Common
Acting • Born 1972-03-13
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". 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.
Filmography
153 credits
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Movie • 2005
Self
Terminator Salvation
Movie • 2009
Barnes
Street Kings
Movie • 2008
Coates
Fool's Paradise
Movie • 2023
The Dagger
American Gangster
Movie • 2007
Turner Lucas
Between Riverside and Crazy
Movie • 2023
Junior
Smokin' Aces
Movie • 2006
Sir Ivy
Wanted
Movie • 2008
The Gunsmith
![Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/iJoIAh8NaChoVN0GRYVHaa4Yxlq.jpg)
Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]
Movie • 2005
Self (segment "Two Words")
Chris Rock: Road To Live Special
Movie • 2023
Self
Date Night
Movie • 2010
Collins
Just Wright
Movie • 2010
Scott McKnight
2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Movie • 2021
Self
You're Watching Video Music Box
Movie • 2021
Self (archive footage)
Happy Feet Two
Movie • 2011
Seymour (voice)
Beef
Movie • 2003
Self
Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
Movie • 2011
Self
The Odd Life of Timothy Green
Movie • 2012
Coach Cal
LUV
Movie • 2013
Uncle Vincent
Now You See Me
Movie • 2013
Evans
The Legacy of J Dilla
Movie • 2023
Self - Rapper; Friend
Movie 43
Movie • 2013
Bob Mone (segment "The Pitch")
The Notorious B.I.G BET Official presents
Movie • 2005
Pawn
Movie • 2013
Jeff Porter
Chamber Check: Evolution of a Fight Scene
Movie • 2017
Self
Bouncing Cats
Movie • 2010
Narrator
Run All Night
Movie • 2015
Mr. Price
Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton: This Is Stones Throw Records
Movie • 2013
Self
Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap
Movie • 2012
Self
X/Y
Movie • 2014
Jason
Breathe
Movie • 2024
Darius
Selma
Movie • 2014
James Bevel
5 Sides of a Coin
Movie • 2004
Himself
Diane Warren: Relentless
Movie • 2025
Self
Killing Me Softly with His Songs
Movie • 2022
Self
A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop
Movie • 2023
Self
Barbershop: The Next Cut
Movie • 2016
Jabari
Every Secret Thing
Movie • 2014
Devlin Hatch
Suicide Squad
Movie • 2016
Monster T
Entourage
Movie • 2015
Common
Unity
Movie • 2015
Narrator (voice)
The Wiz Live!
Movie • 2015
The Bouncer
Being Charlie
Movie • 2016
Travis
Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives
Movie • 2015
Hip-Hop and the White House
Movie • 2024
Love Beats Rhymes
Movie • 2017
Coltrane
John Wick: Chapter 2
Movie • 2017
Cassian
Two Trains Runnin'
Movie • 2016
Narrator
Live from Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central
Movie • 2024
Self
Hunter Killer
Movie • 2018
RA John Fisk
New Year's Eve
Movie • 2011
Soldier
Megan Leavey
Movie • 2017
Gunny Martin
A Happening of Monumental Proportions
Movie • 2017
Daniel
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
Movie • 2016
Self
Chasing Trane
Movie • 2017
Self - Musician
Misdirection: The Real Magic
Movie • 2017
Narrator
The Informer
Movie • 2019
Grens
Girls Trip
Movie • 2017
Common
The Words That Built America
Movie • 2017
Self - Reader: Declaration of Independence
Brown Sugar
Movie • 2002
Self
Feel Rich: Health Is the New Wealth
Movie • 2017
Himself
All About Nina
Movie • 2018
Rafe
The Tale
Movie • 2018
Martin
Here and Now
Movie • 2018
Ben
Smallfoot
Movie • 2018
Stonekeeper (voice)
The Hate U Give
Movie • 2018
Uncle Carlos
Black America Again
Movie • 2016
Himself - Street Performer
BET Presents Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration
Movie • 2016
Self - Performer
Ocean's Eight
Movie • 2018
Common
The Kitchen
Movie • 2019
Gary Silvers
Ava
Movie • 2020
Michael
Saint Judy
Movie • 2018
Benjamin Adebayo
Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]
Movie • 2005
Airline Employee (segment "All Falls Down")
Brave New Voices 2010
Movie • 2010
Himself - Host
Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life
Movie • 2007
Self
Music
Movie • 2010
Self
The Price of Protest
Movie • 2019
Self (archive footage)
A Most Beautiful Thing
Movie • 2020
Narrator
Let's Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince
Movie • 2020
Self
Letter to the President
Movie • 2005
Self
Letter to the Free
Movie • 2016
Alice
Movie • 2022
Frank
Pete Rock: Soul Survivor
Movie • 1998
Common
Hate to See You Go
Movie
One World: Together at Home
Movie • 2020
Self
Soundz of Spirit
Movie • 2005
Self
Paragraphs I Manifest
Movie
Self
Bilal: Live at Glasshaus
Movie • 2024
Self
Wick Is Pain
Movie • 2025
Self
Godfathers and Sons
Movie • 2003
Self
VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens
Movie • 2016
Boo-Yah: A Portrait of Stuart Scott
Movie • 2025
Self
We're Still Here (Now).... A Documentary about nobody
Movie • 2016
Self
Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association
Movie
Self/Narrator
W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause
Movie • 2026
Self
Dave Chappelle's Block Party 2
Movie
Self
Hell on Wheels
TV • 2011
Elam Ferguson
One on One
TV • 2001
Darius
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
TV • 2003
Self
Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out
TV • 2005
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
TV • 1988
Girlfriends
TV • 2000
Omar
Tamron Hall
TV • 2019
Self - Guest
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
TV • 1992
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
TV • 1993
Self - Guest
I Love the '70s: Volume 2
TV • 2006
Self
Shut Up and Dribble
TV • 2018
Self - Musician
Never Have I Ever
TV • 2020
Dr. Chris Jackson
jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy
TV • 2022
Self (archive footage)
Black in the 80s
TV • 2005
Self
TRL
TV • 1998
Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975
Self - Cameo (uncredited)
Framework
TV • 2015
Himself - Host
The Daily Show
TV • 1996
Self
MTV Video Music Awards
TV • 1984
Self - Presenter
Lip Sync Battle
TV • 2015
Self
The Mindy Project
TV • 2012
Security Guard
The Chris Rock Show
TV • 1997
America Divided
TV • 2016
Self
Game Over
TV • 2004
Himself (voice)
Chelsea
TV • 2016
Self
American Masters
TV • 1986
Self
The Jennifer Hudson Show
TV • 2022
Self - Guest
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
TV • 2015
Self - Guest
The Kelly Clarkson Show
TV • 2019
Self
Late Night with Seth Meyers
TV • 2014
Self - Guest
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
TV • 2014
Self
The View
TV • 1997
Self
Entertainment Tonight
TV • 1981
Self
Activate: The Global Citizen Movement
TV • 2019
Self
StoryBots: Answer Time
TV • 2022
Mr. Wonderful
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
TV • 2015
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
TV • 2009
Self - Guest
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Common (voice)
Real Time with Bill Maher
TV • 2003
Self
Off Camera with Sam Jones
TV • 2014
Self
Silo
TV • 2023
Robert Sims
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
TV • 2007
Self
Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices
TV • 2020
Home Movie: The Princess Bride
TV • 2020
Westley
Chappelle's Show
TV • 2003
Bottomless Brunch at Colman's
TV • 2020
Self
The Chi
TV • 2018
Rafiq
Evolution of the Black Quarterback
TV • 2024
Self
Fraggle Rock: Rock On!
TV • 2020
Self
Mark Twain Prize
TV • 1999
Self - Musical Guest
Obama
TV • 2020
Self
MTV Movie & TV Awards
TV • 1992
Self - Presenter
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
TV • 2014
Self - Musical Guest
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
TV • 2003
Self
Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association
TV • 2026
Narrator (voice)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
TV • 2015
Self - Musical Guest
Scrubs
TV • 2001
Common