Common
A critically lauded, underground hip-hop artist who eventually found mainstream success with his artistically daring and politically conscious music, Common eventually parlayed his profile into acting. Common began his career as a cult figure in alternative hip-hop in the early 1990s, at a time when commercial rap was dominated by warring gangstas from both coasts. With his literary lyrics focused more on love and spirituality than drugs and guns, Common built a following among music critics and hip-hop fans alienated by the negative direction of gangsta rap. He earned some backlash for doing so, but eventually triumphed in the late 1990s amidst a growing revival of old school hip-hop. Following a number of best-selling, Grammy-winning albums, he began an acting career. Unlike Common's musical content, which was socially outspoken and positive, his early supporting film roles found him playing just the type of street thugs his music had railed against. As he began to find his footing in action and comedy features, Common proved that his magnetism and persona as a stage performer translated quite well to characters ranging from his starring role in Western railroad drama "Hell On Wheels" (AMC 2011-16) to comedy "Barbershop: The Next Cut" (2016) to supervillain blockbuster "Suicide Squad" (2016). He maintained his musical credibility as well, winning Best Original Song at the 2015 Academy Awards for "Glory," his collaboration with John Legend for the film "Selma" (2014) and being nominated for the same award three years later for "Stand Up for Something," a collaboration with Diane Warren, for the film "Marshall" (2017).
Photos
Common
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) | Executive Producer | - | 2025 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Diane Warren: Relentless | Self | - | 2024 |
15% |
|
Breathe | Darius (Character) | - | 2024 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hip-Hop and The White House | Self | - | 2024 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Grassland | Executive Producer | - | 2024 |
18% |
|
Fool's Paradise | Unknown (Character) | $855.1K | 2023 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Killing Me Softly With His Songs | Self | - | 2022 |
29% |
|
Alice |
Frank (Character), Executive Producer |
$364.2K | 2022 |
21% |
|
Ava | Michael (Character) | $464.2K | 2020 |
100% |
|
A Most Beautiful Thing | Narrator | - | 2020 |
63% |
|
The Informer | Grens (Character) | $300.5K | 2019 |
96% |
|
The Apollo | Self | - | 2019 |
24% |
|
The Kitchen | Gary Silvers (Character) | $12.2M | 2019 |
73% |
|
Saint Judy | Benjamin Adebayo (Character) | $78.5K | 2018 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Blue Night | Ben (Character) | $13.3K | 2018 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | They Fight | Producer | - | 2018 |
38% |
|
Hunter Killer | RA John Fisk (Character) | $15.7M | 2018 |
97% |
|
The Hate U Give | Carlos (Character) | $29.6M | 2018 |
86% |
|
All About Nina | Rafe (Character) | $100.8K | 2018 |
76% |
|
Smallfoot | Stonekeeper (Voice) | $83.2M | 2018 |
99% |
|
The Tale | Martin (Character) | - | 2018 |
23% |
|
Here and Now (Blue Night) | Unknown (Character) | - | 2018 |
29% |
|
A Happening of Monumental Proportions | Daniel (Character) | - | 2017 |
44% |
|
Love Beats Rhymes | Coltrane (Character) | - | 2017 |
86% |
|
Megan Leavey | Gunny Martin (Character) | $13.4M | 2017 |
No Score Yet |
|
Feel Rich: Health Is the New Wealth | Self | - | 2017 |
89% |
|
John Wick: Chapter 2 | Cassian (Character) | $92.0M | 2017 |
100% |
|
Two Trains Runnin' |
Narrator, Executive Producer |
- | 2016 |
74% |
|
Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary | Self | $406.3K | 2016 |
96% |
|
Maya Angelou and Still I Rise | Self | - | 2016 |
91% |
|
Barbershop: The Next Cut | Rashad (Character) | $54.0M | 2016 |
24% |
|
Being Charlie | Travis (Character) | $11.9K | 2015 |
No Score Yet |
|
Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives | Self | - | 2015 |
No Score Yet |
|
Unity | Narrator | - | 2015 |
59% |
|
Run All Night | Andrew Price (Character) | $26.5M | 2015 |
32% |
|
Every Secret Thing | Devlin Hatch (Character) | $97.0K | 2014 |
54% |
|
X/Y | Jason (Character) | - | 2014 |
99% |
|
Selma | James Bevel (Character) | $52.1M | 2014 |
51% |
|
Now You See Me | Evans (Character) | $117.7M | 2013 |
No Score Yet |
|
Pawn | Jeff Porter (Character) | $2.1K | 2013 |
5% |
|
Movie 43 | Bob Mone (Character) | $8.8M | 2013 |
35% |
|
Luv |
Uncle Vincent (Character), Producer |
$151.1K | 2012 |
36% |
|
The Odd Life of Timothy Green | Coach Cal (Character) | $51.9M | 2012 |
7% |
|
New Year's Eve | Soldier (Character) | $54.5M | 2011 |
45% |
|
Happy Feet Two | Seymour (Voice) | $64.0M | 2011 |
47% |
|
Just Wright | Scott McKnight (Character) | $21.5M | 2010 |
67% |
|
Date Night | Det. Collins (Character) | $98.7M | 2010 |
33% |
|
Terminator Salvation | Barnes (Character) | $125.3M | 2009 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Brave New Voices | Unknown (Character) | - | 2009 |
71% |
|
Wanted | The Gunsmith (Character) | $134.3M | 2008 |
37% |
|
Street Kings | Coates (Character) | $26.4M | 2008 |
No Score Yet |
|
Notorious B.I.G. Bigger Than Life | Unknown (Character) | - | 2007 |
31% |
|
Smokin' Aces | Sir Ivy (Character) | $35.6M | 2007 |
No Score Yet |
|
5 Sides of a Coin | Unknown (Character) | - | 2003 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Lyricist Lounge: Hip Hop Video Classics | Unknown (Character) | - | 2002 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
92% | 64% | Silo | Robert Sims (Character) | 2023-2025 |
No Score Yet | 54% | The Kelly Clarkson Show |
Music Performer, Guest |
2020 2024 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Jennifer Hudson Show |
Music Performer, Guest |
2024 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Evolution of the Black Quarterback | Unknown (Voice) | 2024 |
No Score Yet | 44% | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon |
Music Performer, Guest |
2016-2021 2024 |
No Score Yet | 63% | The Chi | Executive Producer | 2018-2024 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Justice, USA | Executive Producer | 2024 |
No Score Yet | 11% | The View |
Music Performer, Guest |
2015-2019 2022-2024 |
No Score Yet | 55% | Late Night With Seth Meyers | Guest | 2016 2018 2023-2024 |
No Score Yet | 48% | The Late Show With Stephen Colbert |
Music Performer, Guest |
2018-2020 2022 2024 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | StoryBots: Answer Time | Mr. Wonderful (Guest Star) | 2022 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Let the World See | Self | 2022 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Ellen DeGeneres Show |
Music Performer, Guest |
2012-2013 2017 2021 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | For Ball and Country | Narrator | 2021 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Beyond the CANVAS | Guest | 2021 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Action Planet: Climate Challange | Self | 2021 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Soul of a Nation | Music Performer | 2021 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Bookmarks | Guest | 2020 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Home Movie: The Princess Bride | Westley (Character) | 2020 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Fraggle Rock: Rock On! | Guest | 2020 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Activate: The Global Citizen Movement | Unknown (Character) | 2019 |
100% | No Score Yet | Sherman's Showcase | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Desus & Mero | Guest | 2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Reel South | Narrator | 2019 |
No Score Yet | 67% | The Lion Guard | Kiburi (Guest Voice) | 2017-2018 |
45% | No Score Yet | The Academy Awards | Music Performer | 2018 |
No Score Yet | 42% | Jimmy Kimmel Live! |
Music Performer, Guest |
2007-2009 2014-2015 2018 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Talk | Guest | 2015 2018 |
85% | 76% | The Simpsons | Himself (Guest Voice) | 2017 |
41% | 61% | Chelsea | Guest | 2016 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Harry | Guest | 2016 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | America Divided | Correspondent | 2016 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Wendy Williams Show |
Music Performer, Guest |
2010-2011 2016 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Daily Show | Guest | 2011 2015-2016 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Lip Sync Battle | Contestant | 2015 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Framework |
Executive Producer, Host |
2015 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Mo'Nique Show | Unknown (Character) | 2015 |
73% | 90% | Hell on Wheels | Elam Ferguson (Character) | 2011-2014 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | 106 & Park |
Unknown (Character), Guest |
2013-2014 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Larry King Now | Guest | 2014 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Fashion Police | Unknown (Character) | 2014 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen | Guest | 2014 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Late Night With Jimmy Fallon |
Music Performer, Guest |
2010 2012-2013 |
86% | 83% | The Mindy Project | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2013 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Bonnie Hunt Show | Guest | 2009 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Late Night With Conan O'Brien | Guest | 2006 |
83% | 86% | Scrubs | Himself (Guest Star) | 2004 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | One on One | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2004 |
36% | No Score Yet | Game Over | Unknown (Guest Voice) | 2004 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Girlfriends | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2003 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Storyville | Unknown (Guest Voice) |