It is hard to come across a member of the top brass in Hollywood, who has not heard the name Idris Elba.Numerous Hollywood big shots will tell you of their experiences with Elba - and why they think he is one of Africa’s best heads in that part of the filmmaking world.Born to a Sierra Leonean father and a Ghanaian mother on September 6, 1972, Elba is a 2010 BET Best Actor winner, who has starred in several very popular movies, including the epic sci-fi ‘Prometheus’, the superhero movie ‘Thor’, and the rather touching Rwandan-genocide-inspired title ‘Sometimes in April’. He also featured in ‘American Gangster’, ‘Daddy’s Little Girls’, ‘The Losers’, ‘Takers’, ‘Obsessed ‘and ‘The Gospel’, among others.The story is also told of how he left school in 1988 and later joined the National Youth Music Theatre courtesy of a grant.Consistently, and from very small beginnings, he has grown from that young, shy-looking boy on the streets of Canning Town, East London, into a big time actor known around the world.The sad truth and this is something Elba spoke of for years is that, getting a breakthrough in a market like Hollywood is almost impossible for persons of his background. But he would also tell you of how hard work, dedication and perseverance can get you roles you never dreamed of landing.The road to the top of Elba’s career and the successes that have since followed his entrance into one of the world’s biggest film markets has been described by many industry stalwarts as an idea whose time had come. Climbing higher and higher to the top of a bright career, Elba is also expected to play a major part in the highly anticipated ‘Guillermo Del Toro’ sci-fi adventure ‘Pacific Rim’. The film is set to hit worldwide theatres in July 2013. BBC
