- Damson Idris is a British actor.
- Damson is best known for his role in Snowfall, playing Franklin Saint.
- In November 2023, he and Lori Harvey announced their split.
Damson Idris and Lori Harvey first went public with their relationship in January 2023. “Happy Birthday, Nunu,” he captioned an Instagram Stories photo at the time, along with a red heart. He also shared a picture of her seemingly on the set of Snowfall, with her posing with a ton of (presumably fake) money.
The confirmation came roughly a month after Damson and Lori had a dinner date together in Los Angeles. Lori parted ways with Michael B. Jordan in June 2022, and she seemed ready to move on to a new man. However, Lori and Damon’s romance ultimately didn’t last, and the two announced their split in November 2023.
“We are at a point in our lives where our individual paths require our full attention and dedication,” the former couple told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement. “We part ways remaining friends with nothing but love and respect for each other and the time we shared together.”
For those unaware of who Damson is, here’s the lowdown on him.
Damson Idris Is an Actor
Damson Idris (born September 2, 1991) grew up in South London’s Peckham neighborhood, the youngest of six children his Nigerian immigrant mother raised on her own. “I remember it was always loud in the house. People were always having conversations, people were always playing music,” he told GQ in 2022. “We were poor, but [if] things are always happening, you didn’t really know that you were poor.”
Initially, he dreamed of playing football/soccer but decided to pursue drama at college at the urging of one of his sisters. In 2012, at age 21, Damson appeared in Pandora’s Box at the West End’s Arcola Theatre. “I still remember the first laugh I got from the audience when I knew—I’m gonna do this,” he told GQ. A handful of years later, he landed his role in Snowfall.
He Is Best Known for Snowfall
Damson landed a few small roles on TV early in his career, but his breakout came when Snowfall aired in 2017. Set during the crack epidemic in the early 1980s, Damson plays one of the main characters, drug dealer Franklin Saint. The series finale is scheduled for spring 2023, bringing the six-season story to a close.
“I honestly believe it’s about listening,” Idris says when GQ asked about him, a British man playing an African-American character. “To make a movie, TV show, play a character, so much goes into it. It’s not all just put on the person that’s playing it. We have advisors, just like when I did Snowfall the first season, and the second season, I had Dub-C with me every single day, who’s from there, I had John Singleton, who’s from there…and that’s how good actors approach characters that they play.”
He’s Familiar With Heartbreak
“I’m so envious of how you’re able to express yourself,” Damson told Syd (fka Syd The Kid) after she dropped her 2022 album Broken Hearts Club in 2022, per Interview magazine. “I don’t get to do that with acting, because I’m playing a character, unless I choose a role that is similar to my life. I was in a nine-year relationship, so I relate to this album in a very real way.”
Damson didn’t explain who he was with, but he did share more about the breakup. “After leaving a nine-year relationship, I learned it was time to sit down and really find out who I am. Do you feel like you’ve had this epiphany now that this art is out there in the universe?”
Damson Shut Down Saweetie Dating Rumors
Damson first met Syd at an NBA Finals party thrown by their mutual friend, Tyler, The Creator. Damson’s friendship with another rapper, Saweetie, got people talking about a potential relationship in 2022. “No, no, me and that queen are just friends,” he said during an appearance on The Breakfast Club in 2022 when the hosts brought up his viral video of her playing piano in her home, per Complex. “She’s a great piano player. And I didn’t know she could play piano—I didn’t even think the world knew. So I was like, ‘Oh, this is a cool moment.’”
“She’s a huge Snowfall fan. That day we were at lunch, I think, talking about how we could collaborate,” he added. “She wanted to show me her new place because I love CB2, and I was going to give her some ideas about furniture and art, and then boom, we went. She was playing the piano. That’s it. I was in there for like five minutes, and I dipped out. She’s a friend of mine.”
He Supports Manchester United
“I’m always playing soccer!” he told Gentleman’s Journal. “My whole life I’ve played football. I support Manchester United — the greatest team in the world. I’ve never been to a game, though, which is blasphemous. When I grew up, in my area of Peckham, you’d always see United on the TV — but you were never going to get to Manchester. You could hardly afford to get to Brixton!”