Happy Birthday! Idris Elba Turns 44 Years Old Today

Happy birthday, Idris Elba! The actor turns 44 years old today.

Born in London on September 6 1972, Idris Elba was raised by his parents Winston and Eve. The couple were married in Sierra Leone before moving to London where they started a family in East Ham. It was there during his youth that Idris was introduced to acting. The actor credits The Stage for helping him kickoff his career as Idris met his first agent through an advert in the magazine. Then, in 1988, Idris made the decision to leave school and pursue acting full-time.

The actor booked various television roles on series like Bramwell and Absolutely Fabulous. However, his most famous small-screen roles are that of Dunder Mifflin on The Office, John Luther on Luther, and Russell Bell on The Wire.

However, in the world of film, the actor is now known as one of the industry's best leading men. Idris' feature-length debut dates back to 2007 with Daddy's Little Girls, but fans became more familiar with the actor following his appearance in The Losers. The actor then jumped over to one of Marvel's titles as Idris was next seen in Thor as Heimdall. The actor reprised the role in Thor: The Dark World and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Moving forward, Idris' career continues to grow as he played Nelson Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Other projects such as Prometheus, Pacific Rim, Beasts of No Nation, and Star Trek Beyond. Idris also showed off his voice acting skills this year as he provided vocals talents for films like Zootopia, The Jungle Book, and Finding Dory. And, in the future, fans can expect to see Idris star in films like The Dark Tower, a live-action adaptation of Stephen King's best-selling series.

And, if all that wasn't impressive enough, Idris is also known as a successful hip hop artist. The musician and rapper has produced numerous tracks and produced songs of K. Michelle. He's also done feature work on tracks by other acts like Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Mr Hudson.

Happy Birthday, Idris!