By Chris Williamson-
Idris Elba celebrates his 50th birthday today and has been congratulated on social media by friends and well wishers.
Elba has been a frontrunner for the James Bond role since 2015, when the current James Bond, Daniel Craig threatened to leave after Spectre, says he is going to have a chilled out time with family and friends for his big milestone birthday.
“I am opting for a chilled dinner with family and friends,” he says. “Is that boring?
“I feel good. I am excited to turn 50. But I cannot even say the word 50. It is like ‘what? I am old!’. That is me – on my way. I feel 50. I wake up in the morning and I am aching and sh**.
“The last few years I have realised how precious life is – so I just want to live. I am really just thankful to make it.
Is that boring?
“My wife threw a massive birthday party for me (last year), so this year I will chill. I do a lot of partying, so maybe I will chill.”
Elba’s films have grossed over $9.8 billion at the global box office, including over $3.6 billion in North America,[9] where he is one of the top 20 highest-grossing actors.[10]
His career received its breakthrough on the HBO crime drama “The Wire.”
The British actor, who has appeared in more than 50 movies and was nominated for many awards.
He was nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and Television Film four times which led to him winning one and has also been nominated five times for a Primetime Emmy Award.
Through the remainder of the 90s, he secured roles in shows such as The Bill, Silent Witness, Insiders and Family Affairs
Elba, an alumnus of the National Youth Theatre in London, he is known for roles including Stringer Bell in the HBO series The Wire, DCI John Luther in the BBC One series Luther, and Nelson Mandela in the biographical film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom 201. He has been nominated four times for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film, winning one, and has been nominated five times for a Prime Emy Award.
He pursued the venture of being a DJ in 2009, s his acting career was picking up, not mi9nding to mix the two.
His first single was released that year, Please Be True, with two more soon after, Kings Among Kings and High Class Problems Vol 1 in 2010. The latter secured him a Billboard Music Awards nomination.
In 2013, Elba decided to step away from acting for a while, and instead focus on his music.
During an interview with the Evening Standard, he said at the time: “This year, I’m not going to work as an actor and I’m going to put my mind into music. It’s a progression thing with me.
The latter secured him a Billboard Music Awards nomination.
Elba appeared in Ridley Scott’s American Gangster in 2007 and Prometheus five years later in 2015. Elba portrayed Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Thor 2011 and its sequels Thor: The Dark World 2013 Thor:
He also starred in Pacific Rim in 2013, Beasts of No Nation in 2015 , for which he received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for Best Supporting Actor, and Molly’s Game in 2017.
In 2016, he voiced Chief Bogo in Zootopia, Shere Khan in the live action/CGI adaptation of The Jungle Book, Fluke in Finding Dory, and played the role of Krall in Star Trek Beyond. He made his directorial debut in 2018 with an adaptation of the 1992 novel Yardie by Victor Headley.
In 2021, he portrayed Bloodsport in The Suicide Squad, set in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), while in 2022, he voiced Knuckles the Echidna in the film Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022), and will headline a spin-off self-titled solo series as the character for Paramount+ in 2023.
Apart from acting, Elba performs as a DJ under the moniker DJ Big Driis or Idris and as an R&B musician In 2016, he was named in the Time 100 list of the Most Influential People in the World.
The Eye Of Media team wishes Idris Elba a happy birthday.