Emmy-nominated actor Idris Elba may not end up as James Bond anytime soon, but he has had a career of playing action-filled, heroic roles in both film and television. The British actor has had his share of comic book roles (Thor, Avengers: Age of Ultron), thrillers (No Good Deed) and family films (Daddy’s Little Girls). On Elba’s 43rd birthday, THR takes a look at five of the actor’s biggest performances as he gears up for future roles in The Jungle Book and Star Trek Beyond.
- The Wire (2002-2004)
Elba was a part of the Emmy-nominated HBO series where he played Stringer Bell, a drug kingpin’s second-in-command in Baltimore, Maryland.
- Luther (2010 – 2015)
Elba’s journey as a tormented detective in BBC’s popular series garnered such a demand that a U.S. remake was planned for Fox.
- Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
The Weinstein Company’s film placed Elba in the shoes of activist Nelson Mandela who rose from fighting against the racial inequality of Apartheid to being elected the President of South Africa. U2 earned an Oscar nomination for their original song “Ordinary Love” that plays during the film.
- Prometheus
Elba co-starred with Charlize Theron where he served as captain on a massive spacecraft that led a group of scientists towards discovering new origins of life in Ridley Scott’s action adventure. A year later, Elba returned in another popular gripping action film — Pacific Rim.
- Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls (2007)
Elba exhibited his softer side, shutting down negative stereotypes of single fathers as he played a mechanic who fights to win custody of three daughters from his drug dealing ex-wife and her boyfriend.