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Common

Actor / Actress

Common

Born Chicago, Illinois, USA 30 credits available

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.

Common is known for work in acting across film and television. New Release currently presents 30 verified screen credits connected to this profile.

Selected work includes W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause (2026), Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association (2026), Breathe (2024), A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop (2023), Silo (2023), StoryBots: Answer Time (2022), Killing Me Softly with His Songs (2022), Ava (2020).

The recorded credits span 2012 to 2026, including 25 movies and 5 TV shows. The filmography below lists available titles, release years and known roles.

This profile is updated as additional verified information becomes available.

Social media & links

Songs by Common

10 songs

  1. 01 DooinitFrom Like Water For Chocolate 3:37
  2. 02 A Film Called (Pimp)From Like Water For Chocolate 6:05
  3. 03 The QuestionsFrom Like Water For Chocolate 4:09
  4. 04 The LightFrom Like Water For Chocolate 4:21
  5. 05 The 6th SenseFrom Like Water For Chocolate 5:19
  6. 06 Cold BloodedFrom Like Water For Chocolate 4:58
  7. 07 Time Travelin RepriseFrom Like Water For Chocolate 1:33
  8. 08 Funky For YouFrom Like Water For Chocolate 5:55
  9. 09 HeatFrom Like Water For Chocolate 3:41
  10. 10 Time Travelin' (A Tribute To Fela)From Like Water For Chocolate 6:38

Profile details

Known forActing
Movies25
TV shows5
Active years represented2012–2026
Place of birthChicago, Illinois, USA

Also known as

Lonnie Rashid Lynn · Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr.

Known for

30 titles

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