Damson Idris, born on September 3, 1991 in Peckham, London, England, is a British actor who rose to prominence thanks to his portrayal of the character Franklin Saint in the FX series Snowfall, and also for his role in the sci-fi film Hostile Zone (Outside the Wire) available on Netflix.
Damson Idris’s childhood and training
Damson Idris was born in September 1991 in Peckham, South London. Of Nigerian origin, he has three brothers and two sisters. Passionate about soccer and rugby, he dreamed of becoming the next Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2002, his team won the Golden Jubilee, and Damson Idriss had the honor of shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II.
However, while his siblings pursue studies in law, business and information technology, Damson realizes that his career as a professional footballer will not materialize. He decided to follow his passion for theater and enrolled at Brunel University, where he graduated with a BA (Hons) in Theatre, Film and Television.
In the early 2010s, he furthered his training at the Identity School of Acting, founded by Femi Oguns.
Damson’s career
In the early 2010s, while studying at Brunel University, Damson Idris crossed paths with actress Cathy Tyson. Encouraged by her, he met director Ade Solanke and decided to audition for the play Pandora’s Box. With success, he landed the role, signed with an agent and began performing in various plays.
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During this period, in 2012, he made his television debut playing the role of a commuter in three episodes of the series Miranda. In 2014, he also appeared in an episode of the series The Missing and in another for the mini-series Babylon.
In 2015, after appearing at London’s Royal National Theatre, Damson Idris explored various TV roles, appearing in series such as Doctors and Casualty. That same year, he was cast as a student in Chris Mul’s debut horror feature Astral, shot at Royal Holloway University.
In 2017, after a video audition and a trip to Los Angeles, he spent time with John Singleton perfecting his accent in preparation for his starring role as Franklin Saint, an ambitious young Los Angeles drug dealer, in the FX drama series Snowfall.
To master the American accent, he collaborated with rapper WC, working not only on the authenticity of the accent, but also on the behaviors of South Los Angeles locals. That same year, he played Hakim in his first British feature, Pete Travis’s thriller City of Tiny Lights, alongside Riz Ahmed, and appeared in Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s biopic Megan Leavey, with Kate Mara in the title role.
In 2018, Damson Idris joins Liam Neeson as Special Agent Denys in Jaume Collet-Serra’s The Passenger (The Commuter), and Kate Beckinsale in Farming, a semi-autobiographical film by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. He won the Best Actor award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival for his performance in the latter.
In 2019, he made an appearance in an episode of the Black Mirror series. In July of the same year, he is chosen to join director Mikael Håfström in Budapest to shoot the sci-fi film Hostile Zone (Outside the Wire), in which he plays Lieutenant Thomas Harp, and which is released on Netflix in 2021.
Filmography of Damson Idris :
| Année | Type | Titre | Rôle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Long métrage | My Brother the Devil | Un porteur de cercueil (non crédité) |
| 2017 | Long métrage | City of Tiny Lights | Hakim |
| 2017 | Long métrage | Megan Leavey | Michael Forman |
| 2018 | Long métrage | The Passenger (The Commuter) | L’agent spécial Denys |
| 2018 | Long métrage | Farming | Enitan |
| 2018 | Long métrage | Astral | Jordan Knight |
| 2021 | Long métrage | Zone hostile (Outside the Wire) | Lieutenant Thomas Harp |
| 2024 | Long métrage | Apex | Joshua Pearce |
| 2011 | Court métrage | Hiding in the Light | Jason |
| 2012 | Série télévisée | Miranda | Le banlieusard (saison 3, épisode 6 : A Brief Encounter) |
| 2014 | Série télévisée | The Missing | Dean (saison 1, épisode 6 : Concrete) |
| 2014 | Série télévisée | Babylon | Jeremy (mini-série, épisode 5) |
| 2015 | Série télévisée | Doctors | Krispin Northcote (saison 16, épisode 218 : Surrogate Dad) |
| 2015 | Série télévisée | Casualty | Leon James (saison 29, épisode 38 : Heart Over Head) |
| 2017-2023 | Série télévisée | Snowfall | Franklin Saint (60 épisodes) |
| 2019 | Série télévisée | The Twilight Zone (La Quatrième Dimension) | Dorian Harrison (saison 1, épisode 3 : Replay) |
| 2019 | Série télévisée | Black Mirror | Jaden Tommins (saison 5, épisode 2 : Smithereens) |
| 2023 | Série télévisée | Swarm | Khalid (1 épisode) |
| 2012 | Théâtre | Khadija Is 18 | Sam, mise en scène par Shamser Sinha au Finborough Theatre |
| 2012 | Théâtre | Pandora’s Box | Tope, mise en scène par Ade Solanke à l’Arcola Theatre |
| 2013 | Théâtre | Ghost Town | Joe, mise en scène par Jessica Fisher au Pilot Theatre |
| 2013 | Théâtre | The DugOut | Leo, mise en scène par Amanda Whittington au Tobacco Factory Theatre |
| 2015 | Théâtre | L’Autre | Mise en scène par Polly Stenham au Royal National Theatre |
Awards
- Edinburgh International Film Festival 2019: Best Actor for his role in Farming.
Nomination
- Black Reel Awards for Television 2019 : Nominated for Best Actor in a Series for his performance in Snowfall.
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