English actor Idris Elba might just be the coolest dude to ever live. Here are a few little-known facts about this cultural icon: he performs as a DJ under the moniker DJ Big Driis, he was named People magazineโs Sexiest Man Alive in 2018, he broke the โFlying Mileโ speed record doing 180 miles per hour in a Bentley Continental GT, and your mom definitely has a crush on him. Yes, all of these facts are undeniably true, and for that, I think that Idris Elba might be the coolest human being ever to walk the face of the Earth.
And, up until this point, we havenโt even touched on the amazing career that Idris Elba has had in Hollywood. Elba began his television career by doing murder reconstructions for the BBC true crime show Crimewatch. Then, in 1994, he landed a role in a BBC childrenโs drama called The Boot Street Band. However, Idris Elba didnโt truly rise to stardom until one faithful role youโre probably already thinking aboutโStringer Bell in HBOโs The Wire. This is the role that really put Idris Elba on the map, and his career has only continued to soar since then.
So, letโs look back at the active career of one of Hollywoodโs coolest actors and rank the 6 best Idris Elba roles of his career.
1. The Wire
As previously mentioned, the role that really put Idris Elba on the map was when he was cast as Stringer Bell in the heralded HBO series The Wire. Stringer Bell serves as drug kingpin Avon Barksdaleโs second-in-command and takes over the entire criminal enterprise during Barksdaleโs stint in prison. Bellโs character contrasts the more flamboyant style of Barksdale with a strong dedication to pragmatism and professionalism. Bell treats drug running like a multinational corporation and doesnโt tolerate people in his business who donโt do the same.
Idris Elba was widely praised for delivering an outstanding and extremely believable performance throughout all five seasons of the show. However, Elba has said that he felt as if his role in The Wire may have actually made it more difficult for him to get interesting and challenging roles directly afterward. Well, true as that may be, after a few more years, Elba started landing some of the most iconic roles of his career right around 2007.
2. Luther
The British psychological crime thriller series Luther first aired on BBC One in 2010 and was immediately met with positive reviews. Critics almost unanimously identified the show as Idris Elbaโs best work since The Wire. Elba plays Detective Chief Inspector John Luther, an incredibly dedicated sleuth who often lets the job get the best of him.
John Luther is a complex character. Heโs so dedicated to justice that it often drives him to act immorally. He has a heavy weight on his shoulders that often becomes too much to bear. And Idris Elba personifies this character to perfection. Itโs no wonder that Elba has won a Criticsโ Choice Television Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance as John Luther. A film continuation of the series titled Luther: The Fallen Sun was also recently released in 2023.
3. Beasts of No Nation
One of Idris Elbaโs most underrated roles, in my opinion, was as a West African warlord who trains children to be soldiers in one of the best war dramas, Beasts of No Nation. The film stars Abraham Attah as Agu, a young boy whose village is overtaken by rebel forces. Forced to flee into the jungle, Agu is eventually captured by the Native Defense Forces, a rising guerilla faction led by the Commandant, Idris Elbaโs character.
As you might expect, the Commandant takes Agu under his wing and indoctrinates him into the militia, forcing him to perform the brutal initiation rite of hacking someone to death with a machete. Beasts of No Nation is a horrifying yet heartbreakingly accurate representation of life in parts of West Africa, and Idris Elbaโs performance as the Commandant is bound to give you nightmares.
4. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
As an actor, if you have the opportunity to portray someone as important and inspirational as Nelson Mandela, you have to step up to the plate. And Idris Elba did just that in the 2013 film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, which chronicles the events of Nelson Mandelaโs historical life from his childhood in a small farming village to his incarceration to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.
While the Justin Chadwick-directed film received lackluster reviews overall, critics couldnโt deny that Idris Elbaโs performance as Nelson Mandela was masterful. Interestingly, though, screenwriter William Nicholson claimed that the filmโs lack of success was largely due to the film 12 Years a Slave coming out the same year. Itโs definitely worth reading that interview as Nicholson offered some pretty hot takes. Regardless, Idris Elba definitely did all he could to help this movie succeed.
5. The Harder They Fall
The 2021 Jeymes Samuel-directed American Western The Harder They Fall takes a genre that has historically only featured white actors and reclaimed it with an entirely Black cast. The film is also based on real cowboys, lawmen, and outlaws of the 19th-century American West. And the cast of this film features some of the most well-respected Black actors in Hollywood, including LaKeith Stanfield, Jonathan Majors, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Damon Wayans Jr., Deon Cole, and, of course, Idris Elba. And, not to mention, the film was co-produced by Jay-Z.
Idris stars in the film as Rufus Buck, the leader of a gang of outlaws who guns down a mother and father in the very first scene. However, what Buck doesnโt know is that these are the parents of future-outlaw Nat Love, a dangerous man who seeks to avenge the death of his parents. Idris Elba plays the role of the villain in this film so well that youโll end up wishing he was dead by the end of it.
6. Thor
The casting of Idris Elba as the omnipotent Norse god Heimdall in the Kenneth Branagh-directed film Thor garnered a lot of petty racism from internet trolls arguing (moronically) that Norse gods shouldnโt be Black. However, no one can argue that Idris Elba didnโt perform well in this role. This badass Asgardian dons a massive sword and an even more massive responsibility as Gatekeeper of the realm. And throughout the series, this responsibility puts him in some pretty tough positions.
Interestingly enough, it seems that Elba didnโt much enjoy showing up to set for his role as Heimdall. In an interview with The Telegraph, he said, โIโm actually falling down from a spaceship, so they had to put me in harness in this green-screen studio. And, in between takes, I was stuck there, fake hair on my head with glue, this fucking helmet, while they reset. And Iโm thinking: โ24 hours ago, I was Mandela.โ โฆ Then there I was, in this stupid harness, with this wig and this sword and these contact lenses. It ripped my heart out.โ Well, personally, I loved the movie, and I appreciate Elbaโs sacrifice.