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 (based on the Marvel Comics superhero of the same name). In August 2010, Elba signed up to portray the title character in a reboot of James Patterson's Alex Cross film franchise. However, in February 2011, he was replaced by Tyler Perry. In "" (2011), the sequel to "Ghost Rider" (2007), Elba played an alcoholic warrior monk tasked with finding the title character. In February 2012, Elba confirmed that he would portray Nelson Mandela in the film "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom", which is based on his autobiography. As part of his preparation for the role, Elba spent a night locked