Skip to content
Join free
Common
Actor

Common

13 Mar 1972Born
54Age
71Credits
Chicago, Illinois, USABirthplace

Biography

Lonnie Rashid Lynn (born March 13, 1972), known by his stage name Common (formerly Common Sense), is an American rapper and actor. He has received three Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award.

He debuted in 1992 with the album Can I Borrow a Dollar?, and gained critical acclaim with his 1994 album Resurrection. He maintained an underground following into the late 1990s. He achieved mainstream success through his work with the Soulquarians.

His first major-label album Like Water for Chocolate (2000), received commercial success. In 2003, he won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for the Erykah Badu single "Love of My Life".

Read the full biography

His 2005 album Be was also a commercial success and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2006 Grammy Awards. Common received his second Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Southside" (featuring Kanye West), from his 2007 album Finding Forever. His best-of album, Thisisme Then: The Best of Common, was released in late 2007. In 2011, Common launched Think Common Entertainment, his own record label imprint, having previously released music under various other labels including Relativity, Geffen, and GOOD Music.

Common won the 2015 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and the Academy Award for Best Original Song, for his song, co-written and performed with John Legend, "Glory" from the 2014 film Selma, in which he co-starred as Civil Rights Movement leader James Bevel. Common's acting career also includes roles in the films Smokin' Aces, Street Kings, American Gangster, Wanted, Terminator Salvation, Date Night, Just Wright, Happy Feet Two, New Year's Eve, Run All Night, Being Charlie, Rex, John Wick: Chapter 2, Smallfoot and Hunter Killer. He also narrated the documentary Bouncing Cats, about one man's efforts to improve the lives of children in Uganda through hip-hop/b-boy culture. He starred as Elam Ferguson on the AMC western television series Hell on Wheels.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Common (rapper), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known for

Filmography

  1. TBAHate to See You GoFilm
  2. 2026Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball AssociationSeries: Narrator (voice) (4 episodes)
  3. 2024Hip-Hop and the White HouseFilm
  4. 2024BreatheFilm: Darius
  5. 2023Fool's ParadiseFilm: The Dagger
  6. 2023SiloSeries: Robert Sims (31 episodes)
  7. 2023Between Riverside and CrazyFilm: Junior
  8. 2022StoryBots: Answer TimeSeries: Mr. Wonderful (1 episode)
  9. 2022AliceFilm: Frank
  10. 2020Bookmarks: Celebrating Black VoicesSeries (1 episode)
  11. 2020AvaFilm: Michael
  12. 2020Home Movie: The Princess BrideSeries: Westley (1 episode)
  13. 2020Never Have I EverSeries: Dr. Chris Jackson (4 episodes)
  14. 2019The InformerFilm: Grens
  15. 2019The KitchenFilm: Gary Silvers
  16. 2018Here and NowFilm: Ben
  17. 2018Hunter KillerFilm: RA John Fisk
  18. 2018The Hate U GiveFilm: Uncle Carlos
  19. 2018All About NinaFilm: Rafe
  20. 2018Saint JudyFilm: Benjamin Adebayo
  21. 2018SmallfootFilm: Stonekeeper (voice)
  22. 2018Ocean's EightFilm: Common
  23. 2018The TaleFilm: Martin
  24. 2018The ChiSeries: Rafiq (4 episodes)
  25. 2017Love Beats RhymesFilm: Coltrane
  26. 2017Girls TripFilm: Common
  27. 2017Misdirection: The Real MagicFilm: Narrator
  28. 2017Megan LeaveyFilm: Gunny Martin
  29. 2017A Happening of Monumental ProportionsFilm: Daniel
  30. 2017John Wick: Chapter 2Film: Cassian
  31. 2016Letter to the FreeFilm
  32. 2016Suicide SquadFilm: Monster T
  33. 2016VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the QueensFilm
  34. 2016Being CharlieFilm: Travis
  35. 2016Barbershop: The Next CutFilm: Jabari
  36. 2016Two Trains Runnin'Film: Narrator
  37. 2015The Wiz Live!Film: The Bouncer
  38. 2015Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed LivesFilm
  39. 2015UnityFilm: Narrator (voice)
  40. 2015EntourageFilm: Common
  41. 2015Run All NightFilm: Mr. Price
  42. 2014SelmaFilm: James Bevel
  43. 2014Every Secret ThingFilm: Devlin Hatch
  44. 2014X/YFilm: Jason
  45. 2013Now You See MeFilm: Evans
  46. 2013PawnFilm: Jeff Porter
  47. 2013Movie 43Film: Bob Mone (segment "The Pitch")
  48. 2013LUVFilm: Uncle Vincent
  49. 2012The Mindy ProjectSeries: Security Guard (1 episode)
  50. 2012The Odd Life of Timothy GreenFilm: Coach Cal
  51. 2011New Year's EveFilm: Soldier
  52. 2011Happy Feet TwoFilm: Seymour (voice)
  53. 2011Hell on WheelsSeries: Elam Ferguson (43 episodes)
  54. 2010Just WrightFilm: Scott McKnight
  55. 2010Bouncing CatsFilm: Narrator
  56. 2010Date NightFilm: Collins
  57. 2009Terminator SalvationFilm: Barnes
  58. 2008WantedFilm: The Gunsmith
  59. 2008Street KingsFilm: Coates
  60. 2007American GangsterFilm: Turner Lucas
  61. 2006Smokin' AcesFilm: Sir Ivy
  62. 2005Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N OutSeries (2 episodes)
  63. 2005Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]Film: Airline Employee (segment "All Falls Down")
  64. 2005The Notorious B.I.G BET Official presentsFilm
  65. 2003Chappelle's ShowSeries (1 episode)
  66. 2001ScrubsSeries: Common (1 episode)
  67. 2000GirlfriendsSeries: Omar (1 episode)
  68. 1998Pete Rock: Soul SurvivorFilm: Common
  69. 1998TRLSeries (1 episode)
  70. 1997The Chris Rock ShowSeries (1 episode)
  71. 1989The SimpsonsSeries: Common (voice) (1 episode)

Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.