Damson Idris

Damson Alade-Bo Idris (born 2 September 1991) is a British actor. He is best known for starring on John Singleton's crime drama Snowfall, which debuted 5 July 2017 on FX and ended in 2023 after six seasons. He played the co-lead in Netflix's 2021 sci-fi action film Outside the Wire. Early life and education Idris was born in Peckham, South-East London to Nigerian parents, and he is of Yoruba Nigerian descent. He is the youngest of six children. He played football and dreamed of being the next Cristiano Ronaldo. He also played rugby, and in 2002, he shook the hand of Queen Elizabeth II when his team took part in her Golden Jubilee. Idris's elder siblings—three brothers and two sisters—have all gone on to corporate careers in law, business, and IT. He ended up studying drama at Brunel University London. He received a BA Honours degree in Theatre, Film & Television studies. He then continued his training at Identity School of Acting in London alongside the likes of John Boyega, Letitia Wright, and Malachi Kirby. Career At Brunel, Idris met actress Cathy Tyson, who encouraged him to meet Ade Solanke and audition for a part in her play, Pandora's Box. He got the role, signed with an agent and began performing in more plays. He also trained at the Identity School of Acting, founded by Femi Oguns. After performing at the Royal National Theatre in London, Idris decided to pursue television and film roles. He had several parts on British series including Miranda (2013), Doctors (2015) and Casualty (2015). Idris's breakout role is Franklin Saint, an ambitious 19-year-old drug dealer in Los Angeles, in the FX crime drama Snowfall from John Singleton, which debuted in July 2017. The first season of Snowfall — set in 1983 as the United States is on the verge of the crack cocaine epidemic — weaves together the stories of several characters whose lives will soon collide because of drugs. Idris auditioned through video in London before flying out to Los Angeles, where he spent the day with Singleton, who wanted to ensure Idris had mastery of the accent. To practise his American accent he worked with rapper WC, who tutored him on not just an authentic accent but the mannerisms specific to South Central Los Angeles. Idris earned strong reviews for his performance; Malcolm Venable of TV Guide called him "nothing short of captivating." The second series of Snowfall, set in 1984, premiered in July 2018.