Common
Acting
Born March 13, 1972 · Chicago, Illinois, USA
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.
Films (91)
W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause
2026
Boo-Yah: A Portrait of Stuart Scott
2025
Wick Is Pain
2025
Diane Warren: Relentless
2025
Bilal: Live at Glasshaus
2024
Live from Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central
2024
Hip-Hop and the White House
2024
Breathe
2024
A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop
2023
Fool's Paradise
2023
The Legacy of J Dilla
2023
Chris Rock: Road To Live Special
2023
Between Riverside and Crazy
2023
Killing Me Softly with His Songs
2022
Alice
2022
You're Watching Video Music Box
2021
2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
2021
Ava
2020
A Most Beautiful Thing
2020
Let's Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince
2020
One World: Together at Home
2020
The Informer
2019
The Price of Protest
2019
The Kitchen
2019
Here and Now
2018
Hunter Killer
2018
The Hate U Give
2018
All About Nina
2018
Saint Judy
2018
Smallfoot
2018
Ocean's Eight
2018
The Tale
2018
Love Beats Rhymes
2017
Girls Trip
2017
The Words That Built America
2017
Chamber Check: Evolution of a Fight Scene
2017
Misdirection: The Real Magic
2017
Megan Leavey
2017
Feel Rich: Health Is the New Wealth
2017
A Happening of Monumental Proportions
2017
Chasing Trane
2017
John Wick: Chapter 2
2017
BET Presents Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration
2016
Letter to the Free
2016
Black America Again
2016
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
2016
We're Still Here (Now).... A Documentary about nobody
2016
Suicide Squad
2016
VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens
2016
Being Charlie
2016
Barbershop: The Next Cut
2016
Two Trains Runnin'
2016
The Wiz Live!
2015
Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives
2015
Unity
2015
Entourage
2015
Run All Night
2015
Selma
2014
Every Secret Thing
2014
X/Y
2014
Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton: This Is Stones Throw Records
2013
Now You See Me
2013
Pawn
2013
Movie 43
2013
LUV
2013
The Odd Life of Timothy Green
2012
Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap
2012
New Year's Eve
2011
Happy Feet Two
2011
Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
2011
Music
2010
Just Wright
2010
Bouncing Cats
2010
Date Night
2010
Brave New Voices 2010
2010
Terminator Salvation
2009
Wanted
2008
Street Kings
2008
American Gangster
2007
Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life
2007
Smokin' Aces
2006
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
2005
Letter to the President
2005
![Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w342/iJoIAh8NaChoVN0GRYVHaa4Yxlq.jpg)
Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]
2005
Soundz of Spirit
2005
The Notorious B.I.G BET Official presents
2005
5 Sides of a Coin
2004
Godfathers and Sons
2003
Beef
2003
Brown Sugar
2002
Pete Rock: Soul Survivor
1998