'Wire' Veteran Clocks in at 'The Office'

By Rick Porter, Zap2It.com | January 15, 2009

Idris Elba

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Idris Elba will guest-star in six episodes

Michael Scott, you better watch out. Stringer Bell is coming after you.

Idris Elba, who played the cerebral but ruthless drug dealer Stringer Bell on "The Wire," is joining "The Office" for several episodes later this season. He'll play a new hire at Dunder Mifflin's corporate offices who makes Michael's (Steve Carell) life rather difficult.

Elba is the second "Wire" actor to take a recurring role on the NBC show. Amy Ryan did a widely praised arc earlier this season as Holly, the Scranton office's new HR representative and Michael's love interest.

Elba currently co-stars in "The Unborn," the David Goyer horror movie that opened last week. He's also featured in the premiere of HBO's new series "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency," which debuts in March.

His other credits include "American Gangster" -- where he earned a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination as part of the film's ensemble -- "RocknRolla," "28 Weeks Later" and "This Christmas." He also starred in the British sci-fi miniseries "Ultraviolet" and the pilot for an American version, which never made it to air but opened the door for his career in the United States.