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
Damson Idris to Los Angeles, where he spent the day with Singleton, who wanted to ensure Idris had mastery of the accent. For the role, Idris practised his American accent by studying idol Denzel Washington, as well as a younger actor he admires, Michael B. Jordan, who also notably portrayed a teenaged drug dealer (Wallace) on the acclaimed series "The Wire". He also worked with rapper WC, who tutored him on not just an authentic accent but the mannerisms specific to South Central Los Angeles. Idris earned strong reviews for his performance; Malcolm Venable of "TV Guide" called him "nothing short of