LL Cool J
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
132
Gender
Male
Birthday
1968-01-14 (57 years old)
Place of Birth
Bay Shore, Long Island, New York, USA
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
NCIS
House
The Daily Show
American Dad!
Conan
NCIS: Los Angeles
Hawaii Five-0
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Saturday Night Live
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
The Late Late Show with James Corden
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Project Runway
American Idol
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
30 Rock
The View
Hot Ones
The Tyra Banks Show
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
WWE SmackDown
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
Oz
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
The Tony Danza Show
Lip Sync Battle
So You Think You Can Dance
NCIS: Hawaiʻi
Finding Your Roots
Desus & Mero
MTV Unplugged
Today
Last Holiday
Entertainment Tonight
Charlie's Angels
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
MTV Europe Music Awards
Kids' Choice Awards
Rachael Ray
The $100,000 Pyramid
In the House
The Frank Skinner Show
The Chris Rock Show
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
S.W.A.T.
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest
Last Call with Carson Daly
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
106 & Park
Wildcats
Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party
Edison
2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)
Any Given Sunday
The Hard Way
The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles
Deep Blue Sea
DJ Cinema Presents: Masterpiece Theater Blend Dvd
Mindhunters
WWII in HD
Yo! MTV Raps
Rollerball
The Man
Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life - An All-Star Grammy Salute
Shut Up and Dribble
The Early Show
ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway
The Deal
The Right to Remain Silent
The Show
Quincy Jones - Music Man
In Too Deep
Stans
2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Toys
Spike TV VGA Video Game Awards
Jimmy Fallon's Holiday Seasoning Spectacular
A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop
Clive Anderson All Talk
Kingdom Come
Beef
They Call Me Magic
How Bruce Lee Changed the World
Comin' Up Short
B.A.P.S
Slow Burn
Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World
Deliver Us from Eva
Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music
NCISverse: The First 1,000
Touch
Q85: A Musical Celebration for Quincy Jones
Woo
MADtv
MADtv
Greatest Hits
Grudge Match
One World: Together at Home
Hip Hop Was Born Here
Hype Williams: The Videos Vol. 1
James Brown: Say It Loud
Yo! The Story of ‘Yo! MTV Raps’
Out-of-Sync
Supreme Team
Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell
Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You
Big Fun in the Big Town
Superfan
Fat Joe Talks
The Man
Simply Mad About the Mouse
A Hip Hop Minute
The Grammys
Hip Hop Treasures
Caught Up
Krush Groove
Teen Choice Awards
Teen Choice Awards
Henry Louis Gates Jr.: Uncovering America
You're Watching Video Music Box
It's Black Entertainment
Ricky Powell: The Individualist
A Home for the Holidays: The 20th Anniversary
LL Cool J Presents The Rock the Bells Festival Celebrating 50 Years of Hip Hop
Rapmania: The Roots of Rap
Sinatra 100: An All-Star Grammy Concert
MVP: Most Valuable Performer
Mayweather
Future Of The Funk
