he's been a cop and a criminal a martyr
and a tyrant and fought off God's in
kind you is there anything he can't do
welcome to watchmojo.com sing down our
picks for the top 10 interest other
performances before we begin if you
enjoy this video please subscribe for
more great content for this list we'll
be highlighting the greatest and most
memorable performances from British
actor Idris Elba from dramatic war epics
to playful animation number 10 captain
Janek Prometheus in this divisive
prequel to the alien saga Elba takes on
the role of Janek captain of the titular
prometheus how about this no matter what
happens down there I can't bring none of
that [ __ ] back home with us though
confined to the ship for much of the
runtime Janek remains a charismatic
presence throughout mainly thanks to
elbas own natural charm well if you
can't be the one you love love the one
you will the way he effortlessly seduced
the Glacial vicar's is both sweet and
amusing but he also shows his noble side
in his willingness to sacrifice the
ship--the of a good of mankind
Prometheus certainly has its dumb
characters but Janek isn't one of them
no benign Heimdall Marvel Cinematic
Universe as with most casting decisions
of its ilk there was some furor on the
internet when a Juris elbow was cast as
the Norse God handle in the first Thor
movie good hind out you know dressed
warmly enough
I'm sorry do you think that you can
deceive me
however audiences were quickly swayed by
Elba's performance and he since become a
memorable supporting player in the
ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe
universe as soon as Marvel's performer
watch began as the stalwart guardian of
the bitterest bridge hingle has proven
himself as both a wise mentor to Thor
and a cunning warrior who protects
Asgard at all costs he may not boast
leading credits here but he's a presence
to be reckoned with when on the screen I
can still save you dad number eight
stacker Pentecost Pacific Rim acting
serious in the movie about giant mechs
fighting against super-sized monsters
can be a difficult task but interest
proves he knows what he's doing
one but you ever touch me again - don't
you ever touch me again
playing the wonderfully named stacker
Pentecost Elbe commands the screen as
the commanding officer of the Jaeger
initiative a role that could easily have
fallen into cliche Elba gives the role
some flavor thanks to his
father/daughter dynamic with Mako Mori
and after sitting on the sidelines for
the whole movie
he finally joins the action for the
climactic underwater showdown with the
kaiju you can finish this also he gets
to deliver the best motivational speech
this side of Independence Day today we
face the monsters that are at our door
I'm going to fight to them
number seven crawl Star Trek beyond
playing the bad guy in a Star Trek movie
is a dream come true for many actors and
a chance to join such classic
adversaries as Ricardo Montalban
Christopher Lloyd and Christopher
Plummer
oh god Burton why did you sacrifice
yourself for him he would have done the
same
though unrecognizable for much of a film
under heavy makeup Idris Elba's
performance as the devious crawl shines
through making him one of the most
memorable original Trek villains in
years his obsession with destroying the
Federation is all-consuming and the
final reveal of his true identity shows
his motivations don't come from a place
of complete evil
he's an antagonist that reflects our age
and a suitable foe for our modern
enterprise crew to tackle I think you
underestimate humanity number six sheer
calm The Jungle Book Shere Khan is one
of the most memorable Disney villains
ever appearing in the original 1967
animated film The Jungle Book mainly
thanks to the wonderful voice work of
George Sanders for the 2016 remake
Icarus Elba had some big shoes to fill
and he did so with gusto
bringing more of a foreboding menace to
the antagonistic Tiger the new Shere
Khan feels like a genuine threat to
Mowgli's life and Elba's menacing voice
is a huge part of that so here's my
promise nothing lasts forever the rains
will return and the river will rise and
when this rock disappears that truce
will end
bringing fear to every animal he crosses
paths with this performance certainly
makes a rare case for the
reinterpretation being superior to the
original I didn't want it to be this way
I made it so simple number five nelson
mandela mandela long walk to freedom
playing such a beloved real-life figure
like Nelson Mandela would be difficult
for any actor especially coming on the
heels of Morgan Freeman's memorable
portrayal of the politician and
activists in the 2009 sports drama
Invictus though the film itself received
a mixed reception Idris Elba's portrayal
of Mandela in long walk to freedom was
widely praised and earned him a Golden
Globe nomination in 2014
covering Mandela's whole life rather
than any one specific moment the film
and elbas performance is given extra
weight by the fact that Mandela himself
tragically passed away mere days after
its theatrical release in his native
South Africa there's only one way
forward and that number 4 chief bogo
zootropolis 2016 was a big year for
Idris Elba and voice acting although
starring as the after mention Shere Khan
in the jungle book and fluke in Pixar's
finding dory it was his performance in
zootropolis as the police chief bogo
that shined brightest we have 14 missing
mammal cases all predators from a giant
polar bear to a teensy little otter
taking on the typical angry chief role
in this animated take on the buddy cop
film Elba manages to bounce that fine
line between being an entertaining
cartoon character and giving a genuine
and insightful performance I don't want
to be a meter maid I want to be a real
cop do you think the man asked what I
wanted when he assigned you to me it's
serious life isn't some cartoon musical
where you sing a little song and your
insipid dreams magically come true like
many of the characters in the film boku
proves himself to be more than just the
angry Buffalo he appears to be
I came here to make the world a better
place but I think I broke it
don't give yourself so much credit hops
number three common dance beasts of no
nation many was shocked in 2016 when
interes Alber failed to receive an Oscar
nomination for the portrayal of the
Commandant in this moving war drama all
of you
let's have never been listened to before
I have seen your family killed you now
have something that stands for you
playing the charismatic but threatening
leader of an army of West African child
soldiers Alba's performance helps carry
the film's mostly unknown cast of child
actors and makes for a truly menacing
mentor figure to the young protagonist
ague
now what I did calling you oh you must
say Becca prouder the Academy may have
flubbed but Albert didn't fail to
receive his accolades elsewhere he went
on to receive Golden Globe and BAFTA
nominations for his performance as well
as winning the Screen Actors Guild Award
for Best Supporting Actor number 2
Russell stringer Bell the wire idris
elba has been a working actor in the UK
since the mid 90s but it wasn't until
2002 that he got his big breakout role
in this landmark HBO crime drama
everybody a little pressed right
starting the series as second-in-command
of the drug kingpin
Avon Barksdale stringer Bell soon moves
up in the ranks and legitimizes the
narcotics Empire during avons
imprisonment to one the truth business
loosely based on real-life drug trader
turned businessman Kenneth a Johnson
Bell further protects his illegitimate
dealings through money laundering and
gaining political influence with major
players in Baltimore proving himself to
be more than just another street
criminal Elvis portrayal of him left a
lasting impact on the series and helped
jumpstart the actors career to stardom
miss Moffat could bog down one time what
he won't bog out again will he financial
card number one DCI John Luther Luther
now operating on the opposite side of
the law elbows role is the obsessive and
morally dubious detective John Luther in
this BBC crime drama finally allowed the
anger to prove himself in the spotlight
the inquiry have found no girls for
disciplinary action which means you're
back if you want it I want it the
beleaguered and fanatical cop is hardly
new to the genre but elders taken the
character gives the trope a new life
elevating what could have been just
another murder mystery series into
something memorable this is your son
we're talking about his troublesome
relationship with psychopathic frenemy
Alice Morgan only adds to Luther's
complex morality finding himself more
and more consumed by the dark world his
job requires him to live in here's
what's gonna happen you're gonna stay
away from my wife
I'm gonna arrest someone else do you
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