron. Soon after, rumors appeared in the press that Idris was one of the most likely candidates for the role of the new James Bond, but the actor himself declined such an opportunity: James Bond should be beautiful. Yes, and I'm too old already As a result, Daniel Craig became the new agent 007.

However, Elba had no end to successful projects even without the Bond. What are only worth his roles in the Pacific Rim action film with Charlie Hunnam and the Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom biographical picture where his hero was Nelson Mandela himself, accompanied by beautiful Naomie Harris.

Idris Elba’s voice can be heard in a number of sensational projects: he voiced the buffalo - Chief Bogo in the Zootopia, and the treacherous tiger Shere Khan in The Jungle Book.

In 2017 the long-awaited screen version of the novel by Stephen King The Dark Tower was released. Idris Elba played the central character - Roland Deschain, called The Gunslinger, who seeks to get into the Dark Tower in order to prevent the death of mankind. His antagonist, the ageless magician was played by Matthew McConaughey.

The Dark Tower: Idris Elba playing the Gunslinger

In the same year he took part in a documentary project by Discovery - Idris Elba: Fighter. Within a year he had to take wrestling training to the utmost, not forgetting about shooting in parallel, in order to enter the final against the professional athlete.

Idris Elba’s fight

Idris Elba’s personal life

From 1997 to 2001 Idris Elba was married to actress Dormowa Sherman, who gave birth to daughter Isan shortly after breaking up in 2002. The girl lives with her mother in Atlanta, but her father regularly visits her.

Much shorter were the marriage with Kim Elba and the relationship with Sonia Hamlin. From 2012 to 2013 he dated black singer K. Michel, then for three years he was engaged in a serious relationship with makeup artist Naiyana Garth. In 2014 she bore him a son, Winston. In 2016 the couple broke up.

Idris Elba with his son Winston and former beloved Naiyana

Idris Elba nowadays

There are two Marvel Studio projects among the recent works of Idris: the Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War which gathered again franchises known to the fans: Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Robert Downey Jr, permanent Thor Chris Hemsworth, as well as Mark Ruffalo and Scarlett Johansson.

The year of 2019 will gift the audience with the screen version of the Cats cult musical, where legendary Ian McKellen and Judi Dench will take part in addition to Elba.