LL Cool J
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1968-01-14
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.
Also Known For
Edison
Jul 29, 2005
Charlie's Angels
Nov 02, 2000
Rollerball
Feb 08, 2002
In Too Deep
Aug 25, 1999
Toys
Dec 18, 1992
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
Aug 05, 1998
S.W.A.T.
Aug 08, 2003
Deliver Us from Eva
Feb 07, 2003
Any Given Sunday
Dec 22, 1999
Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life - An All-Star Grammy Salute
Feb 26, 2015
How Bruce Lee Changed the World
May 17, 2009
Krush Groove
Oct 25, 1985
Touch
Feb 14, 1997
The Deal
Nov 20, 2008
Mindhunters
May 07, 2004
Hype Williams: The Videos Vol. 1
Jan 01, 2002
Last Holiday
Jan 13, 2006
You're Watching Video Music Box
Dec 03, 2021
B.A.P.S
Mar 28, 1997
Slow Burn
Sep 12, 2005
The Show
Aug 25, 1995
DJ Cinema Presents: Masterpiece Theater Blend Dvd
Mar 19, 2009
Big Fun in the Big Town
Jun 06, 1986
Simply Mad About the Mouse
Jul 15, 1991
Out-of-Sync
Jun 04, 1995
Rapmania: The Roots of Rap
Oct 31, 1999
2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Nov 03, 2023
The Hard Way
Mar 08, 1991
Kingdom Come
Apr 11, 2001
The Right to Remain Silent
Jan 07, 1996
Grudge Match
Dec 25, 2013
Caught Up
Feb 27, 1998
Yo! The Story of ‘Yo! MTV Raps’
Jun 07, 2012
A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop
Dec 10, 2023
Future Of The Funk
Jan 01, 1991
2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Nov 19, 2022
Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You
Jul 01, 2012
Deep Blue Sea
Jul 28, 1999
Wildcats
Feb 14, 1986
Sinatra 100: An All-Star Grammy Concert
Dec 06, 2015
LL Cool J Presents The Rock the Bells Festival Celebrating 50 Years of Hip Hop
Comin' Up Short
Jan 10, 2024
NCISverse: The First 1,000
Apr 08, 2024
Mayweather
Apr 27, 2013
ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway
Apr 19, 2007
Woo
May 08, 1998
MVP: Most Valuable Performer
Jan 25, 2018
A Home for the Holidays: The 20th Anniversary
Dec 12, 2018
Beef
Aug 03, 2003
It's Black Entertainment
Feb 08, 2002
The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles
Feb 09, 2014
Q85: A Musical Celebration for Quincy Jones
Dec 09, 2018
One World: Together at Home
Apr 18, 2020
Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell
Mar 01, 2021
We Are the World 25 For Haiti
Feb 12, 2010
A Hip Hop Minute
May 04, 2024
Jimmy Fallon's Holiday Seasoning Spectacular
Dec 04, 2024
Ricky Powell: The Individualist
May 30, 2020
Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music
Jan 27, 2025
Henry Louis Gates Jr.: Uncovering America
Mar 05, 2019
In the House
Apr 10, 1995
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Sep 08, 2003
House
Nov 16, 2004
The Tony Danza Show
Sep 13, 2004
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Jan 26, 2003
Today
Jan 14, 1952
The Tyra Banks Show
Sep 12, 2005
The View
Aug 11, 1997
106 & Park
Sep 11, 2000
Oz
Jul 12, 1997
So You Think You Can Dance
Jul 20, 2005
American Idol
Jun 11, 2002
The Early Show
Nov 01, 1999
Finding Your Roots
Mar 24, 2012
30 Rock
Oct 11, 2006
NCIS
Sep 23, 2003
MTV Unplugged
Nov 26, 1989
MADtv
Oct 14, 1995
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Sep 13, 1993
The Frank Skinner Show
Sep 10, 1995
Clive Anderson All Talk
Oct 06, 1996
Shut Up and Dribble
Nov 03, 2018
NCIS: Los Angeles
Sep 22, 2009
The Man
Teen Choice Awards
Aug 01, 1999
WWII in HD
Nov 15, 2009
Hawaii Five-0
Sep 20, 2010
Spike TV VGA Video Game Awards
Dec 04, 2003
Saturday Night Live
Oct 11, 1975
Lip Sync Battle
Apr 02, 2015
The Daily Show
Jul 22, 1996
Teen Choice Awards
Aug 01, 1999
Hip Hop Treasures
Aug 12, 2023
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
Aug 02, 2015
The Late Late Show with James Corden
Mar 23, 2015
Greatest Hits
Jun 30, 2016
Superfan
Aug 09, 2023
The Chris Rock Show
Feb 07, 1997
Project Runway
Dec 01, 2004
MTV Video Music Awards
Sep 14, 1984
MTV Video Music Awards
Sep 14, 1984
The $100,000 Pyramid
Jun 27, 2016
They Call Me Magic
Apr 22, 2022
Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party
Nov 07, 2016
Yo! MTV Raps
Sep 21, 1988
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Sep 12, 2022
Last Call with Carson Daly
Jan 08, 2002
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Sep 09, 2019
MADtv
Oct 14, 1995
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Jun 10, 1996
Supreme Team
Jul 10, 2022
WWE SmackDown
Apr 29, 1999
Rachael Ray
Sep 18, 2006
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest
Dec 31, 1972
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Jul 16, 2009
Entertainment Tonight
Sep 15, 1981
NCIS: Hawaiʻi
Sep 20, 2021
American Dad!
Feb 06, 2005
Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World
Jan 21, 2023
Hot Ones
Mar 12, 2015
Kids' Choice Awards
Jan 18, 1987
James Brown: Say It Loud
Feb 19, 2024
Desus & Mero
Feb 21, 2019
Conan
Nov 08, 2010
Fat Joe Talks
Oct 04, 2024
MTV Europe Music Awards
Nov 24, 1994
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
Nov 28, 1993
The Grammys
Nov 29, 1959