Cast
LL Cool J
Acting
Cast
LL Cool J
Known for
Acting
Born
1968-01-14
From
Bay Shore, Long Island, New York, USA
Also known as L.L. Cool J, James Todd Smith, Ladies Love Cool James
Biography
James Todd Smith (better known as LL Cool J, an acronym for Ladies Love Cool James; born January 14, 1968) 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, "Unanimousâ 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.
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5.9
MOVIE2000
Charlie's Angels
as Mr. Jones
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6.0
MOVIE1999
Deep Blue Sea
as Preacher
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6.5
MOVIE2004
Mindhunters
as Gabe Jensen
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6.2
MOVIE2003
S.W.A.T.
as Deacon 'Deke' Kaye
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6.8
MOVIE1999
Any Given Sunday
as Julian Washington
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7.3
MOVIE2006
Last Holiday
as Sean Matthews
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6.0
MOVIE1998
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
as Ronny
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6.2
MOVIE1991
The Hard Way
as Billy
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5.3
MOVIE1992
Toys
as Patrick Zevo
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6.1
MOVIE2013
Grudge Match
as Frankie Brite
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5.4
MOVIE2005
Edison
as Deed
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1.0
MOVIE2018
MVP: Most Valuable Performer
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7.8
MOVIE2025
Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music
as Self (archive footage)
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6.4
MOVIE1999
In Too Deep
as Dwayne Gittens / God
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7.1
MOVIE2020
One World: Together at Home
as Self
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6.3
MOVIE1986
Wildcats
as Rapper
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5.4
MOVIE1997
B.A.P.S
as LL Cool J
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3.9
MOVIE2002
Rollerball
as Marcus Ridley
MOVIETBA
LL Cool J Presents The Rock the Bells Festival Celebrating 50 Years of Hip Hop
as Self
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6.4
MOVIE2003
Deliver Us from Eva
as Ray Adams
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7.2
MOVIE2025
Stans
as Self
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6.5
MOVIE2001
Kingdom Come
as Ray Bud Slocumb
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5.4
MOVIE2008
The Deal
as Bobby Mason
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8.2
MOVIE2022
2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
as Self
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6.9
MOVIE2025
SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)
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7.2
MOVIE2007
ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway
as Self
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8.0
MOVIE2009
How Bruce Lee Changed the World
as Self
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9.0
MOVIE2024
NCISverse: The First 1,000
as Self
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5.2
MOVIE1996
The Right to Remain Silent
as Charles Red Taylor
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4.5
MOVIE2013
Mayweather
as Narrator
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5.3
MOVIE2005
Slow Burn
as Luther Pinks
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6.4
MOVIE2021
You're Watching Video Music Box
as Self (archive footage)
MOVIE2012
Sesame Street: Singing with the Stars
as Self
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4.8
MOVIE2020
Ricky Powell: The Individualist
as Self
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4.4
MOVIE1998
Woo
as Darryl
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7.1
MOVIE2021
Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell
as Self - Hip-Hop Artist (archive footage)
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7.0
MOVIE1995
The Show
as Self
MOVIE2024
Comin' Up Short
as Self
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5.7
MOVIE1997
Touch
as LL Cool J
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7.1
MOVIE2003
Beef
as Self (archive footage)
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8.7
MOVIE2002
It's Black Entertainment
as Self (archive footage)
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7.1
MOVIE2014
The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles
as Self - Host
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5.2
MOVIE1998
Caught Up
as Roger
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6.3
MOVIE1985
Krush Groove
as LL Cool J
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5.0
MOVIE2012
Yo! The Story of âYo! MTV Rapsâ
as Self
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6.0
MOVIE2024
Jimmy Fallon's Holiday Seasoning Spectacular
as Self
MOVIE2019
Henry Louis Gates Jr.: Uncovering America
as Self - Musician and Actor
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9.0
MOVIE2023
A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop
as Self
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4.5
MOVIE1995
Out-of-Sync
as Jason St. Julian
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9.0
MOVIE2025
Quincy Jones, Music Man
as Self (archive footage)
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8.0
MOVIE2015
Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life - An All-Star Grammy Salute
as Self
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6.5
MOVIE2024
A Hip Hop Minute
as Self
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9.3
MOVIE2015
Sinatra 100: An All-Star Grammy Concert
as Self
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7.5
MOVIE1986
Big Fun in the Big Town
as Self
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7.5
MOVIE2012
Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You
as Self
MOVIE2007
The Man
as Manny Baxter
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6.0
MOVIE1991
Simply Mad About the Mouse
as Self
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7.0
MOVIE2018
Q85: A Musical Celebration for Quincy Jones
as Self
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6.6
MOVIE2009
DJ Cinema Presents: Masterpiece Theater Blend Dvd
as Self (archive footage)
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8.1
MOVIE2023
2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
as Self
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8.0
MOVIE1999
Rapmania: The Roots of Rap
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6.0
MOVIE2002
Hype Williams: The Videos Vol. 1
MOVIE1991
Future Of The Funk
as Self
MOVIE2018
A Home for the Holidays: The 20th Anniversary
as Self - Host