Isan Elba Biography

Isan Elba was first introduced to the public by her father at the red carpet premiere of Tyler Perry's romantic-comedy drama 'Daddy's Little Girls', in 2007. In the following years, she was always her father's 'plus one', but it were pictures from her 16th birthday celebration party that gave her media exposure in January 2018. Her father threw a lavish party for her close friends in Atlanta at the Park Tavern in Piedmont Park, and before and after the event, she and her parents made social media posts sharing with fans details from the event. However, it is her role as a mental health advocate that gave her international media attention at the 76th Annual Golden Globes stage in January 2019. The previous month, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) had named her the '2019 Golden Globe Ambassador', a rebranded gender-neutral role for the former 'Miss or Mister Golden Globe' which is usually given to a celebrity kid who is involved philanthropic initiatives. At this role, she not only handed out trophies to the event's winners, but also got the opportunity to raise awareness about a cause close to her heart, mental illness, from which her mother also suffered. At the event, she appropriately stole the spotlight from her star father, who had recently been named the 'Sexiest Man Alive' by 'People' magazine.

Isan Elba loves the title of 'mental health advocate' because as a first-hand witness of metal issues, she is determined to raise awareness about such issues which are a taboo within the African-American community, especially with teenagers. She wants to encourage people to openly talk about mental health emphasizing that "it doesn't have to be something you feel awkward about." Her mother, who has been diagnosed with bipolar depression, depression, and chronic anxiety, had opened up to her a few years back, which she feels made things better for her. She later partnered with the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, established by Taraji P. Henson in honor of her late father who suffered from mental illness. In recognition of her efforts, HFPA president Meher Tatna announced a $50,000 donation to the foundation on behalf of Isan.

As a child, Isan Elba wanted to follow in her actor father's footsteps and also received training for a future acting career. However, as she grew up, her goals changed from being in front of the camera to behind it. After her father began his first directorial venture 'Yardie' (2018), she witnessed the whole filmmaking process from close and became inspired to make films in future. Nevertheless, she didn't rule out aspiring to become an all-rounder like her father, who is also a director, producer, musician and DJ.

Isan Elba was born on January 5th, 2002, in the United States, to Idris Elba and Kim Nørgaard. Her English father is half Sierra Leonean and half Ghanaian, while her mother is of Danish origin. Her parents were married for four years between 1999 and 2003. Her father, who had moved to the US following a brief career in England, was struggling as an actor at the time her mother was pregnant with her. In a later interview he mentioned that her birth changed their lives for the better as they were worried about supporting their child and were even considering leaving the US when he was cast in a starring role in the crime drama series 'The Wire'. Unfortunately, soon after she was born, her parents divorced as her father's career took off. Her mother raised her in Atlanta, Georgia. Her father, who has been in a number of relationships over the past, is close to her and often takes her with him during red carpet appearances. Interestingly, she was unaware that her parents had submitted her name for consideration for 'Golden Globe Ambassador', and only came to know about it after her father texted her the news of her selection, following which her mother explained everything to her. Her father calls her 'Issy'.