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Russell Simmons

Russell Simmons

Producer, actor and writer · Born October 4, 1957 (69) · Queens, New York, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, the co-founder, with Rick Rubin, of the pioneering hip-hop label Def Jam, and creator of the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and American Classics. Russell Simmons is the third richest figure in hip-hop, having a net-worth estimate of $340 million. Description above from the Wikipedia article Russell Simmons, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 4, 1957 (69)
From
Queens, New York, USA
Works as
Producer, actor and writer
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 37 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 65 days to Oct 28Down 19% in 30 days

What are Russell Simmons' films like?

Across their 26 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.

Genres

Documentary13 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Comedy6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 39th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
27%
Society
24%
Bonds
14%
Morality
12%
Survival
12%
Ideas
6%
Power
5%
Community7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy4 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 23 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 13 · Serious 4 · Dark 6

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 18 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 9 · Charged 9 · Intense 5

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 17 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 14 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 4

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 14 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 12 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 2

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 18 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
9
Joyful
8
Hopeful
9
Tense
7
Melancholic
8
Other
20

How their films linger

Hopeful11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet8
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous6
  • Cyclical3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Russell Simmons' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Russell Simmons' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

37 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page; 44 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Robot Dracula(2026)

    as Russell

  • Undateable John(2019)

    as Suicide Hotline Operator

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • All Def Comedy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Executive Producer

  • ADD Presents: Robert Powell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Executive Producer

  • ADD Presents: Tyree Elaine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Executive Producer

  • Major Deal(2016)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Unity(2015)

    as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Russell Simmons Presents: The Ruckus(2012)

    Show 6 episodes · Producer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • The House I Live In(2012)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Lemon(2011)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Running Russell Simmons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Show 6 episodes · Producer · Actor

  • The Nate Berkus Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Russell Simmons Presents: Stand-Up at the El Rey(2010)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Waist Deep(2006)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Jamie Kennedy's Blowin' Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Henry Rollins Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Run's House(2005)

    Show 60 episodes · Creator · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows

  • 9/11/03: A Day in the Life of New York (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Actor

  • Street Fury: Envy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Actor

  • The History Makers: Success (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director

  • Hip Hop Honors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Show 7 episodes · Actor

  • And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Show 5 episodes · Executive Producer

  • The Apprentice(2004)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all shows

  • It's Black Entertainment(2002)

    Producer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Def Comedy Jam, Vol. 6 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Writer

  • Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam All Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 14 episodes · Creator · as Himself

  • Def Comedy Jam, Vol. 7 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Writer

  • Butter(1998)

    as Celebrity Guest #2

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • How to Be a Player(1997)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Gridlock'd(1997)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Nutty Professor(1996)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Moesha(1996)

    Show 2 episodes · as Russell Simmons

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all shows

  • The Funeral(1996)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Addiction(1995)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Def Comedy Jam(1992)

    Show 29 episodes · Creator · Producer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Tougher Than Leather (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Producer · as Self

  • Krush Groove(1985)

    Co-Producer · as Crocket

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 9th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 31 titles from 1985 to 2026.

Biggest box office

The Nutty Professor (1996)

$274M worldwide

Highest rated

The House I Live In (2012)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

The Nutty Professor (1996)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting14 of 31: 12 only acting, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score15thDirecting1 of 31: 1 only directing, 0 with another roleWriting2 of 31: 2 only writing, 0 with another roleProducing15 of 31: 11 only producing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score51stOther crew3 of 31: 1 only other crew, 2 with another role

31 titles, 4 with more than one role — producing and acting overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1980s2 · 1 acting · 2 crew1990s7 · 2 acting · 5 crew2000s13 · 6 acting · 7 crew2010s8 · 4 acting · 5 crew2020s1 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Russell Simmons' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of the 14 of 15 with a score; across their 23 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 62nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Approval · how many liked their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Reach · how many have seen their films

31stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 20 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Divisive3
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed11

Most divisive · actor, producer

It's Black Entertainment (2002)

97th percentile spread · 31% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

The House I Live In (2012)

Midcredits 97th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the acting 59/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 69, detractors 33. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Russell Simmons' work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 74 · intenseMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles31–84 · median 54 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 64 · intenseMedian of all films: 36
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 25 · mildMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Russell Simmons work with?

People who share at least 2 of Russell Simmons' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Stan Lathan shares the most, 8.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles