How tall was Nelson Mandela?

The Guardian reports that Nelson Mandela was 6 feet 4 inches tall. For the film "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" Idris Elba was chosen to portray Mandela partly because of his tall stature.

Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa's first democratically elected president on May 10, 1994 after being imprisoned for 28 years. He was a tireless advocate of democracy, equality and learning. He believed strongly in never answering racism with racism. He served one term as president until 1999. After voluntarily stepping down, he continued his work with the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund and founded the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Mandela Rhodes Foundation. He died in Johannesburg on Dec. 5, 2013.