Dante Terrell Smith, better known by his former stage name Mos Def, and now known as Yasiin Bey is an American actor, rapper and MC who was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 11, 1973. He portrayed Lee, a victim of locked-in syndrome in the episode Locked In.
Def first became noted in the hip hop movement in the late 1990s when he collaborated with several other artists, coming to prominence when he teamed with Talib Kweli to form the duo Black Star which released its debut album in 1998. However, he has also gained much critical acclaim for his acting work. Starting with brief appearances in Spike Lee's Bamboozled! and Monster's Ball, in 2005 he won the award for Best Actor at the Black Reel Awards for his role in The Woodsman. He also found mainstream success in The Italian Job, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Be Kind - Rewind and 16 Blocks. He even appeared as himself in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
Connections
- Appeared with Liz Benoit on The Boondocks
- Appeared with David Morse and Sasha Roiz in 16 Blocks
- Appeared with Charles S. Dutton in Something the Lord Made
- Appeared with Clifton Powell in Civil Brand
- Appeared with Josh Stamberg on Spin City
- Appeared with Anne Elizabeth Ramsay and Jude Ciccolella on Dellaventura
- Appeared with Ann Dowd on The Cosby Mysteries
- Appeared with LL Cool J in The Hard Way