Common
Date of birth: 1972-03-13
Place of birth: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Known for: Acting
Also known as: Lonnie Rashid Lynn , Common Sense, Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr.
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.
Movie Credits
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
2005-09-12
The American comedian/actor delivers a story about the alternative Hip Hop scene. A small town Ohio
Terminator Salvation
2009-05-20
All grown up in post-apocalyptic 2018, John Connor must lead the resistance of humans against the in
Street Kings
2008-04-10
Tom Ludlow is a disillusioned L.A. Police Officer, rarely playing by the rules and haunted by the de
Fool's Paradise
2023-05-12
A down-on-his-luck publicist discovers a recently released mental health patient who looks just like
American Gangster
2007-11-02
Loosely based on the criminal career of Frank Lucas, a gangster from La Grange, North Carolina, who
Between Riverside and Crazy
2023-01-31
City Hall is demanding more than his signature, the landlord wants him out, the liquor store is clos
Smokin' Aces
2006-12-09
When a Las Vegas performer-turned-snitch named Buddy Israel decides to turn state's evidence and tes
Wanted
2008-06-19
Doormat Wesley Gibson is an office worker whose life is going nowhere. He meets an attractive woman
![Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/iJoIAh8NaChoVN0GRYVHaa4Yxlq.jpg)
Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]
2005-03-22
A collection of music videos and behind the scenes footage released to promote Kanye West's upcoming
Chris Rock: Road To Live Special
2023-03-04
Chris Rock gives an exclusive look at his year on tour leading up to this historic night. With appea
Date Night
2010-04-08
Phil and Claire Foster fear that their mild-mannered relationship may be falling into a stale rut. D
Just Wright
2010-05-14
Physical therapist Leslie Wright lands the dream job of working with basketball superstar Scott McKn
2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
2021-11-20
Filmed at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induc
You're Watching Video Music Box
2021-12-03
The untold story of the world’s longest running video show, Video Music Box. A hip hop mainstay sinc
Happy Feet Two
2011-11-17
Mumble the penguin has a problem: his son Erik, who is reluctant to dance, encounters the Mighty Sve
Beef
2003-08-03
A documentary on the evolution of MC battles from verbal one-upmanship to street warfare.
Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
2011-07-08
Having forged a 20-year run as one of the most innovative and influential hip hop bands of all time,
The Odd Life of Timothy Green
2012-08-15
A childless couple bury a box in their backyard, containing all of their wishes for an infant. Soon,
LUV
2013-01-18
Over the course of one day, a shy 13-year-old forms a bond with his troubled uncle.
Now You See Me
2013-05-29
An FBI agent and an Interpol detective track a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during
The Legacy of J Dilla
2023-04-07
In his short lifetime, J Dilla was a musician, producer and visionary who profoundly influenced rap
Movie 43
2013-01-24
A series of interconnected short films are the backdrop for a maniac screenwriter who pitches insane
The Notorious B.I.G BET Official presents
2005-01-01
The Notorious B.I.G exploded onto the hip-hop scene in 1994 with the hip-hop anthem "juicy" after bl
Pawn
2013-04-23
A petty robbery spirals into a tense hostage situation after three gunmen hold up a diner that's a f
Chamber Check: Evolution of a Fight Scene
2017-06-13
More fight choreography footage and in fact seems to be documenting more than one fight scene, unles
Bouncing Cats
2010-04-29
This documentary follows the efforts of Abraham "Abramz" Tekya and Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU) t
Run All Night
2015-03-11
Brooklyn mobster and prolific hit man Jimmy Conlon has seen better days. Longtime best friend of a m
Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton: This Is Stones Throw Records
2013-06-21
Under the direction of founder and world-renowned DJ Peanut Butter Wolf, Stones Throw Records has co
Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap
2012-06-15
SOMETHING FROM NOTHING: THE ART OF RAP is a feature length performance documentary about the runaway
X/Y
2014-04-19
As Mark, Jen, Sylvia, and Jake navigate through their emotionally-arrested states, X/Y reveals the h
Breathe
2024-04-04
Air-supply is scarce in the near future, forcing a mother and daughter to fight for survival when tw
Selma
2014-12-25
"Selma," as in Alabama, the place where segregation in the South was at its worst, leading to a marc
5 Sides of a Coin
2004-11-12
"5 Sides of a Coin" is a comprehensive overview of the worldwide cultural movement of Hip-Hop.
Diane Warren: Relentless
2025-01-10
An intimate look at the life, career and process of one of the most accomplished songwriters of all
Killing Me Softly with His Songs
2022-11-10
A musical documentary about the life and work of composer Charles Fox, known for pop hits such as 'K
A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop
2023-12-10
A once-in-a-lifetime live concert special celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, the two-hour
Barbershop: The Next Cut
2016-04-15
To survive harsh economic times, Calvin and Angie have merged the barbershop and beauty salon into o
Every Secret Thing
2014-04-20
One clear summer day in a Baltimore suburb, a baby goes missing from her front porch. Two young girl
Suicide Squad
2016-08-03
From DC Comics comes the Suicide Squad, an antihero team of incarcerated supervillains who act as de
Entourage
2015-06-03
Movie star Vincent Chase, together with his boys, Eric, Turtle and Johnny, are back…and back in busi
Unity
2015-08-12
Despite the advent of science, literature, technology, philosophy, religion, and so on -- none of th
The Wiz Live!
2015-12-03
Winner of 7 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, The Wiz was a massive Broadway hit which spawned a
Being Charlie
2015-09-14
Charlie is a troublesome 18-year-old who breaks out of a youth drug treatment clinic, but when he re
Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives
2015-10-01
Exploring the social impact of what The Source Magazine in 1998 voted, "The Best Hip Hop Radio Show
Hip-Hop and the White House
2024-04-22
Unveils the transformative fifty-year history of a world-changing culture, illustrating hip-hop's jo
Love Beats Rhymes
2017-12-01
A young woman dreams of making it big in the world of hip hop, but her parents demand that she finis
John Wick: Chapter 2
2017-02-08
John Wick is forced out of retirement by a former associate looking to seize control of a shadowy in
Two Trains Runnin'
2016-04-08
The search of several young, white men for blues singers who have been missing for decades coincides
Live from Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central
2024-06-09
"Live from Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central" features the greatest assemblage of all-star mu
Hunter Killer
2018-10-19
Captain Glass of the USS Arkansas discovers that a coup d'état is taking place in Russia, so he and
New Year's Eve
2011-12-08
The lives of several couples and singles in New York intertwine over the course of New Year's Eve.
Megan Leavey
2017-06-09
The true story of Marine Corporal Megan Leavey, who forms a powerful bond with an aggressive combat
A Happening of Monumental Proportions
2017-05-05
During the course of one day, a group of students at a school in Los Angeles find themselves caught
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
2016-10-14
A celebration of Dr. Maya Angelou by weaving her words with rare and intimate archival photographs a
Chasing Trane
2017-04-14
An account of the life of the brilliant jazz musician John Coltrane (1926-67), a gifted saxophonist,
Misdirection: The Real Magic
2017-06-13
A documentary film that follows two young men on a 3-year odyssey, through small triumphs and big se
The Informer
2019-08-30
In New York, former convict Pete Koslow, related to the Polish mafia, must deal with both Klimek the
Girls Trip
2017-07-21
Four girlfriends take a trip to New Orleans for an annual festival and, along the way, rediscover th
The Words That Built America
2017-07-04
In recognition of the 4th of July, several celebrities and politicians of differing ideologies join
Brown Sugar
2002-10-05
Sidney and Dre can attribute their lifelong friendship and the launch of their careers to one single
Feel Rich: Health Is the New Wealth
2017-05-23
FEEL RICH: HEALTH IS THE NEW WEALTH documents the nascent self-love revolution emerging in urban com
All About Nina
2018-09-28
Nina Geld's passion and talent have made her a rising star in the comedy scene, but she's an emotion
The Tale
2018-01-20
An investigation into one woman’s memory as she‘s forced to re-examine her first sexual relationship
Here and Now
2018-11-09
On the eve of a major performance, singer Vivienne receives life-altering news that causes her to re
Smallfoot
2018-09-20
A bright young yeti finds something he thought didn't exist—a human. News of this “smallfoot” throws
The Hate U Give
2018-10-19
Raised in a poverty-stricken slum, a 16-year-old girl named Starr now attends a suburban prep school
Black America Again
2016-10-21
A visual celebration of the beauty, strength, perseverance and spirit of the Black community in thes
BET Presents Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration
2016-11-15
A White House concert and celebration in honor of the 8-year Presidency of Barack Obama and the Firs
Ocean's Eight
2018-06-07
Debbie Ocean, a criminal mastermind, gathers a crew of female thieves to pull off the heist of the c
The Kitchen
2019-08-08
The mobster husbands of three 1978 Hell's Kitchen housewives are sent to prison by the FBI. Left wit
Ava
2020-07-02
A black ops assassin is forced to fight for her own survival after a job goes dangerously wrong.
Saint Judy
2019-03-01
The true story of immigration attorney Judy Wood and how she singlehandedly changed the U.S. law of
Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]
2005-03-22
A collection of music videos and behind the scenes footage released to promote Kanye West's upcoming
Brave New Voices 2010
2010-01-01
The excitement and poetry of the Brave New Voices 2010 National Slam team championships is captured
Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life
2007-05-16
The greatest rapper to ever pick up a mic - with his velvety flow and unparalleled rhyme style he ca
Music
2010-10-15
The story of music and the music industry told through interviews with musicians, composers and prod
The Price of Protest
2019-08-18
United States, September 1st, 2016. American football player Colin Kaepernick kneels during the nati
A Most Beautiful Thing
2020-06-18
A chronicle of the first African American high school rowing team in America made up of young men, m
Let's Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince
2020-04-21
A lineup of artists -- including Beck, Common, Gary Clark Jr., Foo Fighters, H.E.R., Juanes, Alicia
Letter to the President
2005-03-29
Feature documentary that showcases the close-knit ties between the Hip Hop Music community and Ameri
Letter to the Free
2016-11-01
Inspired by some of the greatest musical recordings and performances 'behind bars', Young imagines a
Alice
2022-03-18
Alice spends her days enslaved on a rural Georgia plantation, restlessly yearning for freedom. After
Pete Rock: Soul Survivor
1998-11-10
Hate to See You Go
The story of Sonny Bell (Freeman), an aging Chicago Blues musician, who refuses to retire and defian
One World: Together at Home
2020-04-18
A global broadcast & digital special organized by Global Citizen and the World Health Organization f
Soundz of Spirit
2005-02-08
Award winning documentary by Joslyn Rose Lyons exploring the relationship between spiritual connecti
Paragraphs I Manifest
Upcoming documentary by Big Daddy Kane.
Bilal: Live at Glasshaus
2024-11-20
Bilal: Live at Glasshaus is a tribute to Bilal’s extraordinary vocal and musical range, as well as h
Wick Is Pain
2025-05-08
Witness the never-before-seen footage and true story behind the John Wick phenomenon – from independ
Godfathers and Sons
2003-10-02
Director Marc Levin travels to Chicago with hip-hop legend Chuck D (from Public Enemy) and Marshall
VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens
2016-07-11
We knew the return of Hip-Hop Honors after a six-year hiatus would be huge, but with a surprise from
Boo-Yah: A Portrait of Stuart Scott
2025-12-10
"Boo-Yah" traces Stuart's journey from local television in North Carolina to becoming one of ESPN's