Idrissa Akuna "Idris" Elba, OBE (/ˈɪdrəs ˈɛlbə/; born 6 September 1972)[2] is a British actor, musician, voice actor and DJ.[3][4] He is best known for his portrayal of drug lord and aspiring businessman Russell "Stringer" Bell in the HBO series The Wire,[5] Detective John Luther in the BBC One series Luther, and Nelson Mandela in the 2013 biographical film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. He has been nominated five times for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film, winning one, as well being nominated four times for a Primetime Emmy Award.[6][7]
Elba has appeared in films such as American Gangster (2007), Takers (2010), Thor (2011), Prometheus (2012), Pacific Rim (2013), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Beasts of No Nation (2015).[8][9] In addition to his acting work, he is a DJ under the moniker DJ Big Driis (or Big Driis the Londoner) and hip hop soul musician.
