Actors -  Idris Elba

As the child of a Sierra Leonean father and a Ghanian mother, Afro-British cinema and television actor Idris Elba built his reputation as a performer in sitcoms and cable dramas during the 1990s and early 2000s before segueing into Hollywood movies in 2005.

Born in London on September 6, 1972, and raised in the Hackney borough of that city (in the northeast quadrant), Elba pursued acting as a high school student at the behest of a drama teacher. Although his film, television, and stage work officially commenced around 1992, Elba's premiere credited role arrived in 1995, with a supporting role on the episode of the farcical British series Absolutely Fabulous, entitled "Sex." Many supporting roles on British television followed, including such series as Bramwell, The Bill, Degrees of Error, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, and The Governor. Elba grew deeply frustrated, however, over the seemingly irrepressible tendency of British casting directors to peg him in supporting roles. "Back in London," he later recalled, "I was always just going to be the best friend, or the crook or the detective on the side." When Elba could take no more of this, he immigrated to the United States. A couple of years of inactivity ensued, but after a supporting turn on a 2001 episode of Law & Order, Elba landed a starring role on a 2002 HBO cop drama The Wire.

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