Born in the South Eastern part of Peckham, Damson Idris, is the last child out of six children. Not being dismayed by his youth and how he was perceived by his family, Idris took up the role of entertaining the family, proof positive that his undying knack for the arts started since his infant years. Although, within that artistic drive was the deep desire to become a young footballer. It was until he was dealt a blow at his knee cap, this pushed him fully into the acting world.
Caught in the shadows of depicting the roles of the subjugated young black boy, he has been exposed to the harsh realities surrounding playing and representing such roles. He studied Theatre, Film & Television Studies at Brunel university in England, bagging a BA Honours degree. He went on to the identity school of acting after this degree.
His acting statement started in the year 2012 when Idris played the role of Sam in “Khadija Is 18” which premiered at the Finborough theatre. The film became a critics choice after going through thorough scrutiny and reviews. Following, the actor featured in other plays such as “Pandora’s Box” at the Arcola Theatre, “Hotel” which was released in 2014. From the reactions and reviews he received from his theatrical performances, he then dived further into ‘small screen.’ Some of the British TV series he featured in were Miranda (2009), Doctors (2000) and Casualty (1986).
Idris got his big break at the 2017 Hollywood blockbuster series “Snowfall” where Idris played the lead role – ‘Franklin Saint’- a young street entrepreneur. The series has received critical acclaim and forms one of the last productions of the late Producer and Director John Singleton. It unveils the lives of the show’s main characters as they experience the dangers of their various line of work, both as individuals and as active players in the crack trade system.
His latest lead role is in Netflix’s Action Sci-Fi film Outside the Wire (2021).
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