Common

Common is an American rapper and actor. In Hell on Wheels, he plays Elam Ferguson, a newly freed man trying to establish a life around the construction of the railroad.

Elam's determination gives Common something more substantial to play than a supporting presence beside Cullen Bohannon. He makes the character's insistence on respect understandable, along with the frustration of having to insist on it so often. The guarded exchanges between Elam and Bohannon are a strong part of the series.

His screen work also includes civil-rights drama Selma and the action film John Wick: Chapter 2. Common and John Legend won the Academy Award for original song for “Glory”, written for Selma.

In Silo, Common plays Robert Sims. The contained, rule-bound environment is a long way from the railway camp, but it again gives him a role in which duty and personal judgement matter.

The Hell on Wheels review covers his work as Elam alongside Anson Mount and Colm Meaney.