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Personal Info

Gender

Male

Birthday

1972-03-13 (53 years old)

Place of Birth

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Common

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.

Known For

Acting

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

The Informer as Grens
The Kitchen as Gary Silvers
Saint Judy as Benjamin Adebayo
The Price of Protest as Self (archive footage)
Tamron Hall as Self - Guest

2018

Hunter Killer as RA John Fisk
The Tale as Martin
Smallfoot as Stonekeeper (voice)
The Hate U Give as Uncle Carlos
Ocean's Eight as Common
Shut Up and Dribble as Self - Musician
The Chi as Rafiq

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

LUV as Uncle Vincent
Movie 43 as Bob Mone (segment "The Pitch")
Pawn as Jeff Porter

2012

2011

2010

Date Night as Collins
Just Wright as Scott McKnight
Bouncing Cats as Narrator
Brave New Voices 2010 as Himself - Host
Music as Self

2009

2008

Street Kings as Coates
Wanted as The Gunsmith

2007

2006

2005

2004

Game Over as Himself (voice)

2003

2002

Brown Sugar as Self

2001

One on One as Darius
Scrubs as Common

2000

1998

1997

1996

1993

1992

1989

The Simpsons as Common (voice)

1988

1986

1984

MTV Video Music Awards as Self - Presenter

1981

1975

Saturday Night Live as Self - Cameo (uncredited)

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Production

2024

Justice, USA as Executive Producer

2022

Alice as Executive Producer
Glitter Ain't Gold as Executive Producer

2016

Two Trains Runnin' as Executive Producer

Sound

2024

Four Letters as Music

2022

Alice as Original Music Composer

2014

Selma as Songs