Damson Idris

Idris began dating Lori Harvey in 2022. Their relationship ended in April 2026 after they reunited in 2025.

Idris grew up in Peckham, South East London, in a Nigerian family of Yoruba descent. He is the youngest of six children and was raised by his mother in a single-parent home. He played football and rugby as a child and once dreamed of becoming a professional footballer.

He studied drama at Brunel University London, completing a BA Honours degree in Theatre, Film & Television studies. At university, he met actress Cathy Tyson, who encouraged him to audition for Ade Solanke's play Pandora's Box. The role led him to sign with an agent and pursue further stage work, including performances at the Royal National Theatre.

Idris's breakthrough came with the role of Franklin Saint in Snowfall, John Singleton's FX crime drama about the Los Angeles crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s. Franklin is an ambitious young drug dealer whose rise and changing relationships drive much of the series. Idris played the character across all six seasons, from 2017 to 2023.

He auditioned by video from London before travelling to Los Angeles. Singleton worked with him on mastering Franklin's accent, while rapper WC helped him develop mannerisms associated with South Central Los Angeles. Idris's performance earned widespread critical praise and led to major award recognition, including a 2023 BET Award for Best Actor and NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series.

Idris made his film debut as Hakim in the British thriller City of Tiny Lights in 2016. He followed it with roles in Megan Leavey, The Commuter, Astral and Farming. In Farming, directed by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, he played Enitan, a character based on Akinnuoye-Agbaje's childhood experience of being placed with a white British foster family. Idris won Best Performance in a British Feature Film at the 2019 Edinburgh International Film Festival for the role.

His later screen work includes the Netflix science-fiction action film Outside the Wire, the anthology series Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone, and Donald Glover's series Swarm. In F1: The Movie, directed by Joseph Kosinski, he played Joshua Pearce, a young Formula One driver mentored by Brad Pitt's character.

Idris is set to play Prince Inan in the film adaptation of Children of Blood and Bone. He is also attached to Miles & Juliette, in which he will play jazz musician Miles Davis opposite Anamaria Vartolomei as Juliette Gréco.

Idris won the Emerging Talent Award at the 2017 Screen Nation Film and Television Awards. His work in Snowfall brought further recognition from the BET Awards, NAACP Image Awards, MOBO Awards and Black Reel Awards, including wins for Best Actor and Outstanding Lead Performance.

Alongside acting, Idris served as a producer on Snowfall during its later seasons and is credited as an executive producer on the television series The Lords' Day. He became a menswear brand ambassador for Tommy Hilfiger in 2023 and has also appeared in campaigns for Prada.

In 2025, he launched DIDRIS, a fine jewelry brand inspired by his mother. He debuted the brand at the Met Gala.