Personal Info
Birth date
1968-01-14 (57 Years)
Gender
Male
Known for
Acting
Place of birth
Bay Shore, Long Island, New York, USA
Also known as
L.L. Cool J
James Todd Smith
Ladies Love Cool James
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.
Filmography
NCIS
7.631
Overview:
From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, a team of special agents investigates any crime that has a shred of evidence connected to Navy and Marine Corps personnel, regardless of rank or position.House
8.59
Overview:
Dr. Gregory House, a drug-addicted, unconventional, misanthropic medical genius, leads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton–Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey.The Daily Show
6.39
Overview:
The World's Fakest News Team tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and pop culture.American Dad!
6.988
Overview:
The series focuses on an eccentric motley crew that is the Smith family and their three housemates: Father, husband, and breadwinner Stan Smith; his better half housewife, Francine Smith; their college-aged daughter, Hayley Smith; and their high-school-aged son, Steve Smith. Outside of the Smith family, there are three additional main characters, including Hayley's boyfriend turned husband, Jeff Fischer; the family's man-in-a-goldfish-body pet, Klaus; and most notably the family's zany alien, Roger, who is "full of masquerades, brazenness, and shocking antics."Hawaii Five-0
7.754
Overview:
Steve McGarrett returns home to Oahu, in order to find his father's killer. The governor offers him the chance to run his own task force (Five-0). Steve's team is joined by Chin Ho Kelly, Danny "Danno" Williams, and Kono Kalakaua.NCIS: Los Angeles
7.5
Overview:
The exploits of the Los Angeles–based Office of Special Projects (OSP), an elite division of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service that specializes in undercover assignments.The Kelly Clarkson Show
6.5
Overview:
Kelly Clarkson presents the biggest newsmakers and names in film, television and music; as well as emerging new talent and everyday people who are beacons of hope in their communities.Saturday Night Live
7
Overview:
A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.Project Runway
6.3
Overview:
Aspiring fashion designers compete for a chance to break into the industry. Each week, a designer is eliminated from the competition after exhibiting their work in front of a judges' panel.The Jennifer Hudson Show
5.768
Overview:
Talented entertainer and newly-minted EGOT Jennifer Hudson takes on the daytime talk show landscape.Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
5
Overview:
Bravo network executive Andy Cohen discusses pop culture topics with celebrities and reality show personalities.The Late Late Show with James Corden
5.2
Overview:
Once Craig Ferguson retires, James Corden will be taking over The Late Late Show. The show is a late night talk show that interviews celebrities and has its own bits. And of course, it's all hosted by James Corden.30 Rock
7.468
Overview:
Liz Lemon, the head writer for a late-night TV variety show in New York, tries to juggle all the egos around her while chasing her own dream.MTV Video Music Awards
7.7
Overview:
An annual award ceremony presented by MTV to honor the best in the music video medium.The View
4.298
Overview:
ABC Daytime's morning chatfest, currently featuring Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Ana Navarro discussing the most exciting events of the day. Hot topics in the news, the best experts in their field, celebrity interviews and general entertainment are all part of The View.Jimmy Kimmel Live!
5.5
Overview:
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The Tyra Banks Show
4.8
Overview:
The Tyra Banks Show, also known as and shortened to Tyra or The Tyra Show, is an American talk show hosted by Tyra Banks. The last new episode aired on Friday, May 28, 2010. The show featured many special guest stars which include Mike Epps, Cheryl Tiegs, Miley Cyrus, LL Cool J, Rihanna, Michael Rapaport, and Robbi Morgan.American Idol
5.1
Overview:
Each year, hopeful singers from all over the country audition to be part of one of the biggest shows in American television history. Who will become the new American Idol?Hot Ones
7.4
Overview:
The show with hot questions and even hotter wings invites a famous guest over to eat and then interviews them while they're struggling through the heat.Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
6
Overview:
Some of this year's most talked about talent open up about the challenges and triumphs of creating critically acclaimed series and performances.Late Night with Conan O'Brien
7.2
Overview:
Stepping into the late-late slot vacated by David Letterman, Conan O'Brien stars in a show that far outdoes its competition in sheer strangeness. Along with the celebrity interviews and musical numbers typical of late-night talk shows, this program make frequent use of odd walk-on characters and frequent "visits" from celebrity guests.Oz
8
Overview:
The daily lives of prisoners in Emerald City, an experimental unit of the Oswald Maximum Security Prison where ingroups - Muslims, Latinos, Italians, Aryans - stick close to their mutual friends and terrorize their mutual enemies.Finding Your Roots
6.8
Overview:
Noted Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has been helping people discover long-lost relatives hidden for generations within the branches of their family trees. Professor Gates utilizes a team of genealogists to reconstruct the paper trail left behind by our ancestors and the world’s leading geneticists to decode our DNA and help us travel thousands of years into the past to discover the origins of our earliest forebears.WWE SmackDown
7.5
Overview:
The superstars of World Wrestling Entertainment's "SmackDown" brand collide each and every Friday on WWE Friday Night SmackDown.The Ellen DeGeneres Show
5.7
Overview:
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to just Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres.Last Holiday
7.2
Overview:
The discovery that she has a terminal illness prompts introverted department store saleswoman Georgia Byrd to reflect on what she realizes has been an overly cautious life. With weeks to live, she withdraws her life savings, sells all her possessions and jets off to Europe where she lives it up at a posh hotel. Upbeat and passionate, Georgia charms everybody she meets, including renowned Chef Didier. The only one missing from her new life is her longtime crush Sean Matthews.Lip Sync Battle
6.4
Overview:
Each episode features two A-list celebrities like you've never seen them before - syncing their hearts out in hysterically epic performances. Hosted by LL Cool J with colorful commentary by social media maven and supermodel co-host, Chrissy Teigen. The mic is off, the battle is on!The Tony Danza Show
6.1
Overview:
The Tony Danza Show was a daytime variety talk show that premiered on September 13, 2004 in syndication and was distributed by Buena Vista Television.NCIS: Hawaiʻi
7.8
Overview:
Jane Tennant, the first female Special Agent in Charge of NCIS Pearl Harbor, and her unwavering team of specialists balance duty to family and country while investigating high-stakes crimes involving military personnel, national security and the mysteries of the sun-drenched island paradise itself.Acting
TBAThe Man (1 Episode) as Unknown
TBALL Cool J Presents The Rock the Bells Festival Celebrating 50 Years of Hip Hop as Self
2025Quincy Jones - Music Man as Self (Archives)
2025Stans as Self
2025Hip Hop Was Born Here (5 Episodes) as Self - Host
2025Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music as Self
2024Jimmy Fallon's Holiday Seasoning Spectacular as Self
2024Fat Joe Talks (1 Episode) as Self - Guest
2024A Hip Hop Minute as Self
2024NCISverse: The First 1,000 as Self
2024James Brown: Say It Loud (4 Episodes) as Self
2024Comin' Up Short as Self
2023A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop as Self
20232023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony as Self
2023Hip Hop Treasures (8 Episodes) as Self
2023Superfan (1 Episode) as Self
2023Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World (4 Episodes) as Self
20222022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony as Self
2022The Jennifer Hudson Show (1 Episode) as Unknown
2022Supreme Team (3 Episodes) as Self
2022They Call Me Magic (4 Episodes) as Self
2021You're Watching Video Music Box as Self (archive footage)
2021NCIS: Hawaiʻi (12 Episodes) as Sam Hanna
2021Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell as Self - Hip-Hop Artist (archive footage)
2020Ricky Powell: The Individualist as Self
2020One World: Together at Home as Self
2019The Kelly Clarkson Show (1 Episode) as Self
2019Henry Louis Gates Jr.: Uncovering America as Self - Musician and Actor
2019Desus & Mero (1 Episode) as Self - Illustrious Guest
2018A Home for the Holidays: The 20th Anniversary as Self - Host
2018Q85: A Musical Celebration for Quincy Jones as Self
2018Shut Up and Dribble (1 Episode) as Self - Musician
2018MVP: Most Valuable Performer as Unknown
2016Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party (1 Episode) as Self
2016Greatest Hits (1 Episode) as Unknown
2016The $100,000 Pyramid (1 Episode) as Self
2015Sinatra 100: An All-Star Grammy Concert as Self
2015Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter (1 Episode) as Self
2015Lip Sync Battle (92 Episodes) as Host
2015The Late Late Show with James Corden (1 Episode) as Self
2015Hot Ones (1 Episode) as Self
2015Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life - An All-Star Grammy Salute as Self
2014The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles as Self - Host
2013Grudge Match as Frankie Brite
2013Mayweather as Narrator
2012Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You as Self
2012Yo! The Story of ‘Yo! MTV Raps’ as Self
2012Finding Your Roots (1 Episode) as Self
2010Conan (2 Episodes) as Self
2010Hawaii Five-0 (1 Episode) as Sam Hanna
2009WWII in HD (10 Episodes) as Shelby Westbrook (voice)
2009NCIS: Los Angeles (323 Episodes) as Sam Hanna
2009Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (1 Episode) as Self - Guest
2009How Bruce Lee Changed the World as Self
2009DJ Cinema Presents: Masterpiece Theater Blend Dvd as Self (archive footage)
2008The Deal as Bobby Mason
2007The Man as Manny Baxter
2007ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway as Self
200630 Rock (1 Episode) as Ridikolus
2006Rachael Ray (1 Episode) as Unknown
2006Last Holiday as Sean Matthews
2005Slow Burn as Luther Pinks
2005The Tyra Banks Show (1 Episode) as Self
2005Edison as Deed
2005So You Think You Can Dance (1 Episode) as Unknown
2005American Dad! (1 Episode) as Sam Hanna (voice)
2004Project Runway (1 Episode) as Self - Guest Judge
2004House (1 Episode) as Clarence
2004The Tony Danza Show (1 Episode) as Self
2004Mindhunters as Gabe Jensen
2003Spike TV VGA Video Game Awards (10 Episodes) as Unknown
2003NCIS (4 Episodes) as Sam Hanna
2003The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2 Episodes) as Self
2003S.W.A.T. as Deacon 'Deke' Kaye (as James Todd Smith aka LL Cool J)
2003Beef as Self (archive footage)
2003Deliver Us from Eva as Ray Adams
2003Jimmy Kimmel Live! (6 Episodes) as Self
2002American Idol (1 Episode) as Self - Guest Judge
2002Rollerball as Marcus Ridley
2002It's Black Entertainment as Self (archive footage)
2002Last Call with Carson Daly (1 Episode) as Self
2002Hype Williams: The Videos Vol. 1 as Unknown
2001Kingdom Come as Ray Bud Slocumb
2000Charlie's Angels as Mr. Jones
2000106 & Park (1 Episode) as Unknown
1999Any Given Sunday as Julian Washington
1999The Early Show (2 Episodes) as Self
1999Rapmania: The Roots of Rap as Unknown
1999In Too Deep as Dwayne Gittens / God
1999Teen Choice Awards (1, 1 Episode) as Self, Self - Presenter
1999Deep Blue Sea as Preacher
1999WWE SmackDown (1 Episode) as Self
1998Halloween H20: 20 Years Later as Ronald 'Ronny' Jones
1998Woo as Darryl
1998Caught Up as Roger
1997The View (7 Episodes) as Self
1997Oz (1 Episode) as Jiggy Walker
1997B.A.P.S as LL Cool J
1997Touch as LL Cool J
1997The Chris Rock Show (1 Episode) as Self
1996Clive Anderson All Talk (1 Episode) as Self
1996The Daily Show (3 Episodes) as Self
1996The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1 Episode) as Self
1996The Right to Remain Silent as Charles Red Taylor
1995MADtv (1, 2 Episode) as Self - Host, Self
1995The Frank Skinner Show (1 Episode) as Self
1995The Show as Self
1995Out-of-Sync as Jason St. Julian
1995In the House (76 Episodes) as Marion Hill
1994MTV Europe Music Awards (1 Episode) as Self - Presenter
1993The Adventures of Pete & Pete (1 Episode) as Mr. Throneberry
1993Late Night with Conan O'Brien (4 Episodes) as Self - Guest
1992Toys as Patrick Zevo
1991Simply Mad About the Mouse as Self
1991The Hard Way as Billy
1991Future Of The Funk as Self
1989MTV Unplugged (1 Episode) as Self
1988Yo! MTV Raps (1 Episode) as Self
1987Kids' Choice Awards (1 Episode) as Self - Co-Host
1986Big Fun in the Big Town as Self
1986Wildcats as Rapper
1985Krush Groove as LL Cool J
1984MTV Video Music Awards (2, 7 Episode) as Self - Host, Self
1981Entertainment Tonight (2 Episodes) as Self
1975Saturday Night Live (1 Episode) as Self - Musical Guest
1972Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest (4 Episodes) as Self - Performer (Times Square)
1959The Grammys (1 Episode) as Self
1952Today (1 Episode) as Self
Crew
TBAMy Life With the Team: Bimmy's Story ... Thanks
Production
2025Hip Hop Was Born Here (5 Episodes) ... Executive Producer
2023A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop ... Executive Producer
2018Story of Cool (3 Episodes) ... Executive Producer
Creator
2025Hip Hop Was Born Here ... Creator
Sound
1992Black Women, Sexual Politics and the Revolution ... Songs