Idris Elba is a multifaceted English entertainer, recognized as an actor, rapper, singer, and DJ. He's garnered critical acclaim, including a Golden Globe Award and multiple BAFTA and Emmy nominations. Named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in 2016, Elba's success extends to the box office, where his films have generated over $9.8 billion worldwide, solidifying his position as one of the highest-grossing actors in the industry.
Idris Elba voiced Shere Khan in The Jungle Book (2016), a live-action adaptation of the animated 1967 film of the same name, directed by Jon Favreau.
In September 1972, Idrissa Akuna Elba was born. He is an English actor, rapper, singer, and DJ.
On 6 September 1972, Idrissa Akuna Elba was born in the London Borough of Hackney to Winston Elba and Eve.
In 1976, Prince Charles founded The Prince's Trust, a UK youth charity that Idris Elba credits with helping begin his career.
In 1986, Elba started helping an uncle with his wedding DJ business; within a year, he had started his own DJ company with some of his friends.
In 1988, Elba left Barking and Dagenham College and won a place in the National Youth Music Theatre after receiving a Prince's Trust grant.
In 1994, Elba's first acting role was in Crimewatch murder reconstructions, marking the start of his on-screen career.
In 1995, Elba landed his first significant role on a series called Bramwell, a medical drama set in 1890s England.
In 1997, Elba starred in the first two episodes of the second series "Blood, Sweat and Tears" in Silent Witness.
In 1999, Idris Elba married Danish stylist Hanne "Kim" Nørgaard.
In 2001, Elba played Achilles in a stage production of Troilus and Cressida in New York City.
From 2002 to 2004, Elba portrayed Stringer Bell in the series, perhaps his best-known role in the United States.
In 2002, Idris Elba appeared in a music video for Fat Joe.
In 2002, Idris Elba rose to prominence playing Stringer Bell in the HBO series The Wire.
Idris Elba acted in Finding Dory (2016), alongside Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks in Finding Nemo (2003).
In 2003, Idris Elba divorced Danish stylist Hanne "Kim" Nørgaard.
From 2002 to 2004, Elba portrayed Stringer Bell in the series, perhaps his best-known role in the United States.
In 2004, Idris Elba appeared in a music video for Angie Stone.
In 2005, Idris Elba portrayed Captain Augustin Muganza in Sometimes in April, an HBO film about the Rwandan genocide.
In 2006, Idris Elba married American real estate lawyer Sonya Nicole Hamlin.
In 2006, Idris Elba recorded the four-song EP 'Big Man' for Hevlar Records.
In 2007, Elba played an alcoholic warrior monk tasked with finding the title character in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
In 2007, Elba signed on to play the lead role of the film Daddy's Little Girls, playing Monty, a blue-collar mechanic.
In 2007, Idris Elba acted in the film American Gangster.
In 2007, Idris Elba appeared on the BET special Black Men: The Truth, showcasing his presence in media and entertainment.
In March 2008, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, featuring Idris Elba as Charlie Gotso, premiered on BBC One.
In 2008, Idris Elba starred in the horror film Prom Night and the Guy Ritchie London gangster film RocknRolla.
In January 2009, it was reported that Idris Elba would portray Charles Miner on NBC's The Office.
In April 2009, Idris Elba was appointed as the anti-crime ambassador for The Prince's Trust, a UK youth charity.
In July 2009, Idris Elba worked as the DJ for BET's current series 'Rising Icons'.
In the August 2009 issue of Essence, Idris Elba announced the title of his six-song EP as Kings Among Kings.
In September 2009, Idris Elba signed a deal to star as the lead role on the six-part BBC television series Luther.
In 2009, Idris Elba had a recurring guest role as Charles Miner in the NBC sitcom The Office.
In 2009, Idris Elba starred in the film Obsessed.
In 2009, Idris Elba starred in the horror film The Unborn and in Obsessed, a thriller that had him cast opposite Beyoncé.
In February 2010, Idris Elba released his EP 'High Class Problems Vol. 1' in the United Kingdom.
In April 2010, Idris Elba starred in Dark Castle's adaptation of DC/Vertigo's The Losers, under the direction of Sylvain White.
In May 2010, Luther, a six-part BBC television series starring Idris Elba, aired on BBC.
In August 2010, Elba signed up to portray the title character in a reboot of James Patterson's Alex Cross film franchise.
In 2010, Idris Elba began his leading role as DCI John Luther in the BBC One series Luther.
In February 2011, Elba was replaced by Tyler Perry in the role of Alex Cross.
In 2011, Idris Elba joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, portraying Heimdall in the film Thor.
In 2011, Idris Elba performed on the intro to Pharoahe Monch's album W.A.R.
In 2011, Idris Elba received an Emmy nomination for his guest role in the Showtime comedy-drama series The Big C.
On 15 January 2012, Idris Elba won Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film at the 69th Golden Globe Awards for his role on the BBC crime thriller series Luther.
In February 2012, Elba confirmed that he would portray Nelson Mandela in the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.
In June 2012, Elba portrayed the role of Captain Janek in Ridley Scott's Prometheus.
In 2012, Idris Elba acted in the film Prometheus.
In 2013, Idris Elba appeared in various television commercials for Sky box-sets.
In 2013, Idris Elba joined the cast of the film Pacific Rim and reprised his role as Heimdall in Thor: The Dark World.
In 2013, Idris Elba portrayed Nelson Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, earning a Golden Globe nomination.
In 2013, Idris Elba was named Essence's annual Sexiest Man of the Year.
In January 2014, Idris Elba confirmed that he would be starring in a film adaptation of Luther.
On August 19, 2014, Idris Elba produced K. Michelle's "The Rebellious Soul Musical," which debuted on VH1.
On September 12, 2014, Idris Elba was featured on the remix of VVIP's single "Selfie" with Phyno.
In October 2014, Idris Elba was presented with a MOBO Inspiration Award.
In November 2014, Idris Elba released the album 'Idris Elba Presents Mi Mandela', produced by Mr. Hudson.
On April 11, 2015, the music video featuring Idris Elba on the remix of VVIP's single "Selfie" was released on YouTube.
On June 1, 2015, Idris Elba rapped in a remix of Skepta's "Shutdown", which was uploaded to SoundCloud.
On August 17, 2015, Idris Elba appeared on Nigerian singer D'banj's single 'Confidential', featuring Sierra Leonean rapper Shadow Boxer, with the video uploaded to YouTube on August 20.
At the end of November 2015, Idris Elba launched a collaboration with British fashion label Superdry.
In 2015, Idris Elba appeared as Heimdall in Avengers: Age of Ultron and starred in Beasts of No Nation, receiving award nominations.
In 2015, Idris Elba portrayed a ruthless warlord in Beasts of No Nation, receiving a Screen Actors Guild Award and Golden Globe nomination.
In 2015, as part of his Discovery Channel miniseries 'Idris Elba: No Limits', Idris Elba broke the land speed record for the Pendine Sands 'Flying Mile' course.
In January 2016, Idris Elba addressed the UK parliament regarding the lack of diversity on screen, emphasizing the need for change regarding race, gender, and sexuality.
In 2016, Idris Elba appeared in various television commercials for Sky box-sets.
In 2016, Idris Elba had several voice roles, including Chief Bogo in Zootopia, Shere Khan in The Jungle Book, and Fluke in Finding Dory, showcasing his versatility in animation.
In 2016, Idris Elba voiced roles in Zootopia, The Jungle Book, and Finding Dory.
In 2016, Idris Elba was featured on the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis album This Unruly Mess I've Made.
In 2016, Idris Elba was named in the Time 100 list of the Most Influential People in the World, acknowledging his global impact.
In the 2016 New Year Honours, Idris Elba was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama.
In 2017, Idris Elba acted in the films Molly's Game and The Dark Tower.
In 2017, Idris Elba played Roland Deschain in The Dark Tower, starred in The Mountain Between Us and Molly's Game, showcasing his range in different film genres.
In 2017, Idris Elba won the male title for the 'Rear of the Year' award in Britain.
In early 2017, Idris Elba began a relationship with Canadian model and businesswoman Sabrina Dhowre.
On February 10, 2018, Idris Elba became engaged to Canadian model and businesswoman Sabrina Dhowre during a screening of his film Yardie.
In April 2018, it was announced that Idris Elba was cast as Charlie in the Netflix comedy series, Turn Up Charlie.
In May 2018, Kwame Kwei-Armah joined the 'Tree' project and rewrote part of the original writers' material, leading to a dispute over authorship.
In July 2018, Idris Elba launched his record label, 7Wallace Music.
In September 2018, Idris Elba was named one of 50 people 'making London awesome' by Time Out.
From 2018, Idris Elba served on the Board of Governors of the British Film Institute.
In 2018, Idris Elba made his directorial debut with Yardie.
In 2018, Idris Elba was named People's Sexiest Man Alive.
On 15 March 2019, Turn Up Charlie premiered on Netflix, featuring Idris Elba.
In April 2019, Idris Elba performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
On April 26, 2019, Idris Elba married Canadian model and businesswoman Sabrina Dhowre in Marrakesh.
As of May 2019, Idris Elba's films have grossed over $9.8 billion at the global box office.
In July 2019, The Guardian reported on a dispute regarding the authorship of the play 'Tree', with writers Tori Allen-Martin and Sarah Henley claiming they were removed from the production after contributing significantly to its development.
In 2019, Idris Elba acted in the film Hobbs & Shaw.
In 2019, Idris Elba appeared in various television commercials for Sky box-sets.
In 2019, Idris Elba concluded his role as DCI John Luther in the BBC One series Luther.
In April 2020, Idris Elba collaborated with producer Jay Robinson on the track "Know Yourself", released on Mau5trap.
Idris Elba portrayed the character Solomon Reed in Phantom Liberty, a 2023 downloadable expansion for CD Projekt Red's 2020 video game Cyberpunk 2077.
In 2020, after hearing Emanuel's single, Idris Elba became creative director for Emanuel's music video, showcasing people coping with the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the 2020 edition of the Powerlist, Idris Elba was listed in the top 100 most influential people in the UK of African/Afro-Caribbean descent.
In February 2021, it was reported that the companies of Elba and his wife, Sabrina Dhowre, would be developing an Afrofuturist adult animated sci-fi series, tentatively titled Dantai, for Crunchyroll.
On February 13, 2021, Idris Elba performed a guest DJ mix for Mix Up on Australian national youth broadcaster Triple J.
In April 2021, Elba said the series is "mainly the brainchild" of his wife, whom he described as a "super geek when it comes to anime".
On September 22, 2021, Idris Elba announced he would be releasing a collaborative EP with Australian pop rock duo Lime Cordiale titled Cordi Elba.
In 2021, Idris Elba acted in the film The Harder They Fall.
In 2021, Idris Elba played Bloodsport in The Suicide Squad.
In 2021, Idris Elba portrayed mercenary Robert "Milton" DuBois / Bloodsport in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad.
In the 2021 edition of the Powerlist, Idris Elba was listed in the top 100 most influential people in the UK of African/Afro-Caribbean descent.
On January 14, 2022, Idris Elba released a collaborative EP with Australian pop rock duo Lime Cordiale titled Cordi Elba.
In 2022, Elba voiced Knuckles the Echidna in the film Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
In 2022, Idris Elba stepped down from the Board of Governors of the British Film Institute.
In 2007, This Christmas brought in nearly $50 million (~$70.8 million in 2023) at the box office.
In 2023, Idris Elba portrayed the character Solomon Reed in Phantom Liberty, a downloadable expansion for Cyberpunk 2077.
In January 2024, Idris Elba released the song 'Knives Down' as part of his anti-knife crime campaign, and his music was featured on two radio stations in the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty expansion.
In June 2024, Elba launched a new production company called 22Summers with former Pulse & BBC exec Diene Petterle.
In August 2024, Elba received approval from the Tanzanian government to establish a film studio in Zanzibar.
On 22 November 2024, Idris Elba was cast as Duncan, Man-At-Arms in Amazon Prime's movie Masters Of The Universe.
In 2024, Elba reprised the role of Knuckles in a self-titled solo series for Paramount+ and returned for Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
In 2024, Idris Elba attended the UK government's inaugural knife crime summit, advocating for action and diverse perspectives to address the issue.
In 2024, Idris Elba played the leading role in the Apple TV+ thriller series Hijack, and was Emmy-nominated for his performance.
In 2024, Idris Elba started his own label 'Sound International', inspired by his uncle's 1980s London 'Sound System', aiming to showcase diverse house music talent globally.
In 2024, Idris Elba voiced Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and in the Knuckles series.
In January 2025, Idris Elba premiered a documentary into the rampant knife and gang-related crimes in the United Kingdom.
In January 2025, Idris Elba revealed that he had stopped eating meat around six months prior.
On February 11, 2025, Idris Elba invested in Kiro Race Co, a team competing in the FIA Formula E World Championship.
In 2025, Idris Elba suggested banning 'ninja swords' and modifying kitchen knives as potential solutions to knife crime.
Idris Elba portrayed the character Solomon Reed in Phantom Liberty, a 2023 downloadable expansion for CD Projekt Red's 2020 video game Cyberpunk 2077.
With the release of the Phantom Liberty downloadable expansion for CD Projekt Red's 2020 video game Cyberpunk 2077, two of three new radio stations introduced feature Elba.