Hackney old boy scoops Golden Globe

Idris Elba as Stringer-Bell in The Wire Pic: pappzd.com

Hackney actor, Idris Elba, won the top American accolade for his detective role in the television Drama series ‘Luther’. Elba, who plays the eponymous detective, won the award for Best Actor in a television series.

Born in 1972, Elba spent the first 11 years of his life in Hackney where he lived on the Holly Street estate in Dalston. There, he attended local primary school Queensbridge, where returned last week to shoot a piece about getting involved in the London Olympics, and celebrate the upcoming Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend.

Sarah Bailey, headmistress of Queensbridge primary school told EastLondonLines: “All I can say is that getting that Golden Globe just gives the children of Queensbridge primary school even more to aspire to, to try and turn their dreams into reality.

“They live in quite a harsh area of Hackney, and with somebody being so successful as Idris Elba who comes from the east end roots that they have, he can inspire them to really go for gold.”

‘Luther’, which has now finished its second series, has divided opinions, and has been criticised for over-the-top plots. Unlike the show, Elba’s performance has received praise across the board with the Guardian’s Stuart Heritage saying the series represents possibly his “greatest work to date”.

In an interview with Hackney Council last year, Elba described his childhood in the borough as the “best time of my life”, and said he was “devastated” to leave the borough when his family moved to Canning Town in 1983.

Elba started acting at secondary school and when he left, won a place at the National Youth Music Theatre. Elba has also performed as DJ Big Driis since the age of 19.

Hackney girl, Leona Lewis has congratulated Elbra on Twitter saying; “Congrats to Idris Elba on the golden globe! My fellow hackney boy.”

In January 2011 a new affordable housing scheme on Andre Street in Hackney named one of their two blocks ‘Elba House’ in recognition of the actor’s links to the local area.

Written by Ruth Edwards and Adelle Kalakouti

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