For years, Hanne Norgaard has appeared in stories about Idris Elba as his first wife. It is a familiar introduction, but it gives only a small part of the picture. Known professionally as Kim Elba, she worked as a makeup artist and established a beauty business. She is also the mother of Isan Elba, whose appointment as the 2019 Golden Globe Ambassador brought fresh attention to the family.
Norgaard has kept much of her personal life private. That leaves readers with fewer interviews than they might expect and plenty of online claims that are difficult to check. Her known work and family milestones still make for a worthwhile story. They show a woman who built a professional identity while living close to a world of growing fame, then watched her daughter begin to find a path of her own.
Quick Bio
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Hanne Norgaard |
| Also known as | Hanne “Kim” Nørgaard; Kim Elba |
| Profession | Makeup artist and businesswoman |
| Known for | Her beauty career and former marriage to Idris Elba |
| Former spouse | Idris Elba |
| Marriage period | 1999–2003 |
| Daughter | Isan Elba |
| Daughter’s distinction | 2019 Golden Globe Ambassador |
| Business | Makeup Your Mind, Inc. |
| Business formed | 2007 in Georgia, USA |
Who Is Hanne Norgaard?
Norgaard is also known as Hanne “Kim” Nørgaard and Kim Elba. The different names appear in accounts of her family life, makeup career and business. Her daughter Isan has referred to her as “Hanne Kim”. For someone searching online, the name changes can make a straightforward biography seem more complicated than it is.
She became widely known because of her marriage to actor Idris Elba. They were married from 1999 to 2003 and share one daughter, Isan. Their relationship belongs to an earlier chapter of Elba’s life, before the level of public attention that later surrounded his career and family.
As that attention grew, Norgaard’s name appeared more often in articles about the actor. Many introduced her through the marriage and moved on. Readers were left knowing who she had married, but little about the work she pursued herself.
Her beauty career provides that missing part of the picture. She promoted her services as a makeup artist under the name Kim Elba and was connected to a company called Makeup Your Mind, Inc. When the Golden Globes later introduced Isan’s parents, it described her mother as a makeup artist and businesswoman.
There is less dependable information about Norgaard’s childhood and early training. Some biographies provide precise details without showing where they came from. Her marriage, company and professional profile give a clearer account of the years that are visible to the public.
The Makeup Career Behind the Name Kim Elba
A makeup artist often works just outside the frame. People see the finished look in a photograph or at an event, but may never learn who helped create it. For an independent artist, being found by new clients is part of the job. That means showing past work and making it easy for people to get in touch.
Norgaard did that through a professional portfolio under the name Kim Elba. Created in 2008, the profile introduced her as a makeup artist and the owner of Makeup Your Mind, Inc. It presented her work to potential clients and invited enquiries about bookings.
Like any professional portfolio, the page reflects how its owner chose to describe her experience. It gives a useful view of Norgaard’s working identity, though it cannot independently confirm every individual assignment mentioned there. The company itself has a separate official record.
Makeup Your Mind, Inc. was formed in Georgia on 13 November 2007. Later company paperwork lists Kim Elba in its leadership. The filings do not reveal how many clients the business served or what it earned. They do show that her beauty work had a formal business behind it.
There is more to running such a business than applying makeup. An artist must find clients, arrange work and build trust in a service that is often booked for important occasions. Norgaard’s portfolio and company show how she put her professional name in front of the people who might hire her.
Her former marriage may have made that name familiar to the wider public, but it does not explain the work. The makeup services and company were professional steps she took herself. They remain central to any account of her life, even though a complete list of her projects is not publicly available.
Idris Elba, Isan and a Family Milestone
Hanne Norgaard and Idris Elba have not shared a detailed public account of their former marriage. The dates and their connection through Isan are known. Stories about private conversations or the reasons their relationship ended are much harder to establish.
A later event brought both parents into the same happy family story. In November 2018, Isan Elba was selected as the Golden Globe Ambassador for the 2019 awards season. The role involved helping during the ceremony and supporting a cause she cared about.
Isan recalled hearing the news from her father and checking with her mother to make sure it was real. Kim confirmed it. Before the announcement reached the public, it was an exciting moment for a daughter sharing news with her parents.
Isan chose mental health as the issue she wanted to discuss during her ambassadorship. She spoke about the need for more open conversation among young people and in the African American community. In interviews, she also explained that conversations with her mother had made the subject personal to her.
Those comments came from Isan’s perspective. They help explain her choice of cause and offer a glimpse of her relationship with Norgaard. They do not make every aspect of her mother’s private life public.
The Golden Globes announcement gave Isan a platform of her own. It also introduced Norgaard to some readers in a fuller way. She appeared as Isan’s mother and as a beauty professional, two parts of her life brought together by her daughter’s achievement.
Her Daughter’s Path and Norgaard’s Life Today
Isan has continued to speak about the future she wants for herself. In a 2023 interview, she discussed studying film and her ambition to become a producer. She described her parents as important to her and acknowledged her mother’s support.
Norgaard’s documented career is in beauty, while Isan has expressed an interest in working behind the camera. Their ambitions are different, but Isan’s interviews show that her mother has remained part of the way she tells her own story.
The public picture of Norgaard’s current work is less detailed. Her older portfolio establishes that she offered makeup services at the time it was created. Company documents record facts about the business when they were filed. Neither gives a complete account of the projects she may be working on today.
That gap has encouraged some websites to publish exact claims about her income and personal life without dependable support. Such details may sound convincing when they appear repeatedly, but repetition does not make them true.
What is known is more useful than a collection of guesses. Norgaard pursued makeup artistry, established a company associated with her work and raised a daughter who has spoken publicly of her support. She has allowed parts of her story to be seen while keeping other parts to herself.
Conclusion
Hanne Norgaard is linked to a famous actor, but that connection does not tell her whole story. As Kim Elba, she worked in makeup and built a business around her professional skills. As Isan’s mother, she has appeared in the background of some of her daughter’s biggest public moments. Norgaard has kept much of her life private, yet the parts we can see reveal a career and a family story that stand on their own.
Also read: Arnette Jens: The Actress Behind the Film Credits and a Famous Acting Family
(FAQs)
Who is Hanne Norgaard?
Hanne Norgaard is a makeup artist and businesswoman also known as Hanne “Kim” Nørgaard or Kim Elba. She is Idris Elba’s former wife and the mother of their daughter, Isan.
What business is she associated with?
She is associated with Makeup Your Mind, Inc., a company formed in Georgia in 2007 and connected to her makeup work.
When were Hanne Norgaard and Idris Elba married?
They were married from 1999 to 2003. They have one daughter together.
Who is their daughter?
Their daughter is Isan Elba. She was selected as the 2019 Golden Globe Ambassador and has spoken about her interest in film production.
Is Hanne Norgaard still working as a makeup artist?
Her past makeup work is documented, but there is no clear, detailed public account of the services or projects she is working on now.
