Damson Idris

Damson Idris Photo

Of Nigerian descent, Damson Idris was born in Packham, London. As the youngest of six siblings, he was raised by his single mother. Growing up, Idris was a big soccer fan and played both rugby and soccer, hoping to become the next Christiano Ronaldo. It wasn't until he was accepted to Brunel University London that he decided to pursue acting. One of his favorite movies growing up was American Pie (1999), so the university experience was always something he wanted.

At university, Damson met actress Cathy Tyson, who encouraged him to audition for a role in award-winning British-Nigerian playwright Ade Solanke's debut play,
Pandora's Box. After obtaining a BA Honours degree in Theatre, Film & Television studies, he signed with an agent and began studying at the Identity School of Acting.

Following his 2012 stage debut, he began landing roles on TV series such as Miranda in 2013 and The Missing and Babylon in 2014.

Damson made his big screen debut as Hakim in the British movie City of Tiny Lights (2016). Although his role was minor, it led him to his Hollywood debut in the role of Michael Forman in Megan Leavey (2017).

Also in 2017, Damson caught his big break, securing the starring role of drug dealer Franklin Saint on the Hulu television series Snowfall. The show has enjoyed four seasons to date.

In 2019, he had a main role in an episode of the hit Netflix series Black Mirror, titled "Smithereens."

In 2019, Damson received the Best Performance in a British Feature Film award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival for his performance in Farming (2018).

To this day, Damson is still a big soccer fan, and supports his favorite club, Manchester United. Although he idolized Ronaldo growing up, Damson now looks to Denzel Washington for inspiration, saying that he does not only look up to him as an actor, but also as an example of a well-rounded and classy person. ~Sean Olegario 

Filmography:

Outside the Wire (2021)
The Computer (2018)
Farming (2018)
Astral (2018)
Megan Leavey (2017)
City of Tiny Lights (2016)
My Brother the Devil (2012)