Lionel Richie
Known for: Acting
Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of the Motown group Commodores; writing and recording the hit singles "Easy", "Sail On", "Three Times a Lady" and "Still", with the group before his departure. In 1980, he wrote and produced the US Billboard Hot 100 number one single "Lady" for Kenny Rogers. In 1981, Richie wrote and produced the single "Endless Love", which he recorded as a duet with Diana Ross; it remains among the top 20 bestselling singles of all time, and the biggest career hit for both artists. In 1982, he officially launched his solo career with the album Lionel Richie, which sold over four million copies and spawned the singles "You Are", "My Love", and the number one single "Truly". Richie's second album, Can't Slow Down (1983), reached number one on the US Billboard 200 chart and sold over 20 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling albums of all time; and spawned the number one singles "All Night Long (All Night)" and "Hello". He then co-wrote the 1985 charity single "We Are the World" with Michael Jackson, which sold over 20 million copies. His third album, Dancing on the Ceiling (1986), spawned the number one single "Say You, Say Me" (from the 1985 film White Nights) and the No. 2 hit title track. From 1986 to 1996, Richie took a break from recording; he has since then released seven studio albums. He has joined the singing competition American Idol to serve as a judge, starting from its sixteenth season (2018 to present). During his solo career, Richie became one of the most successful balladeers of the 1980s, and has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the world's best-selling artists of all time. He has won four Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year for "We Are the World", and Album of the Year for Can't Slow Down. "Endless Love" was nominated for an Academy Award; while "Say You, Say Me" won both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe award for Best Original Song. In 2016, Richie received the Songwriters Hall of Fame's highest honor, the Johnny Mercer Award. In 2022, he received the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song by the Library of Congress; as well as the American Music Awards Icon Award. He was also inducted into Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Richie was born on June 20, 1949, in Tuskegee, Alabama, the son of Lionel Brockman Richie (1915–1990), a U.S. Army systems analyst, and Alberta R. Foster (1917–2001), a teacher and school principal. His grandmother Adelaide Mary Brown was a pianist who played classical music. On March 4, 2011, he appeared on NBC's Who Do You Think You Are?, which found out that his maternal great-grandfather was the national leader of an early Black American fraternal organization. Notably, J. Louis Brown was: [P]rincipal organizer and Supreme Grand Archon of the Knights of Wise Men, a fraternal organization for black men in the post-Civil War period. Formed in Nashville in 1879, it was a fraternal insurance and burial benefit society, as were so many others during the period. ... Source: Article "Lionel Richie" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Filmography
Series
The Rookie
Lionel Richie
2018
Series
The Simpsons
Lionel Richie (voice)
1989
Series
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest
2009
Series
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self
2014
Series
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self - Guest
2014
Series
Raw
Self
1993
Series
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Self
2019
Series
Saturday Night Live
Self - Musical Guest
1975
Series
Top of the Pops
1964
Series
The View
Self
1997
Series
The View
Self - Guest
1997
Series
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Self - Guest
1988
Series
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self
2003
Series
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self - Guest
2003
Series
Top Gear
Self
2002
Series
The One Show
Self
2006
Series
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Self
2003
Series
American Idol
Self - Guest Judge
2002
Series
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Self
1992
Series
Champs-Elysées
Self
1982
Series
Vivement dimanche
Self
1998
Series
Felicity
Self
1998
Series
Wetten, dass..?
Self
1981
Series
Sacrée soirée
Self
1987
Series
American Housewife
Lionel Richie
2016
Series
Behind the Music
Self
1997
Series
The Drew Barrymore Show
Self
2020
Series
An Audience with...
Self
1978
Series
The X Factor
Self - Special Guest
2004
Series
20/20
1978
Series
The Oscars
Self - Presenter
1953
Series
Le monde est à vous
Self
1987
Goldene Kamera
Self
1984
Series
American Idol
Self - Judge
2018
Series
Parkinson
Self
1998
Series
Best Week Ever
2004
Series
Today
Self
1952
Where Are They Now?
Self
1999
Series
Viña del Mar International Song Festival
Self - Musical Guest
1963
Series
Victoires de la musique
Self
1985
Series
Entertainment Tonight
Self
1981
Series
Who Do You Think You Are?
Self
2010
Series
Vivement dimanche prochain
Self
1998
Series
Star Academy
Self
2001
Series
CMT Crossroads
Self
2002
Series
CMG Spring Festival Gala
1983
Series
Ciao Darwin
Ospite Musicale
1998
Series
Lo + plus
Self
1995
Willkommen bei Carmen Nebel
Self
2004
ECHO-Verleihung
Self
1992
Series
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Self
1996
Series
Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields
Self
2023
Series
Extra
Self - Guest
1994
Series
Auf los geht's los
Self
1977
Film
Studio 666
Lionel Richie
2022
Series
The Simple Life
2003
Film
2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Self
2021
Film
The Greatest Night in Pop
Self
2024
Series
This Morning
Self
1988
Film
Flora and Son
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2023
Series
E! True Hollywood Story
1996
World Music Awards
Self
1993
America's Top 10
Self
1980
Film
High in the Clouds
Gladstone (voice)
2027
Film
2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Self - Inductee
2022
Series
TV total
Self
1999
Film
Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That's the Weight of the World)
Self
2026
Film
Quincy
Self
2018
Film
Live Aid
Self
1985
José Carreras Gala
Self
1995
Film
The Preacher's Wife
Britsloe
1996
Series
Disney Insider
Self
2020
Film
Night of 100 Stars
Self
1982
Jackie Chan: Down to Earth
Self
Backstory
Self
2009
Film
The Disney Family Singalong - Volume II
Self
2020
Film
The Coronation Concert
Self
2023
Film
Thank God It's Friday
Self
1978
Film
Michael Jackson Memorial
Self
2009
Film
David Foster: Off the Record
Self
2019
Totally Saturday
2009
Film
The Black Godfather
Self
2019
Film
We Are the World: The Story Behind the Song
Self
1985
Film
O Melhor do Flash Back - 92 Clipes Para Recordar
Self (archive footage)
2009
Series
American Idol Official Podcast
Self - Guest
2026
Film
Dolly Parton - From Rhinestones to Rock & Roll
Self
2023
Series
The Grammys
Self
1959
Film
Michael Jackson: A Life in Music
Self (archive footage)
2026
Film
Scott Joplin
The Minstrel Singers
1977
Film
Pavarotti The Duets
Self
2008
Film
Motown 40: The Music Is Forever
Self
1998
Film
Soul of a Nation Presents: Black in Vegas
Self
2023
Film
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever
Self
1983
Series
Nikki Fre$h
Self
2020
Film
Live Aid Against All Odds
Self
2005
Film
Pavarotti & Friends 99 for Guatemala and Kosovo
Self
1999
Film
Lionel Richie: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize For Popular Song
Self
2022
Film
Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl
Self
2022
Film
Lionel Richie: The Outrageous Tour Live
Himself
Kenny Rogers All in for the Gambler
2021
Film
ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends in Concert
Self
2012
Film
Lionel Richie Festival de Viña del Mar
2016
Film
Lionel Richie: Symphonica in Rosso
2008
Film
Lionel Richie at Glastonbury
Self
2019
Film
Kenny Rogers: The Journey
himself
2006
Film
Lionel Richie: Live in Paris - His Greatest Hits and More
2007
Film
All In For The Gambler: Kenny Rogers Farewell Concert Celebration
Self
2017
Film
Kenny Rogers: All in for the Gambler
Self
2021
Film
Lionel Richie: The Town 2025
Self
2025
Film
Les Enfants de la Pop 80's
Self (archive footage)
2012
Film
Lionel Richie: Collection
2003
Film
Party in the Park
Self
2001
Film
Johnny Hallyday Allume le feu au Stade de France
Self
1999
Film
An Audience with Des O'Connor
Self
2001
Film
Concerto di Natale in Vaticano 2019
Self
2019
Film
Lionel Richie at the BBC
Self
2011