Idris Elba joins Patrick Stewart and Gary Oldman in the very exclusive circle of video game actors turned knights. The British actor has just been honored by King Charles III for his entire career, through the traditional list of New Year’s distinctions. An official recognition which places him, symbolically, alongside his virtual alter egos.
“This means that, once the accolades are handed out, the British actor will now be known as Sir Idris Elba.” News that delights fans of the Sonic saga as much as players of Cyberpunk 2077, where he plays two notable figures: Knuckles and Solomon Reed.
Knuckles and Cyberpunk 2077, two heroes now ennobled
On screen, Idris Elba lends his voice to Knuckles, the brawling echidna and loyal companion of Sonic, since the film “Sonic the Hedgehog 2”. This cult character is even the only one to be entitled to his own spin-off series, proof of his impact on the public. Elba’s participation was confirmed by the actor himself via an iconic close-up: a simple clenched fist of Knuckles, visibly ready to fight.
But Elba also left his mark on the world of video games with his interpretation of Solomon Reed in “Phantom Liberty”, the DLC of Cyberpunk 2077. A central and charismatic role in a dystopian universe where his choices directly influence the destiny of the player. “Knuckles the Echidna and Solomon Reed from Cyberpunk are now, technically, knighted.”
Other video game roles in his career
Far from being limited to Sonic and Cyberpunk, Elba’s contribution to video games goes back several years. He participated in “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3”, one of the most popular installments of the franchise, as well as “NBA 2K20”. Appearances often praised, both for the quality of his voice and for his natural presence in very different universes.
With this new title, future projects in which he appears, such as “Cyberpunk 2” or “Sonic 4”, will have to credit him with his new status. A clarification that Hollywood producers will surely not fail to integrate.
Idris Elba joins Patrick Stewart and Gary Oldman in the pantheon
Elba is not the first video game actor to be knighted by the British crown. “Elba is not the first video game star to be knighted.” Patrick Stewart, voice of Emperor Uriel Septim in “Oblivion”, and Gary Oldman, voice of Ignitus in “The Legend of Spyro”, preceded him.
Their journeys bear witness to the evolution of video games as a cultural medium recognized by the highest authorities. From now on, lending one’s voice to a game character is no longer a simple artistic detour, but an act noble enough to be celebrated by the king himself.