Common
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
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.
Acting
Paragraphs I Manifest
as Self
(2025)
Wick Is Pain
as Self
(2025)
Diane Warren: Relentless
as Self
(2024)
Breathe
as Darius
(2024)
(2024)
(2024)
Bilal: Live at Glasshaus
as Self
(2023)
Fool's Paradise
as The Dagger
(2023)
The Legacy of J Dilla
as Self - Rapper; Friend
(2023)
(2023)
(2023)
Between Riverside and Crazy
as Junior
(2022)
Alice
as Frank
(2022)
(2021)
(2021)
You're Watching Video Music Box
as Self (archive footage)
(2020)
Ava
as Michael
(2020)
One World: Together at Home
as Self
(2020)
(2020)
A Most Beautiful Thing
as Narrator
(2019)
The Informer
as Grens
(2019)
The Kitchen
as Gary Silvers
(2019)
Saint Judy
as Benjamin Adebayo
(2019)
The Price of Protest
as Self (archive footage)
(2018)
Ocean's Eight
as Common
(2018)
Hunter Killer
as RA John Fisk
(2018)
The Hate U Give
as Uncle Carlos
(2018)
Smallfoot
as Stonekeeper (voice)
(2018)
The Tale
as Martin
(2018)
All About Nina
as Rafe
(2018)
Here and Now
as Ben
(2017)
John Wick: Chapter 2
as Cassian
(2017)
Girls Trip
as Common
(2017)
Megan Leavey
as Gunny Martin
(2017)
The Words That Built America
as Self - Reader: Declaration of Independence
(2017)
Love Beats Rhymes
as Coltrane
(2017)
(2017)
(2017)
Chasing Trane
as Self - Musician
(2017)
Feel Rich: Health Is the New Wealth
as Himself
(2017)
Misdirection: The Real Magic
as Narrator
(2016)
Suicide Squad
as Monster T
(2016)
Barbershop: The Next Cut
as Jabari
(2016)
(2016)
BET Presents Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration
as Self - Performer
(2016)
Two Trains Runnin'
as Narrator
(2016)
(2016)
Black America Again
as Himself - Street Performer
(2015)
Entourage
as Common
(2015)
Run All Night
as Mr. Price
(2015)
Unity
as Narrator (voice)
(2015)
Being Charlie
as Travis
(2015)
(2015)
The Wiz Live!
as The Bouncer
(2014)
Selma
as James Bevel
(2014)
Every Secret Thing
as Devlin Hatch
(2014)
X/Y
as Jason
(2013)
Now You See Me
as Evans
(2013)
Movie 43
as Bob Mone (segment "The Pitch")
(2013)
Pawn
as Jeff Porter
(2013)
LUV
as Uncle Vincent
(2013)
(2012)
The Odd Life of Timothy Green
as Coach Cal
(2012)
(2011)
Happy Feet Two
as Seymour (voice)
(2011)
New Year's Eve
as Soldier
(2011)
(2010)
Date Night
as Collins
(2010)
Just Wright
as Scott McKnight
(2010)
Music
as Self
(2010)
Bouncing Cats
as Narrator
(2010)
Brave New Voices 2010
as Himself - Host
(2009)
Terminator Salvation
as Barnes
(2008)
Wanted
as The Gunsmith
(2008)
Street Kings
as Coates
(2007)
American Gangster
as Turner Lucas
(2007)
(2006)
Smokin' Aces
as Sir Ivy
(2005)
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
as Self
(2005)
Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]
as Self (segment "Two Words")
(2005)
Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]
as Airline Employee (segment "All Falls Down")
(2005)
Letter to the President
as Self
(2005)
(2005)
Soundz of Spirit
as Self
(2004)
5 Sides of a Coin
as Himself
(2003)
Beef
as Self
(2002)
Brown Sugar
as Self
(1998)
Pete Rock: Soul Survivor
as Common
Crew
(2025)
SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)
Executive Producer
(2024)
Four Letters
Music
(2022)
Alice
Executive Producer, Original Music Composer
(2022)
Glitter Ain't Gold
Executive Producer
(2016)
Two Trains Runnin'
Executive Producer
(2014)
Selma
Songs