LL Cool J
Biography
LL Cool J is an American rapper and actor who grew up in Queens and was signed by Def Jam Recordings in 1984. His first record, the single I Need a Beat, led to the debut album Radio (1985), and he followed it with Bigger and Deffer, Mama Said Knock You Out and Mr. Smith, becoming one of the earliest rappers to achieve crossover commercial success. A two-time Grammy winner, he also built a screen career with roles in Toys (1992), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), Deep Blue Sea (1999), In Too Deep (1999), Any Given Sunday (1999), S.W.A.T. (2003) and Mindhunters (2004). He played Special Agent Sam Hanna on NCIS: Los Angeles from 2009 to 2023 and hosted Lip Sync Battle. In 2017 the Kennedy Center Honors made him its first rapper recipient, and in 2021 he entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
58years old
Turns 59 on January 14in 91 days
- Born Queens
- Star sign: CapricornThe sign runs December 22 to January 19
- James Todd Smith (birth name)Also credited as Ladies Love Cool James
Movie Career
- Films
- 23
- Career span
- 40 years1985 to 2025
First and latest
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A first
In 2017, LL Cool J received the Kennedy Center Honors. He was the first rapper ever to be given that honor.
First role
LL Cool J's first acting role was a small part in Wildcats, a movie about high school football. Before that, he had appeared as a rapper in Krush Groove, where he performed "I Can't Live Without My Radio."
About the name
LL Cool J initially called himself J-Ski but dropped the name because he did not want to be linked to cocaine culture, and his friend and fellow rapper Mikey D coined LL Cool J.
First role
LL Cool J's professional debut concert performance came in 1984 at Manhattan Center High School, where he and his DJ Cut Creator played on pushed-together lunch room tables.
A first
LL Cool J's first single sold more than 100,000 copies and helped establish Def Jam as a label. The song's commercial success, along with a Beastie Boys single, helped Def Jam get a distribution deal with Columbia Records.
A first
LL Cool J was the first hip-hop act to appear on American Bandstand, and he also appeared on Diana Ross' 1987 television special Red Hot Rhythm & Blues.
LL Cool J movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Renny Harlin directed two of these films. Thirteen actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Samuel L. Jackson's page
James Woods's page
Jamie Foxx's page
Cameron Diaz's page
Anthony Anderson's page
Fisher Stevens's page
All films by Renny Harlin
Also two films together7 more actors
- Jada Pinkett SmithKingdom Come (2001) and Woo (1998)
- Matt WinstonDeliver Us from Eva (2003) and Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
- Aida TurturroDeep Blue Sea (1999) and Woo (1998)
- Andrew BryniarskiRollerball (2002) and Any Given Sunday (1999)
- Aloma WrightDeliver Us from Eva (2003) and Kingdom Come (2001)
- Duane MartinDeliver Us from Eva (2003) and Woo (1998)
- Dartanyan EdmondsDeliver Us from Eva (2003) and Woo (1998)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What LL Cool J's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$1.1 billion
19 of the 23 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 23 films: 19 worldwide figure; 2 us gross only; 1 never in cinemas; 1 figure not found.
- 19Worldwide figure
- 2US gross only
- 1Never in cinemas
- 1Figure not found
Top grosser
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 89% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$264M24.5% of the total
- 2$208M19.3% of the total
- 3$165M15.3% of the total
- 4$100M9.3% of the total
- 5$75M7.0% of the total
- 6$66M6.1% of the total
- 7$45M4.2% of the total
- 8$38M3.6% of the total
$117 millionfrom the other 11 films with a worldwide figure, 11% of the total
Awards
Eleven awards and honors from 1988 to 2021, two of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grammy Awards | |||
| 1997 | Best Rap Solo Performance | Hey Lover | Won |
| 1992 | Best Rap Solo Performance | Mama Said Knock You Out | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| 2021 | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | Won | |
| 2017 | W. E. B. Du Bois Medal | Won | |
| 2011 | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | NCIS: Los Angeles | Won |
| 1997 | Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award | Won | |
| 1991 | MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video | Mama Said Knock You Out | Won |
| 1988 | Soul Train Music Award for Best Rap Album | Bigger and Deffer | Won |
| 1988 | Soul Train Music Award for Best Rap – Single | I Need Love | Won |
| Kennedy Center Honors | Won | ||
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.