Kid Cudi is an American actor, producer, film composer, music video director and musician.
Having initially majored in film at the University of Toledo, before dropping out to pursue a career in music, Cudi would venture into acting in 2009, when he was cast in the HBO series How to Make It in America. Cudi would continue to hone his acting skills, starring alongside fellow American rapper Cage, in Maniac (2011), a short horror film directed by American actor Shia LaBeouf. Cudi went on to appear in several feature films, including Goodbye World (2013), Need for Speed (2014), Entourage (2015), Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020), and Don't Look Up (2021). In addition, he has made appearances on television shows such as One Tree Hill, The Cleveland Show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Westworld. In 2015, he was the bandleader on the IFC series Comedy Bang! Bang! and in 2020 starred in the TV drama We Are Who We Are.
In 2020, Cudi launched production company Mad Solar, which went on to produce A Man Named Scott (2021), a documentary storying Cudi's musical career, as well as Cudi's Netflix animated special Entergalactic (2022), which Cudi co-created alongside fellow American producer Kenya Barris. In 2021, Cudi was credited as an executive producer on the award-winning film Malcolm & Marie. Mad Solar would also produce the critically acclaimed horror X (2022), which Cudi starred in, and its prequel Pearl (2022) and sequel MaXXXine (2024).
In March 2022, Cudi revealed he would be making his feature directorial debut with the Netflix film, Teddy, a project he’s also written and in which he’ll star. Cudi announced the news in a social media post, noting that he’d been working on the project since 2013. Fellow American musicians Jay-Z and Jeymes Samuel would serve as executives on the film, which was also produced by Bron Studios and Cudi's Mad Solar banner. Mad Solar is also set to produce a film adaptation of the coming-of-age campus novel Real Life, with Cudi set to star.
Film +Key Denotes productions that have not yet been released
+ Year Title Role Notes 2010 Himself Mini-documentary; packaged alongside the deluxe edition of Man on the Moon II 2011 Maniac Twisted Killer Short film; also screenwriter, composer 2012 Cruel Summer Rafi Short film 2013 Goodbye World Lev Berkowitz Tacoma Yanni 2014 Need for Speed Sergeant Benny "Maverick" Jackson Feature film debut Scott Two Night Stand Cedric 2015 Entourage Allen Meadowland Jason James White Nick Also composer 2017 Vincent N Roxxy Suga Killing Hasselhoff Himself 2018 The After Party William Also composer 2019 Drunk Parents Scottie Tow Driver Jexi Himself 2020 Bill & Ted Face the Music Himself 2021 Malcolm & Marie Executive producer Crisis Ben Walker A Man Named Scott Himself Documentary film Don't Look Up DJ Chello 2022 X Jackson Hollis Also executive producer Pearl Executive producer 2023 House Party HimselfParachute Justin Crater Michael Channing Trolls Band Together Clay (voice)Silent Night Dennis Vassel 2024 MaXXXine Executive producer Trap The Thinker 2025 Neverland Vampire Also writer Happy Gilmore 2 FBI agent 2026 Pathetic Fallacy Asher Also executive producer and additional composer 2027 Doe Post-production; also director, writer and executive producer TBA Glenn (voice) In production TBA Ibn In production; also director, writer and executive producer
Television + Year Title Role Notes 2010One Tree Hill Himself Episode: "Lists, Plans"; performed "Erase Me" 2010–2011How to Make It in America Domingo Dean Main cast; 16 episodes2013The Cleveland Show Devon (voice) Episode: "Brownsized"Brooklyn Nine-Nine Dustin Whitman Episode: "48 Hours" 2014Scorpion Peyton Temple Episode: "Risky Business" 2015Comedy Bang! Bang! Himself Co-host/bandleader; 21 episodes 2019Creepshow Doc Kessler Episode: "Bad Wolf Down"2020Westworld Francis Three episodesWe Are Who We Are Richard Poythress Main cast, miniseries 2022Entergalactic Jabari (voice) Television special; Also executive producer, screenwriter, and composer 2023Young Love Stephen (voice) Animated series 2024 Knuckles Agent Mason Miniseries
Celebrity/musical guest + Year Title Notes 2009Dogg After Dark Celebrity guest; performed "Day n Nite" 106 & Park Celebrity guest; performed a cappella version of "Soundtrack 2 My Life" Last Call with Carson Daly Musical guest; performed "Dat New New", "Sky Might Fall" and "Day n Nite" It's On with Alexa Chung Two episodes; musical guest; performed "Make Her Say" and "Day n Nite" Late Show with David Letterman Musical guest; performed "Pursuit of Happiness" 2010Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Musical guest; performed "Maniac" Conan November 28 episode; performed "REVOFEV" 2011Conan Episode: "The Day the Proofradar Quit" 2013Jimmy Kimmel Live! Musical guest, performed "Immortal" 2014The Arsenio Hall Show Musical guest, performed "Internal Bleeding" Chelsea Lately Celebrity guest 2014Henry Danger Trevor (guest role) Not shown 2016Talking Dead Episode: "Knots Untie" 2017The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Musical guest; performed "Kitchen" 2018Saturday Night Live Cameo appearance, musical guest; performed "Ghost Town" with Kanye West and 070 ShakeRed Table Talk Episode: "Confronting Mental Illness" 2021Saturday Night Live Musical guest; performed "Tequila Shots" and "Sad People"2021 NFL draft Narrator Prime Day Show Musical The Shop: Uninterrupted Episode 10; Celebrity guest Songwriter's Roundtable Celebrity guest The Voice Musical guest; performed "Just Look Up" with Ariana Grande The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Celebrity guest 2022Late Night with Seth Meyers 2022 Kids' Choice Awards Performed a medley of "Stars in the Sky" and "Pursuit of Happiness" The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Celebrity/musical guest; performed "Willing to Trust" alongside Ty Dolla Sign
Music videos As lead artist + List of music videos as lead artist, showing year released and directors Title Year Director(s) "Heaven at Nite" 2009 Va$htie "Day 'n' Nite" (Crookers Remix) (version 1) "Day 'n' Nite" So Me "Day 'n' Nite" (Crookers Remix) (version 2) BBGun "Make Her Say"(featuring Kanye West and Common) Nez Khammal "Pursuit of Happiness" (version 1)(featuring MGMT and Ratatat) Brody Baker "Cudderisback" 2010 Jason Goldwatch "Pursuit of Happiness" (version 2)(featuring MGMT and Ratatat) Megaforce "All Summer"(with Rostam Batmanglij and Bethany Cosentino) Psyop "Soundtrack 2 My Life" Jason Goldwatch "Erase Me"(featuring Kanye West) "Mojo So Dope" "Marijuana" 2011 Shia LaBeouf "No One Believes Me" Craig Gillespie "Mr. Rager" Jérémie Rozan "Just What I Am"(featuring King Chip) 2012 Kid Cudi "King Wizard" "Frequency" 2016 "Surfin'" "She Knows This" 2020 Nabil Elderkin "Heaven on Earth" "Solo Dolo, Pt. III" 2021 Jason Goldwatch "Want It Bad"(with Nigo) 2022 Harrison Boyce "Stars in the Sky" William Lebeda "Talk About Me"(with Dot da Genius, JID and Denzel Curry) Cole Bennett "Guitar in My Room"(with Lil Durk and Lyrical Lemonade) 2023 "Ill What I Bleed" Kid Cudi, Jason Goldwatch "Superboy" 2024 "Grave" 2025 Samuel Bayer
As featured artist + List of music videos as featured artist, showing year released and directors Title Year Director(s) "Welcome to Heartbreak"(Kanye West featuring Kid Cudi) 2009 Nabil Elderkin "She Came Along"(Sharam featuring Kid Cudi) Sharam "Buggin Out '09"(Consequence featuring Kid Cudi) Rik Cordero "Did It Again" (Remix)(Shakira featuring Kid Cudi) Sophie Muller "Memories"(David Guetta featuring Kid Cudi) 2010 Keith Schofield "Symphonies" (Remix)(Dan Black featuring Kid Cudi) Chic & Artistic "That Tree"(Snoop Dogg featuring Kid Cudi) Erick Peyton, VisualCreatures "All of the Lights"(Kanye West featuring Rihanna and Kid Cudi) Hype Williams "Run"(The Knux featuring Kid Cudi) 2011 BBGun "Cudi the Kid"(Steve Aoki featuring Kid Cudi and Travis Barker) 2012 Jam Sutton "Old School Caddy"(Hit-Boy featuring Kid Cudi) Topshelf Junior "Dangerous"(Schoolboy Q featuring Kid Cudi) 2019 Alexandre Moors "M3tamorphosis"(Playboi Carti featuring Kid Cudi) 2020 Nico Ballesteros "Moon Man"(Young Thug featuring Strick and Kid Cudi) 2021 Zachary Bailey
Cameo appearances + List of cameo appearances in music videos, showing year released and directors Title Year Director(s) "T.O.N.Y."(Solange Knowles) 2009 Va$htie "I Gotta Feeling"(The Black Eyed Peas) Ben Mor "My Last"(Big Sean featuring Chris Brown) 2011 Taj Stansberry "Mercy"(Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz) 2012 Nabil Elderkin "Arya"(Nigo and ASAP Rocky)2022 Awge
See also Kid Cudi's acting career Kid Cudi discography Mad Solar
References
External links