Idris Elba Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba (; born 6 September 1972) is a British actor, producer, musician and DJ known for playing drug trafficker Stringer Bell on the HBO series "The Wire", DCI John Luther on the BBC One series "Luther" and Nelson Mandela in the biographical film "" (2013). He has been nominated four times for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film, winning one and was nominated five times for a Primetime Emmy Award. Elba appeared in Ridley Scott's "American Gangster" (2007) and "Prometheus" (2012). Elba portrays Heimdall in "Thor" (2011) and its sequels
Idris Elba £1,500 Prince's Trust grant. His first acting role was in "Crimewatch" murder reconstructions and in 1994 appeared in a BBC children's drama called "The Boot Street Band". To support himself between roles in "Crimewatch" reconstructions, he worked in jobs such as tyre-fitting, cold call advertising sales, and working night shifts at Ford Dagenham. He was working in nightclubs, under the DJ nickname "Big Driis", aged nineteen, but began auditioning for television roles in his early twenties. In 1995, Elba landed his first significant role on a series called "Bramwell", a medical drama set in 1890s England. He played a central