Biographic - Sunday March 18, 2012 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

Idrissa Akuna Elba was born in London, on September 6, 1972, the only child of a Sierra Leonean Father and a Ghanaian mother Idris left school for a place in the national youth music thetre, supplementing his income by working as a nightclub deejay under the name "Big Driis The Londoner" starting with bit parts on the likes of "Absolutely Fabulous" and "The Bill" he rose to prominence on British tv, eventually starring in the horror series "Ultraviolet" and landing a recurring role on "Dangerfield." Relocating to New York, he got his big break when he was cast as Russell "Stringer" Bell on the HBO drama series "The Wire" subsequent tv roles ranged from "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" to seven episodes of "The Office" his film work included "Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls" the zombie movie "28 Weeks Later," "American Gangster and Guy Ritchie's "Rocknrolla." After starring opposite Beyonce Knowels in 2009's "Obsessed" he gained a legion of fans on both sides of the Atlantic with the lead in the BBC detective series "Luther" a role that has earned him a Golden Globe award and an Emmy nomination. While he continues to enjoy success as DeeJay and recording artist Big Driis. His acting career seems destined for stratospheric heights. Having starred as norse God Heimdall in "Thor" and Moreau in "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance," Elba will follow this Summer's big-budget sci-fi epic "Prometheus" by taking the lead in 2013's monster movie "Pacific Rim" a role originally intended for Tom Cruise.

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