Cast & creator
Common
Best known for Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
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.
Also known as: Lonnie Rashid Lynn , Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr.
109
film credits
63
television credits
159
1975–2026 · acting roles
6.5
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
★ 5.0Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest · 2009
★ 5.8The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self · 2014
★ 5.8The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self - Guest / Musical Guest · 2014
★ 6.1The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self - Guest · 2015
★ 6.1The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Acting · 2015
Across film & television
Filmography (172)
Showing 172 of 172 credits
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest
2009The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self
2014The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self - Guest / Musical Guest
2014The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self - Guest
2015The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self - Musical Guest
2015
The Simpsons
Common (voice)
1989
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self - Guest
2014Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self
2014
The Daily Show
Self
1996
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Self
2019
Silo
Robert Sims
2023
Saturday Night Live
Self - Cameo (uncredited)
1975Saturday Night Live
Self
1975
The View
Self
1997
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self
2003Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self - Musical Guest
2003
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Self - Guest
2022
Real Time with Bill Maher
Self
2003
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
1988
Scrubs
Common
2001
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Self - Guest
1993
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Self
2003
The Tamron Hall Show
Self - Guest
2019
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Self
2007
Later... with Jools Holland
1992
The Mindy Project
Security Guard
2012
MTV Video Music Awards
Self - Presenter
1984
The Chi
Rafiq
2018
Girlfriends
Omar
2000
Never Have I Ever
Dr. Chris Jackson
2020
Off Camera with Sam Jones
Self
2014
Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out
2005
American Masters
Self
1986
Chelsea
Self
2016
One on One
Darius
2001
MTV Movie & TV Awards
Self - Presenter
1992
Lip Sync Battle
Self
2015
Hell on Wheels
Elam Ferguson
2011
Now You See Me
Evans
2013
John Wick: Chapter 2
Cassian
2017
Suicide Squad
Monster T
2016
Ocean's Eight
Common
2018
TRL
1998
Terminator Salvation
Barnes
2009
American Gangster
Turner Lucas
2007
Hunter Killer
RA John Fisk
2018
Entertainment Tonight
Self
1981
The Chris Rock Show
1997
StoryBots: Answer Time
Mr. Wonderful
2022
Run All Night
Mr. Price
2015
Wanted
The Gunsmith
2008
Chappelle's Show
2003
Home Movie: The Princess Bride
Westley
2020
New Year's Eve
Soldier
2011
Ava
Michael
2020
Happy Feet Two
Seymour (voice)
2011
Girls Trip
Common
2017
Street Kings
Coates
2008
Bottomless Brunch at Colman's
Self
2020
Movie 43
Bob Mone (segment "The Pitch")
2013
Smokin' Aces
Sir Ivy
2006
Smallfoot
Stonekeeper (voice)
2018
The Informer
Grens
2019
Date Night
Collins
2010
The Odd Life of Timothy Green
Coach Cal
2012
Shut Up and Dribble
Self - Musician
2018
Entourage
Common
2015
The Hate U Give
Uncle Carlos
2018
Game Over
Himself (voice)
2004
Fraggle Rock: Rock On!
Self
2020
Mark Twain Prize
Self - Musical Guest
1999
The Kitchen
Gary Silvers
2019
I Love the '70s: Volume 2
Self
2006
jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy
Self (archive footage)
2022
Megan Leavey
Gunny Martin
2017
Barbershop: The Next Cut
Jabari
2016
Marshall
Lyricist
2017
Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices
2020
Breathe
Darius
2024
Just Wright
Scott McKnight
2010
America Divided
Self
2016
Black in the 80s
Self
2005
The Tale
Martin
2018
Fool's Paradise
The Dagger
2023
Wick Is Pain
Self
2025
Pawn
Jeff Porter
2013
Every Secret Thing
Devlin Hatch
2014
All About Nina
Rafe
2018
SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)
Executive Producer
2025
Selma
James Bevel
2014Selma
Songs
2014
Saint Judy
Benjamin Adebayo
2018
Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association
Narrator (voice)
2026Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association
Executive Producer
2026
Obama
Self
2020
Here and Now
Ben
2018
Activate: The Global Citizen Movement
Self
2019
Evolution of the Black Quarterback
Self
2024
One World: Together at Home
Self
2020
Being Charlie
Travis
2016
2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Self
2021
Brown Sugar
Self
2002
The Words That Built America
Self - Reader: Declaration of Independence
2017
Boo-Yah: A Portrait of Stuart Scott
Self
2025Boo-Yah: A Portrait of Stuart Scott
Music
2025
Unity
Narrator (voice)
2015
A Happening of Monumental Proportions
Daniel
2017
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Self
2005
Love Beats Rhymes
Coltrane
2017![Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w1280/iJoIAh8NaChoVN0GRYVHaa4Yxlq.jpg?width=1200)
Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]
Self (segment "Two Words")
2005Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]
Airline Employee (segment "All Falls Down")
2005
Chasing Trane
Self - Musician
2017
Alice
Frank
2022Alice
Executive Producer
2022Alice
Original Music Composer
2022
Justice, USA
Executive Producer
2024
Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap
Self
2012
VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens
2016
You're Watching Video Music Box
Self (archive footage)
2021
Diane Warren: Relentless
Self
2025
BET Presents Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration
Self - Performer
2016
The Wiz Live!
The Bouncer
2015
Retro Wick: Exploring the Unexpected Success of 'John Wick'
Self
2017
Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
Self
2011
A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop
Self
2023
Letter to the President
Self
2005
X/Y
Jason
2014
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
Self
2016
5 Sides of a Coin
Himself
2004
LUV
Uncle Vincent
2013Dave Chappelle's Block Party 2
Self
Chris Rock: Road To Live Special
Self
2023Bouncing Cats
Narrator
2010
An American Girl Story - Melody 1963: Love Has to Win
Executive Producer
2016
Killing Me Softly with His Songs
Self
2022
W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause
Self
2026
Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives
2015
Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton: This Is Stones Throw Records
Self
2013
The Legacy of J Dilla
Self - Rapper; Friend
2023
Pete Rock: Soul Survivor
Common
1998
Music
Self
2010
Hip-Hop and the White House
2024
Bilal: Live at Glasshaus
Self
2024
Let's Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince
Self
2020
Feel Rich: Health Is the New Wealth
Himself
2017
A Most Beautiful Thing
Self - Narrator (voice)
2020
Live from Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central
Self
2024
Between Riverside and Crazy
Junior
2023
The Price of Protest
Self (archive footage)
2019Hate to See You Go
Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association
Self/Narrator
Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association
Executive Producer
Brave New Voices 2010
Himself - Host
2010
Beef
Self
2003
Letter to the Free
2016
Chamber Check: Evolution of a Fight Scene
Self
2017
We're Still Here (Now).... A Documentary about nobody
Self
2016
Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life
Self
2007
Glitter Ain't Gold
Executive Producer
2022The Notorious B.I.G BET Official presents
2005
Two Trains Runnin'
Narrator
2016Two Trains Runnin'
Executive Producer
2016
Misdirection: The Real Magic
Narrator
2017Four Letters
Music
2024
Godfathers and Sons
Self
2003
Framework
Himself - Host
2015
Soundz of Spirit
Self
2005
Alicia Keys: Unplugged
Self
2005Paragraphs I Manifest
Self
Black America Again
Himself - Street Performer
2016