Damson Idris is a British-Nigerian actor born Adamson Alade-Bo Idris in Peckham, South East London, in September 1991, to Yoruba Nigerian immigrant parents. Raised largely by his mother as the youngest of six children, he studied at Brunel University London before building a career that has moved steadily from British theatre into major Hollywood productions.
Idris broke through internationally playing Frankie Saint in the FX crime drama Snowfall, a role he held across the show’s full run from 2017 to 2023. His profile expanded significantly in 2025 when he starred as Formula One driver Joshua Pearce opposite Brad Pitt in Apple’s racing blockbuster F1: The Movie, which grossed over $624 million worldwide.
Idris has continued building an ambitious slate of upcoming work, joining the star-studded cast of Children of Blood and Bone, the 2027 Paramount adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s Nigerian-inspired Afrofantasy novel, alongside Thuso Mbedu, Idris Elba, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cynthia Erivo, Viola Davis, and Regina King under director Gina Prince-Bythewood. He has also been cast as jazz legend Miles Davis in the upcoming period drama Miles & Juliette.
With a Formula One blockbuster, an Afrofantasy ensemble epic, and a biographical drama all in his pipeline, Idris has positioned himself among the busiest and most versatile British-Nigerian actors currently working across genres in Hollywood.