Who is Hanne Norgaard?

Born on April 5, 1977 in London, England, Hanne Norgaard is a professional makeup artist, but best known as the ex-wife of actor Idris Elba. Her husband is known for several prominent film projects such as ‘Star Trek Beyond’, ‘Zootopia’, ‘The Jungle Book’ American Gangster’ and ‘Nelson Mandela’. He was also part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as the character Heimdall.

Hanne Norgaard’s net worth

As of early 2020, Hanne Norgaard’s net worth is estimated to be over $250,000, largely earned through success as a makeup artist and in business.

After her divorce from Elba, she resumed her career by starting solo business projects that paid off for her. She also likely benefited from her former husband’s success, with Idris’ net worth reportedly exceeding $25 million.

Beginning of early life, education and career

Growing up, Hanne lived in different parts of the world and spent some time in South Korea due to her mother’s heritage, as well as England. Her father is of African American and Danish descent. The family then settled in Atlanta, Georgia, USA where she took an interest in modeling.

Her dream was soon realized at a young age, when she started pursuing professional modeling projects as a teenager. To expand her opportunities, she moved from home to London to further her career. However, her parents wanted her to continue her education as modeling was not a lifelong career. As a result, she enrolled in the International Artist Make Up Academy in London, as her parents agreed that she could take this course to stay in the beauty world even if her modeling career failed.

Makeup career and business

After completing her studies, she quickly transitioned to a career in make-up as she was offered a permanent position with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) shortly after graduating.

The company is the UK’s oldest national broadcaster and is well established around the world, with global coverage through numerous sister companies and subsidiaries. She stayed there for a year and then was hired by Columbia TriStar in London when the company didn’t even exist bought by Sony Pictures. During her time there, she worked on several film projects.

She eventually met and married Idris Elba in 1999, following him as his career in the country blossomed. When he moved to the US due to greater opportunities in Hollywood, she followed suit and the couple stayed in New York and did numerous projects there.

She got involved in working for fashion shows, television shows, magazines and movies, eventually becoming the makeup artist for several high profile celebrities such as Robin Williams, Geena Davis and Hugh Laurie. She also worked for big fashion brands like Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren – to market herself, she went by the name Kim Elba to make it easier for people to remember her.

Recent projects

Eventually, as Idris found more work, Hanne took a step back from her own and focused on family life and supporting her husband. Things eventually came to a head with their relationship, and the two separated in 2003, leading to a divorce.

A few years after the divorce, she recovered and started her career again and returned to the makeup industry with the project “Make up your mind”. For the program, she teamed up with other hair stylists and makeup artists to provide numerous services to potential clients. The group quickly became known and was hired for parties, especially during holidays.

After a few years, her expertise became highly sought after and she was hired as a consultant and makeup artist for the event.My black is beautiful”, which aimed to showcase beauty by featuring countless black women and help change the “normal” perception of what is beautiful.

She also started earning a more sustainable form of income through a business and launched a cosmetics line called Kim Elba Cosmetics. The main selling point of her products is that no animals were harmed in their creation and they were also sold free of parabens, a type of preservative. She has also appeared as a guest on several television programs.

Ex-husband – Idris Elba

Idris found his start in acting in the UK, when he was part of numerous BBC hits, including the show “Luther” in which he played the titular character. Eventually, his ability led to him being cast in projects in the US, including the show “The Wire” in which he played the character Stringer Bell.

After his work there he had a string of it high profile projects, including collaborations with director Ridley Scott in “American Gangster” and “Prometheus”.

In 2011, he became a part of the MCU when he was cast in “Thor”. He resumed his role in subsequent “Thor” films, also appearing in “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Avengers: Infinity War”. Other notable projects he has had are ‘Molly’s Game’, ‘Pacific Rim’ and ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’ in which he played the political leader Nelson Mandela. Besides acting, he also works as a radio personality, going by the name DJ Big Riis or Big Driis the Londoner.

He is one of the world’s highest-grossing actors, with his projects earning $9.8 billion internationally.

Private life

Hanne met Idris while they were working on a project together in the UK. During their marriage, they had two children, both of whom remain in the care of Kim – she now lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She never spoke of the reason for their divorce, but the two remain friends even after they split, meeting occasionally, usually before the big events in their children’s lives. In the 2010s, she met and began a relationship with Andrew L. Friar II, a pastor. The two got married in 2013 in a wedding held on a yacht. She is a Christian and the two run a ministry together.