Biography
James Todd Smith, better known as LL Cool J (acronym for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip hop acts Beastie Boys and Run-DMC.
Signed to Def Jam Recordings in 1984, his breakthrough came with his single "I Need a Beat" and his landmark debut album, Radio (1985). He achieved further commercial and critical success with the albums Bigger and Deffer (1987), Walking with a Panther (1989), Mama Said Knock You Out (1990), Mr. Smith (1995), and Phenomenon (1997). His twelfth album, Exit 13 (2008), was his last in his long-tenured deal with Def Jam.
A two-time Grammy Award winner, LL Cool J is known for hip hop songs such as "Going Back to Cali", "I'm Bad", "The Boomin' System", "Rock the Bells", and "Mama Said Knock You Out", as well as R&B hits such as "Doin' It", "I Need Love", "Around the Way Girl" and "Hey Lover". In 2010, VH1 placed him on their "100 Greatest Artists Of All Time" list. In 2017, LL Cool J became the first rapper to receive the Kennedy Center Honors. In 2021, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with an award for Musical Excellence.
While he first appeared as a rapper in the movie Krush Groove (performing "I Can't Live Without My Radio"), his first acting part was a small role in a high school football movie called Wildcats. He continued to work in movies from then until 1995 when he landed his own television sitcom, In the House (1995-2000).
He has appeared in numerous films, including Last Holiday, Edison, Mindhunters, S.W.A.T., Deliver Us from Eva, Rollerball, Charlie's Angels, In Too Deep, Any Given Sunday, Deep Blue Sea, Halloween H20, B.A.P.S., Toys, and The Hard Way.
In 2005, he returned to television in a guest starring role on the FOX medical drama House. He also guest starred on 30 Rock in 2007, and on Sesame Street 's 39th season where he introduced the word of the day, "Unanimous” and performed "The Addition Expedition" in episode 4172 (Sept. 30, 2008).
As of 2011, he stars as Special Agent Sam Hanna on CBS's police procedural NCIS: L.A., a spin-off of NCIS. He was also the host of MTV's Lip Sync Battle.
Filmography
all 122
self 70
TV Shows 69
Movies 53
Writer 1
Narrator 1
Voice 1
Producer 1
James Brown: Say It Loud (2024)
Kings from Queens: The RUN DMC Story (2024)
A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop (2023)
2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (2023)
Hip Hop Treasures (2023)
Superfan (2023)
America in Black (2023)
Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World (2023)
2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (2022)
The Jennifer Hudson Show (2022)
Supreme Team (2022)
They Call Me Magic (2022)
Come Dance with Me (2022)
You're Watching Video Music Box (2021)
NCIS: Hawai'i (2021)
Behind the Music (2021)
Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell (2021)
One World: Together at Home (2020)
The Kelly Clarkson Show (2019)
Desus & Mero (2019)
A Home for the Holidays: The 20th Anniversary (2018)
Q85: A Musical Celebration for Quincy Jones (2018)
Shut Up and Dribble (2018)
Story of Cool (2018)
MVP: Most Valuable Performer (2018)
Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party (2016)
Hip Hop Evolution (2016)
Greatest Hits (2016)
The $100,000 Pyramid (2016)
Adele: Someone Like Me (2016)
Sinatra 100: An All-Star Grammy Concert (2015)
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter (2015)
Lip Sync Battle (2015)
The Late Late Show with James Corden (2015)
Hot Ones (2015)
Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life - An All-Star Grammy Salute (2015)
The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles (2014)
Grudge Match (2013)
Mayweather (2013)
Whitney Houston - We Will Always Love You (2012)
Yo! The Story of ‘Yo! MTV Raps’ (2012)
Finding Your Roots (2012)
Bizarre Foods America (2012)
Conan (2010)
Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
WWII in HD (2009)
NCIS: Los Angeles (2009)
How Bruce Lee Changed the World (2009)
DJ Cinema Presents: Masterpiece Theater Blend Dvd (2009)
The Deal (2008)
ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway (2007)
30 Rock (2006)
Rachael Ray (2006)
Last Holiday (2006)
The Tyra Banks Show (2005)
Slow Burn (2005)
Edison (2005)
So You Think You Can Dance (2005)
American Dad! (2005)
Project Runway (2004)
House (2004)
The Tony Danza Show (2004)
American Casino (2004)
Mindhunters (2004)
Spike TV VGA Video Game Awards (2003)
NCIS (2003)
The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003)
S.W.A.T. (2003)
Beef (2003)
Deliver Us from Eva (2003)
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003)
American Idol (2002)
Rollerball (2002)
It's Black Entertainment (2002)
Last Call with Carson Daly (2002)
Hype Williams: The Videos Vol. 1 (2002)
Kingdom Come (2001)
Charlie's Angels (2000)
106 & Park (2000)
Any Given Sunday (1999)
The Early Show (1999)
Rapmania: The Roots of Rap (1999)
In Too Deep (1999)
Teen Choice Awards (1999)
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
WWE SmackDown (1999)
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
Woo (1998)
Caught Up (1998)
The View (1997)
Oz (1997)
B.A.P.S (1997)
Touch (1997)
The Chris Rock Show (1997)
Clive Anderson All Talk (1996)
The Daily Show (1996)
The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1996)
The Right to Remain Silent (1996)
MADtv (1995)
The Frank Skinner Show (1995)
The Show (1995)
Out-of-Sync (1995)
In the House (1995)
Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993)
Toys (1992)
Black Women, Sexual Politics and the Revolution (1992)
Simply Mad About the Mouse (1991)
The Hard Way (1991)
Future Of The Funk (1991)
MTV Unplugged (1989)
Yo! MTV Raps (1988)
Kids' Choice Awards (1987)
Big Fun in the Big Town (1986)
Wildcats (1986)
Krush Groove (1985)
MTV Video Music Awards (1984)
Saturday Night Live (1975)
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest (1972)
The Grammy Awards (1959)
Today (1952)
The Man
MTV Rockumentary
Ratings
Gallery
Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1968-01-14 (56 years old)
Birth NameJames Todd Smith
Birth PlaceQueens, United States of America
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
Also Known AsL.L. Cool J, LL 쿨 J
AwardsW. E. B. Du Bois Medal, star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, Kennedy Center Honors
This article uses material from Wikipedia.
- LL Cool J
- Filmography
- Information
- Related Persons