Exciting News: Idris Elba Officially Knighted by King Charles III

Sonic fans and Cyberpunk 2077 fans have a reason to come together and celebrate, as we enter 2026. Idris Elba was knighted by King Charles III in the U.K. Honors ceremony, held on December 29. The annual ceremony celebrates people for their contributions in their respective fields as well as their community service efforts. Idris Elba was among 1,157 people who received New Year Honors, including Wicked star Cynthia Erivo, 102-year-old John Hearn for his efforts in Judo and Toby Roberts, a 20-year-old Olympic climber.

Sir Idris Elba’s Roles

Mr. Elba’s video game roles include Knuckles the Echidna in the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movies and Solomon Reed, a character from Cyberpunk 2077’s Phantom Liberty DLC. According to John Coulson of TheGamer, his other video game roles include Truck from the 2011 version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and NBA 2k20. Sir Idris Elba, if he returns to voice a character in Cyberpunk 2, will be credited under his Sir title.

In the official list of people who have received the Awards for New Year 2026, Sir Idris Elba’s name can be found under Dr. Idrissa Akuna Elba, O.B.E. His occupations and efforts are listed as “Activist, Actor and Musician. For services to Young People” for the London and Greater London area.

According to USA Today’s Taijuan Moorman, “The Wire” actor is an alum of The King’s Trust (a charity founded with King Charles III) and has promoted economic and educational opportunities for youth in marginalized and underserved communities, especially Africans and the African Diaspora, along with his wife Sabrina Elba.

Idris Elba’s Social Works

According to Jenny Gross of the New York Times, the 53-year-old actor “has campaigned to curb the rising rates of knife crime in Britain, and this year starred in a documentary in which he discussed possible solutions with the king and with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.” Mr. Elba’s charity, Elba Hope Foundation, supports community empowerment, education, youth advocacy, and sustainable development.

According to IGN’s Wesley Yin-Poole, Sir Idris rose to fame as Stringer Bell in HBO’s The Wire. His other roles include John Luther in the BBC series Luther, the British Prime Minister in Heads of State and the President of the United States in A House of Dynamite.

Sir Idris Elba’s Contemporaries

Other actors who were also knighted are Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Gary Oldman. While Sir Patrick Stewart, most known for portraying X-Men’s Charles Xavier, is also known as the Emperor from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and the titular character in Rupert Goold’s 2010 adaptation of Macbeth, originally airing on BBC Four. Sir Gary Oldman voiced Ignitus in The Legend of Spyro trilogy, from 2006 to 2008.

According to the New York Times’ Jenny Gross, anyone can nominate a person for an honor in Britain. She writes,

“The prime minister and senior government ministers issue recommendations to the monarch, who makes the final decisions. Last month, David Beckham, the former England soccer captain, was formally knighted for his contribution to sports and his charity work.”

Also according to Gross, people do not have to accept these honors. For example, John Lennon of the Beatles returned his honor in 1969, because he was opposed to Britain’s policies in Nigeria and Vietnam. Scottish actor Alan Cumming, who received an O.B.E in 2009, gave up his honor in 2023 in protest of the monarchy’s apparent toxicity and apparent profiting from the lives (and deaths) of indigenous peoples worldwide.

Singer David Bowie, who passed away from cancer at age 69 in January 2016, declined to receive the Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or C.B.E., because he “seriously didn’t know what it’s for.” Another notable person who declined a British honor was physicist Stephen Hawking, who reportedly said that he “didn’t like titles.” Mr. Hawking passed away in 2018 at the age of 76.