LL Cool J

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

114

Gender

Male

Birthday

1968-01-14 (56 years old)

Place of Birth

Bay Shore, Long Island, New York, USA

Also Known As

  • L.L. Cool J
  • LL 쿨 J

LL Cool J

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.

Known For

House
8.6%

House

Nov 16, 2004

Charlie's Angels
5.8%

Charlie's Angels

Nov 2, 2000

S.W.A.T.
6.2%

S.W.A.T.

Aug 8, 2003

Deep Blue Sea
6.0%

Deep Blue Sea

Jul 28, 1999

NCIS
7.6%

NCIS

Sep 23, 2003

American Dad!
6.9%

American Dad!

Feb 6, 2005

Hawaii Five-0
7.7%

Hawaii Five-0

Sep 20, 2010

Any Given Sunday
6.8%

Any Given Sunday

Dec 22, 1999

Grudge Match
6.1%

Grudge Match

Dec 25, 2013

Mindhunters
6.4%

Mindhunters

May 7, 2004

NCIS: Los Angeles
7.6%

NCIS: Los Angeles

Sep 22, 2009

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Acting

The Man
2023
A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop as Self
2023
2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony as Self
2023
Hip Hop Treasures
2023
Superfan as Self
2023
Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World as Self
2022
2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony as Self
2022
The Jennifer Hudson Show
2022
Supreme Team as Self
2022
They Call Me Magic as Self
2021
You're Watching Video Music Box as Self (archive footage)
2021
NCIS: Hawai'i as Sam Hanna
2021
Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell as Self - Hip-Hop Artist (archive footage)
2020
One World: Together at Home as Self
2019
The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019
Desus & Mero as Self - Illustrious Guest
2018
A Home for the Holidays: The 20th Anniversary as Hosted
2018
Q85: A Musical Celebration for Quincy Jones as Self
2018
Shut Up and Dribble as Self - Musician
2018
MVP: Most Valuable Performer
2016
Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party
2016
Greatest Hits
2016
The $100,000 Pyramid as Self
2015
Sinatra 100: An All-Star Grammy Concert as Self
2015
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter as Self
2015
Lip Sync Battle as Host
2015
The Late Late Show with James Corden as Self
2015
Hot Ones as Self
2015
Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life - An All-Star Grammy Salute as Self
2014
The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles as Self - Host
2013
Grudge Match as Frankie Brite
2013
Mayweather as Narrator
2012
Whitney Houston - We Will Always Love You as self
2012
Yo! The Story of ‘Yo! MTV Raps’
2012
Finding Your Roots as Self
2010
Conan as Self
2010
Hawaii Five-0 as Sam Hanna
2009
WWII in HD
2009
NCIS: Los Angeles as Sam Hanna
2009
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen as Self - Guest
2009
How Bruce Lee Changed the World as Self
2009
DJ Cinema Presents: Masterpiece Theater Blend Dvd as Self (archive footage)
2008
The Deal as Bobby Mason
2007
ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway as Self
2006
30 Rock as Ridikolus
2006
Rachael Ray
2006
Last Holiday as Sean Matthews
2005
Slow Burn as Luther Pinks
2005
The Tyra Banks Show
2005
Edison as Deed
2005
So You Think You Can Dance
2005
American Dad! as Sam Hanna (voice)
2004
Project Runway as Self - Guest Judge
2004
House as Clarence
2004
The Tony Danza Show as Self
2004
Mindhunters as Gabe Jensen
2003
Spike TV VGA Video Game Awards
2003
NCIS as Sam Hanna
2003
The Ellen DeGeneres Show as Self
2003
S.W.A.T. as Deacon 'Deke' Kay
2003
Beef as Self (archive footage)
2003
Deliver Us from Eva as Ray Adams
2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2002
American Idol as Self - Guest Judge
2002
Rollerball as Marcus Ridley
2002
It's Black Entertainment as Self (archive footage)
2002
Last Call with Carson Daly as Self
2002
Hype Williams: The Videos Vol. 1
2001
Kingdom Come as Ray Bud Slocumb
2000
Charlie's Angels as Mr. Jones
2000
106 & Park
1999
Any Given Sunday as Julian Washington
1999
The Early Show as Self
1999
Rapmania: The Roots of Rap
1999
In Too Deep as Dwayne Gittens / God
1999
Teen Choice Awards as Himself
1999
Teen Choice Awards as Self - Presenter
1999
Deep Blue Sea as Sherman 'Preacher' Dudley
1999
WWE SmackDown as Self
1998
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later as Ronald 'Ronny' Jones
1998
Woo as Darryl
1998
Caught Up as Roger
1997
The View as Self
1997
Oz as Jiggy Walker
1997
B.A.P.S as Himself
1997
Touch as Self
1997
The Chris Rock Show
1996
Clive Anderson All Talk as Self
1996
The Daily Show as Self
1996
The Rosie O'Donnell Show as Self
1996
The Right to Remain Silent as Charles Red Taylor
1995
MADtv as Self - Host
1995
MADtv as Self
1995
The Frank Skinner Show as Self
1995
The Show as Himself
1995
Out-of-Sync as Jason St. Julian
1995
In the House as Marion Hill
1993
Late Night with Conan O'Brien as Self - Guest
1992
Toys as Captain Patrick Zevo
1991
Simply Mad About the Mouse as Self
1991
The Hard Way as Billy
1991
Future Of The Funk as Self
1989
MTV Unplugged as Self
1988
Yo! MTV Raps as Self
1987
Kids' Choice Awards as Himself - Co-Host
1986
Big Fun in the Big Town as Himself
1986
Wildcats as Rapper
1985
Krush Groove as Himself
1984
MTV Video Music Awards as Self - Host
1984
MTV Video Music Awards as Self
1975
Saturday Night Live as Self - Musical Guest
1972
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest as Performer - Times Square
1959
The Grammy Awards
1952
Today as Self

Production

2018
Story of Cool as Executive Producer
Movies
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