Ludacris mini-bio: Christopher Brian Bridges, better known as Ludacris, is a three time Grammy Award-winning African American rapper and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actor. Born in Illinois, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia where he eventually made a name for himself, first as a radio DJ, known as Chris Luva Luva and then as one of the most prominent Southern rappers. He is also the cousin of R&B singer Monica. He was the first artist to be signed by Def Jam South. He is President and founder of Disturbing Tha Peace Records.
Ludacris has been acting in film since The Wash in 2001, but his big break came in 2005, where he received critical praise for his roles in the Oscar-winning films Hustle & Flow and Crash. Crash includes an ironic sequence where Ludacris's character is dismissive of hip-hop music. Interestingly, in both films, he is physically beaten by characters played by Terrence Howard. He is occasionally credited as "Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges". On January 29, 2006 he was awarded with a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Cast in a Motion Picture for his work in the film Crash. Ludacris also starred in 2 Fast 2 Furious. Ludacris narrated the 2006 Ward Serrill basketball documentary Heart of the Game. On March 28, 2006 he appeared in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Ludacris portrayed Darius Randall, the nephew of Detective Odafin Tutuola, portrayed by Ice T.