An only child, Idrissa Akuna Elba was born and raised in London, England. His father, Winston, is from Sierra Leone and worked at Ford Dagenham; his mother, Eve, is from Ghana and had a clerical duty. Idris attended school in Canning Town, where he first became involved in acting, before he dropped out. He gained a place in the National Youth Music Theatre - thanks to a £1,500 Prince's Trust grant. To support himself between acting roles, he worked in jobs such as tyre-fitting, cold call advertising sales, and working night shifts at Ford Dagenham. He worked in nightclubs under the nickname DJ Big Driis at age 19, but began auditioning for television roles in his early-twenties. His first acting roles were on the soap opera _"Family Affairs" by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2016 New Years Honours for his services to drama.
Disc jockey under the name "Big Driis the Londoner".
(April 2004) Has appeared on the cover of Essence magazines "Hot Hollywood Men" issue.
Has one daughter with his ex-wife Hanne "Kim" Norgaard: Isan Elba (born 2002). Isan currently resides with her mother in Atlanta, Georgia.
Is an only child of African immigrants to England. His father was from Sierra Leone and his mother was from Ghana. His name is of Krio African origin.
He appeared on the Black Entertainment Television (BET) special Black Men: The Truth .
He co-produced and performed the intro on rapper Jay Z s album "American Gangster".
Former member of the National Youth Music Theatre.
Has been a huge fan of Arsenal Football Club since age 15, although admits only to having gone to two matches. His father is a supporter of Manchester United Football Club (interview on arsenal.com website February 2010).
(May 2007) Named one of People magazines 100 Most Beautiful People in the World.
Became a father for the second time at age 41 when his girlfriend Naiyana Garth gave birth to their son Winston Elba on April 17, 2014.
In April 2009, The Princes Trust, which Elba credits with helping to begin his career, appointed him their Anti-Crime Ambassador. In July 2010, he announced his support for Oona King in her campaign to become the Labour Party candidate for Mayor of London in 2012.
He broke a land speed record, drove a dragster, and piloted an airplane in his miniseries "Idris Elba: No Limits" . An avid rally fan, he competed in the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship as well as starred in the miniseries, where he races a rally car with help from Ari Vatanen.
He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2016 Queens New Years Honours List for his services to drama. He is an actor in London, England.
For his work in Beasts of No Nation , hes the first (and, as 2016, the only) winner of the SAG award for Best Supporting Actor in a motion picture not to receive an Oscar nomination for the same performance.
Has worked with Tom Hardy in the crime comedy RocknRolla . Both stars appeared in the very popular Star Trek series. Tom appeared in Star Trek: Nemesis and Idris appeared in Star Trek: Beyond .
Has played a spaceship commander in two sci-fi films: Captain Janek of the spaceship Prometheus in the movie Prometheus , and Balthazar Edison of the starship USS Franklin in Star Trek: Beyond .
Is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 2016.
(April 2016) Named one of Time magazines 100 Most Influential People in the World.
Is the only male that has ever appeared on the cover of Maxim magazine.
Daniel Craig is the person who suggested that Idris could be the next James Bond, saying he would be fantastic.
Revealed (by not denying) on "The Graham Norton Show" that he has a foot fetish. Kate Winslet discovered this while filming a love scene for The Mountain Between Us .
Has no formal acting training.
Friends with Jamie Foxx and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
Born on the same date as Anika Noni Rose.
