Idris Elba is the man you want to know.
I mean, besides the fact that he is straight-up GORGEOUS, he also comes from humble beginnings.
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Add in the fact that he’s multi-talented (he’s a DJ and martial artist), and it’s no wonder that everyone fawns over him.
Just try not to swoon over these 10+ facts that you probably didn’t know.
1. He’s British:
You may be too busy staring at him to hear what comes out of his mouth. But when it does, it’s a British accent.
That’s right, the actor was born in London where he spent his early years in Hackney.
2. He grew up in poverty:
Since his parents were working class, he’s been taught to never take money for granted.
“Times were really hard. And I’m over here flying around the world pretending to be other people and being paid really well. What the [expletive] do I have to be complaining about?'”
3. He knew he wanted to become an actor the moment he stepped into a drama class:
“I just thought ‘this is me,'” he told Esquire .
He said that he was the “teacher’s pet” since he took the acting class seriously, unlike the other teenage boys. He would even lead the class in improvisations.
4. He landed his big break in 2001 on *The Wire*:
Before this, he was just a struggling actor who was living in his van and couch-surfing on friends’ couches.
When he landed the part of a drug dealer named Stringer on the HBO show, his career took off.
When he found fame on *The Wire*, he kept turning the tables.
“My profile went up and the money went up along with it. It definitely fell second place to acting but then I got serious about it,” he told Rolling Stone .
“I got myself an agent, a DJ manager, and it was like a second career, a side-hustle.”
5. He’s married:
Sorry, ladies. This stud is taken. He’s married to model (of course) Sabrina Dhowre. The pair tied the knot in Morocco in 2019.
Sabrina even stayed by his side when the actor was diagnosed with the coronavirus.
6. He loves being a father:
He’s the proud dad to two children , a daughter, Isan, and a son, Winston.
He had Isan with his ex-wife, Hanna “Kim” Nørgaard, and then Winston with ex-girlfriend, Naiyana Garth.
Yep, he’s got two baby mommas. He spoke to *Us Weekly* about his favorite part of being a dad.
“My favorite thing about being a father is seeing them absorb something I taught them. I love having that influence,” he said .
7. He’s a musician:
This man is multi-talented . He used to be a DJ who went by the name, DJ Big Driis, and he spent most of his youth working at weddings and other events.
That’s not all.
In 2018, he launched his own record label called 7Wallace Music.
He was so excited to get to DJ set at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
“Doesn’t matter how big my name is on the poster,” he told Rolling Stone . “This is massive for me!”
8. He’s appeared in several music videos:
When he’s not making music, he’s starring in it. The actor got to co-direct and star in the “Lover of Light” music video for Mumford & Sons.
It’s so nice to see him combine his two passions.
9. He once earned a high honor from the Queen herself:
When the actor found himself with nominations for a Golden Globe and and a BAFTA in the same year, the Queen took notice.
She placed him on Queen Elizabeth II’s annual New Year’s Honors List .
This led the actor to be appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
Not many can say that!
“Awards and honors come in all shapes and sizes and all as significant as the other,” Elba said in a statement.
“But this is beyond special as it comes from Queen and country, and I couldn’t be more proud for receiving this right now. What a year. On me head son.”
10. His celebrity crush is Meryl Streep:
He may be the man that everyone has a crush on, but even Idris gets nervous in the presence of greatness.
“When I met her, my tongue swelled up in my mouth!” he told Us Weekly .
11. He is trained in kickboxing and martial arts:
Don’t mess with Idris!
He ended up documenting his year-long journey to winning a professional kickboxing match in the documentary, Idris Elba: Fighter , which aired on Discovery.
“It has been a lifelong ambition of mine to fight professionally,” he said in a statement when the doc was announced.
“Entering the ring to further test myself as a human being is a challenge I have been looking to take on for quite some time,” he said .
12. He was disheartened over *James Bond* casting backlash:
While many rallied for the actor to become the first Black James Bond, a lot were against it.
“You just get disheartened when you get people from a generational point of view going, ‘It can’t be,'” the actor told Vanity Fair in 2019.
He told the mag that he hadn’t been offered the role.
“And it really turns out to be the color of my skin,” he continued.
“And then if I get it and it didn’t work, or it did work, would it be because of the color of my skin?”
13. Idris is not his full name:
Like many celebs out there, Idris has chosen a ” stage name ” that’s a bit cleaner to pronounce.
His real name is Idrissa Akuna Elba. Personally, I find both to be very beautiful.
