Common

Acting

Common

Born March 13, 1972Chicago, Illinois, USA153 credits

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". 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

Wick Is Pain
2025Wick Is Pain
as SelfMovie
Breathe
2024Breathe
as DariusMovie
Justice, USA
2024Justice, USA
Executive ProducerTV
Fool's Paradise
2023Fool's Paradise
as The DaggerMovie
Silo
2023Silo
as Robert SimsTV
The Legacy of J Dilla
2023The Legacy of J Dilla
as Self - Rapper; FriendMovie
StoryBots: Answer Time
2022StoryBots: Answer Time
as Mr. WonderfulTV
Alice
2022Alice
as FrankMovie
Glitter Ain't Gold
2022Glitter Ain't Gold
Executive ProducerMovie
jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy
2022jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy
as Self (archive footage)TV
You're Watching Video Music Box
2021You're Watching Video Music Box
as Self (archive footage)Movie
Obama
2020Obama
as SelfTV
Ava
2020Ava
as MichaelMovie
Never Have I Ever
2020Never Have I Ever
as Dr. Chris JacksonTV
Tamron Hall
2019Tamron Hall
as Self - GuestTV
The Informer
2019The Informer
as GrensMovie
The Price of Protest
2019The Price of Protest
as Self (archive footage)Movie
The Kitchen
2019The Kitchen
as Gary SilversMovie
Here and Now
2018Here and Now
as BenMovie
Shut Up and Dribble
2018Shut Up and Dribble
as Self - MusicianTV
Hunter Killer
2018Hunter Killer
as RA John FiskMovie
The Hate U Give
2018The Hate U Give
as Uncle CarlosMovie
All About Nina
2018All About Nina
as RafeMovie
Saint Judy
2018Saint Judy
as Benjamin AdebayoMovie
Smallfoot
2018Smallfoot
as Stonekeeper (voice)Movie
Ocean's Eight
2018Ocean's Eight
as CommonMovie
The Tale
2018The Tale
as MartinMovie
The Chi
2018The Chi
as RafiqTV
Love Beats Rhymes
2017Love Beats Rhymes
as ColtraneMovie
Girls Trip
2017Girls Trip
as CommonMovie
The Words That Built America
2017The Words That Built America
as Self - Reader: Declaration of IndependenceMovie
Megan Leavey
2017Megan Leavey
as Gunny MartinMovie
Chasing Trane
2017Chasing Trane
as Self - MusicianMovie
Black America Again
2016Black America Again
as Himself - Street PerformerMovie
Suicide Squad
2016Suicide Squad
as Monster TMovie
Chelsea
2016Chelsea
as SelfTV
Being Charlie
2016Being Charlie
as TravisMovie
Two Trains Runnin'
2016Two Trains Runnin'
as NarratorMovie
The Wiz Live!
2015The Wiz Live!
as The BouncerMovie
Unity
2015Unity
as Narrator (voice)Movie
Entourage
2015Entourage
as CommonMovie
Run All Night
2015Run All Night
as Mr. PriceMovie
Framework
2015Framework
as Himself - HostTV
Selma
2014Selma
as James BevelMovie
Every Secret Thing
2014Every Secret Thing
as Devlin HatchMovie
X/Y
2014X/Y
as JasonMovie
Now You See Me
2013Now You See Me
as EvansMovie
Pawn
2013Pawn
as Jeff PorterMovie
Movie 43
2013Movie 43
as Bob Mone (segment "The Pitch")Movie
LUV
2013LUV
as Uncle VincentMovie
The Mindy Project
2012The Mindy Project
as Security GuardTV
New Year's Eve
2011New Year's Eve
as SoldierMovie
Happy Feet Two
2011Happy Feet Two
as Seymour (voice)Movie
Hell on Wheels
2011Hell on Wheels
as Elam FergusonTV
Music
2010Music
as SelfMovie
Just Wright
2010Just Wright
as Scott McKnightMovie
B
2010Bouncing Cats
as NarratorMovie
Date Night
2010Date Night
as CollinsMovie
Brave New Voices 2010
2010Brave New Voices 2010
as Himself - HostMovie
Wanted
2008Wanted
as The GunsmithMovie
Street Kings
2008Street Kings
as CoatesMovie
American Gangster
2007American Gangster
as Turner LucasMovie
Smokin' Aces
2006Smokin' Aces
as Sir IvyMovie
Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]
2005Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]
as Self (segment "Two Words")Movie
5 Sides of a Coin
20045 Sides of a Coin
as HimselfMovie
Game Over
2004Game Over
as Himself (voice)TV
Beef
2003Beef
as SelfMovie
Brown Sugar
2002Brown Sugar
as SelfMovie
Scrubs
2001Scrubs
as CommonTV
One on One
2001One on One
as DariusTV
Mark Twain Prize
1999Mark Twain Prize
as Self - Musical GuestTV
The View
1997The View
as SelfTV
MTV Movie & TV Awards
1992MTV Movie & TV Awards
as Self - PresenterTV
The Simpsons
1989The Simpsons
as Common (voice)TV
MTV Video Music Awards
1984MTV Video Music Awards
as Self - PresenterTV
Saturday Night Live
1975Saturday Night Live
as Self - Cameo (uncredited)TV