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Idris Elba

Idris Elba recently starred in the hit 2009 thriller Obsessed, with Beyoncé Knowles and Ali Larter. Elba earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for his portrayal of a married man being stalked by a co-worker. He previously shared in a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination as a member of the main cast of Ridley Scott's 2007 true-life drama American Gangster, with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe.

Elba has several film projects upcoming, including the crime drama Takers, with Matt Dillon, Zoë Saldana and Hayden Christensen, and the action adventure Thor, in which he stars with Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman under the direction of Kenneth Branagh. He also executive produced and stars in the independent film Legacy, which was chosen to close the 2010 Glasgow Film Festival, and has also been selected to screen at this year's Tribeca Film Festival.

Elba's additional film credits include David S. Goyer's horror thriller The Unborn; Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla, as part of an ensemble cast that also included Gerard Butler, Thandie Newton and Tom Wilkinson; and the hit horror thriller 28 Weeks Later, to name only a few.

On the small screen, Elba had a recurring role last season on the hit NBC series The Office. In his native England, he next stars in the title role of the BBC crime drama series Luther, set to debut in the UK in May. He first gained attention with his starring role as the de facto leader of a Baltimore drug empire in HBO's acclaimed original series The Wire, for which he received an Image Award nomination. Additionally, he starred in the Channel 4 telefilm All in the Game, and gained another Image Award nod for his performance in the HBO movie Sometimes in April, as a Hutu soldier who tries to save his Tutsi wife and family during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Elba has also worked on the stage, including leading roles in several plays produced in London. Additionally, in New York, he starred in Sir Peter Hall's off- Broadway production of Troilus and Cressida, receiving rave reviews for his portrayal of Achilles.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2010.
Read earlier biographies on this page.

Idris Elba Facts

OccupationActor
BirthdaySeptember 6, 1972 (51)
SignVirgo
BirthplaceHackney, Londen, England, United Kingdom
Height6' 2" (1m88)  How tall is Idris Elba compared to you?

Selected Filmography

Not available.