Idris Elba Honours for services to drama. In 2017, Elba won the male title for the "Rear of the Year" award in Britain. In September 2018, he was one of 50 people named for "making London awesome" and helping to shape London's cultural landscape who were featured in "Time Out" to mark the magazine's 50th anniversary. 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
Idris Elba and East Ham, and shortened his first name to "Idris" at school in Canning Town, where he first became involved in acting. He credits "The Stage" with giving him his first big break; having seen an advertisement for a play in a newspaper, Elba auditioned and met his first agent while performing in the role. In 1986, he began helping an uncle with his wedding DJ business; within a year, he had started his own DJ company with some of his friends. Elba left school in 1988, and won a place in the National Youth Music Theatre thanks to a