Idris Elba's Most Memorable Roles Through the Years
Jack of all trades! Idris Elba has taken on a wide range of roles throughout his decades-long career, from drug kingpins to legendary historical figures.
The British star first caught the acting bug while growing up in Hackney, England, and credits a local theatre newsletter for giving him his big break. Elba scored a few big jobs in the ’90s, appearing in a number of BBC television series including Bramwell, a medical drama set in the 1800s in which he played one of his first significant characters, a thief who lost his wife in childbirth.
After joining the soap opera Family Affairs, Elba moved to New York City and brought his talents to the stage in a 2001 production of Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida. The following year, he took on the role that would make him a household name: Russell “Stringer” Bell on HBO’s The Wire. Though his character’s time on the series was ultimately cut short, Elba and the show’s creator, David Simon, had an inspiring connection.
“I remember saying to him, ‘Idris, you may not know it yet, but you’re a leading man, and you’re about to have an incredible career,'” Simon said during a March 2019 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, recalling the tough conversation they had after discussing Stringer’s final episode. “You say goodbye to a lot of good actors and think, ‘Man, that guy’s a great actor, I hope he finds work.’ But with Idris, it was different. You just knew.”
When Elba left the HBO drama, the acting world became his oyster. He dipped his toe into every genre, from historical drama to comedy to thriller, and carried on the legacies of strong black male leads like Denzel Washington and Sidney Poitier. His resumé includes partnerships with some of the industry’s most iconic writers and directors, including Aaron Sorkin and Joss Whedon.
When it comes to choosing his roles, Elba admitted to THR that he likes the challenge of moving from one genre to the next.
“My career is more like a buffet, and I like it that way,” the DJ and rapper said in 2019. “It’s what keeps me alive and interested.”
The following year, however, Elba wasn’t in the headlines because of his undeniable talents. Instead, the actor’s health became breaking news, as he revealed in March 2020 that he had tested positive for COVID-19 during the global coronavirus outbreak.
“It sucks,” he said in a video at the time. “I didn’t have any symptoms. I got tested because I realized that I was exposed to someone who had also tested positive … Now is the time for thinking about each other. There’s so many people whose lives have been affected — from those who have lost people that they love, to people that don’t have it and have lost their livelihoods. This is real.”
Scroll down to relive some of Elba’s most memorable roles throughout his career.
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This groundbreaking series, created by former police reporter David Simon, gave an in-depth look at the world of narcotics investigation in Baltimore. Elba appeared as drug trafficker Russell "Stringer" Bell between 2002 and 2004.
Moviestore/Shutterstock![](https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Idris-Elba-Obsessed.jpg?w=800&h=450&crop=1)
Elba played the newly promoted Derek Charles, whose world turns upside down in this 2009 thriller. When a temp (Ali Larter) weaves her way into Charles' personal life, his relationship with his wife (Beyoncé) is put at risk.
Screen Gems/Kobal/Shutterstock![](https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Idris-Elba-The-Office.jpg?w=800&h=450&crop=1)
For seven episodes in 2009, Elba's strict Dunder Mifflin executive, Charles Miner, clashed with Steve Carell's carefree Michael Scott, monitoring his every move and often interfering with his daily management responsibilities.
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Elba played the titular role on this critically acclaimed detective drama for five seasons between 2010 and 2019.
Robert Viglasky/BBC![](https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Idris-Elba-Thor.jpg?w=800&h=450&crop=1)
Elba first made his mark on the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2011 as Heimdall, the guardian of Thor's home of Asgard.
J Boland/Marvel Studios/Kobal/Shutterstock![](https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Mandela-Long-Walk-To-Freedom-Idris-Elba.jpg?w=800&h=450&crop=1)
In 2013, Elbra brought the life and legacy of South African president Nelson Mandela to the big screen in this historical drama.
Video Vision/Distant Horizon/Pathe/Kobal/Shutterstock![](https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Beasts-of-No-Nation-Idris-Elba.jpg?w=800&h=450&crop=1)
As a civil war rages in an unnamed African country, a warlord named Commandant (Elba) trains a young orphan for battle. The role earned Elba the 2015 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role.
Moviestore/Shutterstock![](https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Idris-Elba-Mollys-Game.jpg?w=800&h=450&crop=1)
Elba starred alongside Jessica Chastain as her character's criminal defense lawyer, Charlie Jaffey, in this 2018 Aaron Sorkin-led drama.
Moviestore/Shutterstock
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