Celebrity Biographies
Idris Elbe
He seems the favorite actor of the British, and even of a couple of Spanish speakers. Idris Elba has embodied like no one else the most humane policeman of recent times, the great John Luther. He’s forced to keep a close eye on his trajectory, this guy promises—and we’re not saying that for “Prometheus,” where he even hits on cold Charlize Theron—a lot.
Idrissa Akuna Elba, better known as Idris Elba, was born in Hackney, London, England, on September 6, 1972. An only child, his parents are pure-blooded Africans, he from Sierra Leone and she from Ghana. At the age of 16, he dropped out of school and took advantage of a scholarship to train as an actor and musician at the National Youth Music Theatre. His modest family status forced Idris to pursue various trades, including disc jockey in nightclubs under the nickname Big Driis. Music would always be important in his life, and his love of rap would lead him to appear in music videos for Fat Joe and Giggs, to record songs, and even to collaborate with Jay-Z on the album American Gangster , a film in which I had a role.
An interesting way to try to earn a living, Idris Elba thought, was to get into the world of television. It wasn’t easy, but starting in 1995, little parts began to appear for him, such as that of a gigolo in an episode of the humorous series Absolutely Fabulous . Detective plots also featured him, as in the case of Ruth Rendell Mysteries , but only with Insiders (1997), Family Affairs (1997), the vampiric Ultraviolet (1998) and the coroner Dangerfield (1999) did he get recurring roles. Precisely in 1999 he married Kim Elba, with whom he will have a daughter, but the marriage ended up breaking up.
After finally a small role in the cinema, in Buffalo Soldiers (2001), he embarks on the American adventure. First there are a couple of television episodes, in Law and Order and CSI: Miami , but then a cult series arrives, one of the favorites of President Obama himself, The Wire (Under listening) (2003), where he gives life to a capo of drugs throughout 37 episodes.
Although he keeps trying in movies, his roles are small. Horror movies called on him in 2007 for the forgettable The Harvest and the rather more stimulating 28 Weeks Later , directed by the Spanish Juan Carlos Fresnadillo . Other scary titles in which he is involved are One Night to Die (2008), The Seed of Evil (2009) and Obsessed (2009). It is seen that he is comfortable with British filmmakers, since he works under the orders of Ridley Scott in American Gangster (2007), with whom he will repeat in the pre-Alien science fiction of Prometheus (2012). And with Guy Ritchiemakes RocknRolla (2008), also with gangsters involved. Even though it is the adaptation of a genuinely American Marvel comic, it is the very British Kenneth Branagh who directs him in Thor (2011) .
But undoubtedly Idris Elba’s best work, which has given him the Golden Globe among other awards, is that of detective John Luther in the crime series Luther . The series created by Neil Cross has an incredible pulse when it comes to showing the dark face of evil in the 21st century, and the actor combines toughness, resolution, fragility and love to create a believable, very human character.
At present, the first leading role of Idris Elba in cinema is eagerly awaited, Pacific Rim , directed by Guillermo del Toro , a story of robots and aliens that promises.