Idris Elba is so popular that he has been ranked among the world’s top 150 most influential actors. But not so many people are aware of his relationship with Hanne Norgaard.
Norgaard and Elba came to the United States of America with their American dream and their love. While their American dream worked out very well, their love did not.
Here is everything you need to know about Idris Elba’s first wife.
Who Is Hanne Norgaard?
Hanne Norgaard is known to many as Idris Elba’s first wife and the mother to one of his two kids. She was born on April 5, 1977, in the United Kingdom. Her mother is from South Korea, and her father is an African American. She grew up in South Korea, England, and the USA.
Hanne Kim Norgaard is a British-American professional makeup artist, businesswoman, and writer. She has been in the game for at least three decades. But besides being a makeup artist, Norgaard is a blogger, educator, and writer.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Norgaard founded a cosmetic brand, Kim Elba Cosmetics. She is also the founder of Makeup Your Mind Inc. She founded the Kim Elba Makeup Artistry NY in 2007. Even though she works in the beauty and entertainment industry, she avoids public attention.
Between 2004 and 2006, Norgaard attended the SC Institute in Washington, DC. She graduated with a Diploma with the Highest Honors in Makeup Artistry. She later attended the International Makeup Academy in Europe and obtained a Diploma with the Highest Honor in Makeup, Hair, Nails, and Special Effects.
Hanne Norgaard Career
Norgaard started her career as a model when she was a teenager. With a desire to explore the world, she came to London on her own and started modeling. Her parents were keen on her getting a good education. They insisted that she study make-up artistry to ensure that she could stay in the beauty and fashion world in which she was interested.
After her marriage to Idris Elba, they moved to New York in 1999. She worked for movies, television shows, fashion shows, and magazine shoots. However, her career path slowed down after her separation from her husband in 2003, but in 2007 she kick-started it again with her beauty initiative ‘Make Up Your Mind.’
Through this service, Norgaard and her team of expert make-up artists and hairstylists offer clients a vast range of make-up services, including accompanying clients on shoots, different hair styling, and personal styling. Another unique offering of this service is make-up parties, where they help women host parties during their holidays to learn make-up and enhance their holiday looks.
She has collaborated with brands such as Ralph Lauren, Rolling Out, Columbia Tristar, Sean Combs, BBC, Calvin Klein, and BET. Her celebrity clientele includes Robin Williams, Idris Elba, and Shaquille O’Neal. In 2016, she received the BEFFTA Lifetime Achievement Award.
Hanne Norgaard and Idris Elba Relationship
Norgaard and Idris Elba met in London and started dating before relocating to the USA in 1999. She was 22 years old, while her partner was 27 then. They later married that year. However, they broke up a year after their daughter’s birth and four years after exchanging their vows.
Hanne Norgaard and Idris Elba remained friends and are involved in raising their daughter. They publicly celebrated their daughter’s 16th birthday in 2018. Ten years after her divorce from the famous actor, Hanne Norgaard became a wife again. She got married to Pastor Andrew L. Friar II. in 2013.
The marriage celebration ended in a romantic yacht cruise. On their first marriage anniversary, Norgaard said that her husband was a special gift from God to her. She added that she was astounded by his love of God, patience, understanding, and confidence.
Idris Elba also got married after their divorce. He married Sanya Nicole Hamlin in 2006, but they divorced a few weeks later. He remained unmarried until 2019, when he tied the knot with Sabrina Dhowre.
Who Is Hanne Norgaard’s Daughter, Isan Elba?
Isan Elba is an American celebrity kid and philanthropist. She was born in the United States on January 5, 2002, to Idris Elba and his first wife, makeup artist and businesswoman Hanne Kim Nørgaard.
Isan was selected as the ‘2019 Golden Globe Ambassador’ for the Golden Globe Awards ceremony, where she represented the organization’s philanthropic arm. Inspired by Taraji P. Henson, she got involved with the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, which aims at eradicating the stigma around mental health issues in the African-American community.
Isan Elba, whose 17th birthday coincided with the awards ceremony, looks forward to a career in the entertainment industry as a filmmaker, actor, and musician apart from her role as a mental health advocate.