Idris Elba, actor Beasts of No Nation An only child, Idrissa Akuna Elba was born and raised in London, England. His father, Winston, is from Sierra Leone and worked at Ford Dagenham; his mother, Eve, is from Ghana.
His best known roles are as drug baron Russell "Stringer" Bell on the HBO series The Wire (2002) and as DCI John Luther on the BBC One series Luther (2010). He later starred in the films Daddy's Little Girls (2007), Prom Night (2008), RocknRolla (2008), The Unborn (2009) and Obsessed (2009).
Idris Elba has received an "ego boost" after being named the sexiest man alive by US celebrity magazine People.
Elba, who was revealed as the winner on Monday's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, follows in the equally sexy footsteps of previous winners including David Beckham, Mel Gibson and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
Telling People how he reacted to the news, the 46-year-old said: "I was like, 'come on, no way. Really?' Looked in the mirror, I checked myself out.
"I was like, 'Yeah, you are kind of sexy today'. But to be honest, it was just a nice feeling. It was a nice surprise - an ego boost for sure."
On Twitter, the star said: "Who'd have thought it! Thank you @people & all the fans for naming me #SexiestManAlive.
"I'm honoured & thankful. What's even more important is your vote in the midterm elections. Your vote can make a difference!"
