John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Along with fellow Beatle Paul McCartney, he formed one of the most successful songwriting partnerships of the 20th century.
Born and raised in Liverpool, Lennon became involved as a teenager in the skiffle craze; his first band, The Quarrymen, evolved into The Beatles in 1960. As the group disintegrated towards the end of the decade, Lennon embarked on a solo career that produced the critically acclaimed albums John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Imagine, and iconic songs such as "Give Peace a Chance" and "Imagine". Lennon disengaged himself from the music business in 1975 to devote time to his family, but re-emerged in 1980 with a new album, Double Fantasy. He was murdered by Mark Chapman three weeks after its release.
Lennon revealed a rebellious nature and acerbic wit in his music, his writing, his drawings, on film, and in interviews, and he became controversial through his political and peace activism. He moved to New York City in 1971, where his criticism of the Vietnam War resulted in a lengthy attempt by Richard Nixon's administration to deport him, while his songs were adopted as anthems by the anti-war movement.
As of 2010, Lennon's solo album sales in the United States exceed 14 million units, and as writer, co-writer or performer, he is responsible for 27 number-one singles on the US Hot 100 chart. In 2002, a BBC poll on the 100 Greatest Britons voted him eighth, and in 2008, Rolling Stone ranked him the fifth-greatest singer of all-time. He was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
Known For
Paul McCartney: Got Back
Self (archive footage)
2023
Now and Then - The Last Beatles Song
Self (archive footage)
2023
The Beatles and the BBC
Self (archive footage)
2023
Reinventing Elvis: The 68' Comeback
Self (archive footage)
2023
Paul Newman: The Restless
Self (archive footage)
2023
Sounds of Liverpool at the BBC
Self (archive footage)
2023
Louder Than Rock
Self (archive footage)
2023
Little Richard: I Am Everything
Self (archive voice)
2023
Behind the Shield: The Power and Politics of the NFL
Self (archive footage)
2022
The Beatles: 1964 US Tour Reconstruction
2022
If These Walls Could Sing
Self (archive footage)
2022
Mickey: The Story of a Mouse
Self (archive footage)
2022
The Beatles: Get Back - The Rooftop Concert
Self (archive footage)
2022
The Beatles and India
Self (archive footage)
2021
Parkinson at 50
Self (archive footage)
2021
Best of the 60s: The Story of Ready, Steady, Go!
Self (archive footage)
2021
Life In Ten Pictures: John Lennon
2021
The Beatles: Let It Be
2021
Under the Volcano
Self (archive footage)
2021
Zappa
Self (archive footage)
2020
John Lennon: His Life, His Legacy, His Last Days
Self (archive footage)
2020
Paul McCartney: Wings of a Beatle
Self (archive footage)
2019
Manson: Music From an Unsound Mind
Self (archive footage)
2019
Understanding Lennon/McCartney
Self (archival footage)
2018
The King
Self (archive footage)
2018
The Beatles – Ready Steady Go!
Self
2018
Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars
Self
2018
Take Your Pills
Self (archive footage)
2018
Stupor Mundi: Livre 1, Rituel de décapitation du pape
Self (archive footage)
2016
Stupor Mundi: Livre 2, Les Hommes qui mangèrent la montagne
Self (archive footage)
2016
Beatles chronology (1962-1970)
Self (archive footage)
2016
Beatles på Sverigeturné
Self (archive footage)
2014
Good Ol' Freda
Self (archive footage)
2013
Genius
Self (archive footage)
2012
The Beatles: In Chicago 1964-1966
Self
2012
Beatles Stories
Self (archive footage)
2011
The Beatles - Unsurpassed Promos
Self (archive footage)
2011
The Beatles: A Magical History Tour
Self (archive footage)
2010
Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?)
Self (archive footage)
2010
Discovering Lennon
2010
LennoNYC
Self (archive footage)
2010
The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring The Beatles
Self (archive footage)
2010
Paul McCartney Really Is Dead: The Last Testament of George Harrison
Self (archive footage)
2010
John Lennon: Love Is All You Need
Self (archive footage)
2010
The Beatles: The Mini Documentaries
Self
2009
The Beatles on Record
Self
2009
The Beatles: Parting Ways
Self
2009
Classic Albums: John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band
Self
2008
Rare and Unseen: The Beatles
Self (archive footage)
2008
Composing the Beatles Songbook: Lennon & McCartney 1966-1970
Self (archive footage)
2008
The Beatles: Help!
Self (archive footage)
2007
The Beatles Explosion
Self (archive footage)
2007
John Lennon & Yoko Ono: Give Peace A Song
Self
2006
The Beatles: Love Me Do - A Documentary
Self (archive footage)
2005
The Beatles: Watching Rainbows
Self (archive footage)
2004
Brian Epstein: Inside the Fifth Beatle
Self (archive footage)
2004
Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon
Self (archive footage)
2003
Paul McCartney: Back in the U.S.
Self (archive footage)
2002
Things They Said Today
Self (archive footage)
2002
Wingspan
Self (archive footage)
2001
Gimme Some Truth: The Making of John Lennon's Imagine Album
Self
2000
Goodnight Moon & Other Sleepytime Tales
Self - The Beatles (archive footage) (uncredited)
1999
The Beatles: A Celebration
Self (archive footage)
1999
Happy Birthday to John
Self
1997
The Beatles Unauthorized
Self (archive footage)
1996
Alf Bicknell's Beatles Diary
Self (archive footage)
1996
You Can't Do That! The Making of 'A Hard Day's Night'
Self
1995
Holiday Greetings from 'The Ed Sullivan Show'
Self (archive footage)
1992
Imagine: John Lennon
Self (archive footage)
1988
Jimi Plays Monterey
Self (archive footage)
1987
He Stands in a Desert Counting the Seconds of His Life
Self (archive footage)
1986
John Lennon: One to One Concert Live in New York
Self (archive footage)
1986
Fun with the Fab Four
Self (archive footage)
1986
The Real Buddy Holly Story
Self (archive footage)
1985
When the Music's Over
Self (archive footage)
1983
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
Self (archive footage)
1982
This Is Elvis
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1981
Echoes of the Sixties: A Musical Trip
Self (archive footage)
1979
I Wanna Hold Your Hand
Self (archive footage)
1978
The Beatles at Shea Stadium
Self
1977
Urgent ou à quoi bon exécuter des projets puisque le projet est en lui-même une jouissance suffisante
Self
1977
Mighty Good: The Beatles
Self
1977
The Day the Music Died
Self
1977
Fire in the Water
1977
Imagine
Self
1972
Eat the Document
Self
1972
John Lennon - Imagine
1972
Yoko Ono: This Is Not Here
Self
1972
Brazil in Cannes
1971
Sweet Toronto
Self
1971
Apotheosis
1970
Let It Be
Self - The Beatles (uncredited)
1970
The Beatles: Something
Self
1969
The Beatles: Revolution
Self
1968
The Movie Orgy
Self (archive footage)
1968
Magical Mystery Tour
Self / Ticket Salesman / Magician with Coffee / Narrator
1967
How I Won the War
Gripweed
1967
Our World
Self
1967
El Rey en Londres
Self (archive footage)
1966
The Beatles: in Japan (6/30/1966)
Self
1966
The Music of Lennon & McCartney
Self (archive footage)
1965
Help!
John
1965
A Hard Day's Night
John
1964
The Beatles: Live at the Washington Coliseum
Self
1964
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! The Beatles in New York
Self (archive footage)
1964
The Beatles Come to Town
Self
1963
The Beatles - In Germany 24-26 June, 1966
Self
The Beatles are Coming
24 Hours: The World of John and Yoko
Self
1969
The Beatles - Live at The Empire Theatre Liverpool
1963
The Beatles - 1967-1970
Self (archive footage)
Borrowed Time: Lennon's Last Decade
Self (archive footage)
2025
One to One: John & Yoko
Self (archive footage)
2025
The Beatles
Self (archive footage)
2025
No Hamburg No Beatles
Self (voice) (archive footage)
2024
Beatles '64
Self (archive footage)
2024
Elton John: Never Too Late
Self (archive footage)
2024
Larger than Life: Reign of the Boybands
Self (archive footage)
2024
Daytime Revolution
Self (archive footage)
2024
Paul McCartney: Got Back - Live at River Plate Stadium
Self (archive footage)
2024
Ringo Starr: One of Them
Self (archive footage)
2022
The Sparks Brothers
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2021
Jealous Guy: The Assassination of John Lennon
Self (archive footage)
2020
Understanding McCartney
Self
2020
My Generation
Self (archive footage)
2017
Året var 1967
Self (archive footage)
2017
Året var 1963
Self (archive footage)
2013
Palme
2012
The Beatles: The Complete Story
Self (Archive Footage)
2010
O Melhor do Flash Back - 92 Clipes Para Recordar
Self (archive footage)
2009
The Beatles: Turn Left at Greenland
self
2008
Composing the Beatles Songbook: Lennon and McCartney 1957 - 1965
Self (Archive Footage)
2008
To John With Love
Self (archive footage)
2006
John & Yoko Bed-In
Self
2006
Warhol and Maciunas
Self
2006
The Beatles - Trilogy
Himself
2003
Monday Night Mayhem
Self (archive footage)
2002
Elvis: King of Entertainment
Self (archive footage)
2002
Grass
Self (archive footage)
1999
Forrest Gump
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1994
Ready Steady Go! The Beatles Live
Self
1993
Yoko Ono: Then and Now
Self (archive footage)
1984
Oh Yoko!
Himself (voice)
1973
Will the Real Mr Sellers.....?
1969
Abbey Road
Self (audio)
1969
Beatles Electroniques
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1969
The Beatles: in Japan (7/1/1966)
Self - Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
1966
How much LSD did The Beatles do in the 1960s?
The Beatles - Live at Ed Sullivan Show
1965
The Beatles: Their Golden Age
Self
TWST / Things We Said Today
Self (archive footage)
2025
Hinckley
Self (archive footage)
2024
The Bannfoot Ferry
Self (archive footage)
2024
The Beach Boys
Self (archive footage)
2024
John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial
Self (archive footage) · (3 episodes)
2023
Revival69: The Concert That Rocked the World
Self (archive footage)
2023
The Lost Weekend: A Love Story
Self (archive footage)
2023
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
Self (archive footage)
2022
The Beatles: Get Back
Self (archive footage) · (3 episodes)
2021
McCartney 3, 2, 1
Self (archive footage) · (6 episodes)
2021
1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything
Self (archive footage) · (2 episodes)
2021
A Life in Ten Pictures
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
2021
This Is Pop
Self (archive footage) · (2 episodes)
2021
Lennon's Last Weekend
Self (archive footage)
2020
Meeting the Beatles in India
Self (archive footage)
2020
Deconstructing the Beatles' Abbey Road: Side 2
Self (archive footage)
2019
Deconstructing the Beatles' Abbey Road: Side 1
Self (archive footage)
2019
The Last 24 Hours: John Lennon
Self
2019
John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky
Self (archive footage)
2018
Looking for Lennon
Self
2018
Arthur Janov's Primal Therapy
2018
Elvis Presley: The Searcher
Self (archive footage) · (2 episodes)
2018
George Harrison - All Things Pass
Self (archive footage)
2018
John Lennon: Hard to Imagine
2017
How the Beatles Changed the World
Self (archive footage)
2017
I Don't Know Which Tree It Comes From that Fragrance
Self
2017
Dark Glamour: The Blood and Guts of Hammer Productions
Self - Musician (archive footage)
2017
The Defiant Ones
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
2017
Sgt Pepper's Musical Revolution
Self (archive footage)
2017
It Was Fifty Years Ago Today! The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper & Beyond
Self (archive footage)
2017
Free to Rock
Self - The Beatles (archive footage)
2017
Kyoko
Self (archive footage)
2017
Deconstructing the Beatles' White Album
Self (archive footage)
2016
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years
Self (archive footage)
2016
The Last Lennon Interview
Self (archive footage)
2015
The Nation's Favourite Beatles Number One
Self (archive footage)
2015
The Beatles 1
Self (archive footage)
2015
The Beatles 1+
Self (archive footage)
2015
In Their Own Words
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
2015
Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead
Self (archive footage)
2015
Diaries, Notes, and Sketches
Self
2013
Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train a Comin'
Self - Musician (archive footage)
2013
Population Boom
Self (archive footage)
2013
Salinger
Self - Musician (archive footage)
2013
Magical Mystery Tour Revisited
Self (archive footage)
2012
Infamous Assassinations
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
2012
Becoming the Beatles
Self
2012
The Winged Beetle
Self
2012
George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Self (archive footage) · (2 episodes)
2011
Mentiras verdaderas
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
2011
The Beatles: Recovered Archives Vol. 4
Self (archive footage)
2011
The Beatles: Recovered Archives Vol. 2
Self (archive footage)
2011
The Beatles: Recovered Archives Vol. 3
Self (archive footage)
2011
The Beatles: Recovered Archives Vol. 1
Self (archive footage)
2011
I Was There: When the Beatles Played the Cavern
Self (archive footage)
2011
Composing Outside The Beatles: Lennon & McCartney 1973-1980
Self (Archive Footage)
2011
The Day John Lennon Died
Self (archive footage)
2010
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
(archive footage) (voice)
2010
Imagine Lennon
archives footages
2010
The Beatles: Fifty Fabulous Years
Self (archive footage)
2010
The Rise & Fall of WCW
Self (archive footage)
2009
The Beatles - Composing Outside The Beatles: Lennon & McCartney 1967-1972
Self (Archive Footage)
2009
The Beatles: Here There and Everywhere
Self (archive footage)
2009
The Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour Memories
Self (archive footage)
2008
365 Day Project
2007
The Beatles: Destination Hamburg
Self (archive footage)
2007
I Met the Walrus
Self
2007
Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens
Self (archive footage)
2007
The Beatles: Love
Self
2006
The U.S. vs. John Lennon
Self (archive footage)
2006
Doctor Who: Origins
Self (archive footage)
2006
I Killed John Lennon
Self (archive footage)
2005
The World's Greatest Gigs
Self (archive footage)
2005
Pink Floyd London '66-'67
Self (uncredited)
2005
The Beatles: Chronology Vol. 1 y 2
Self - Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
2005
The Beatles: Get Back...Winter of Discontent
Self (archive footage)
2005
Beatles Biggest Secrets
Self (archive footage)
2004
20th Century Greats
Self (archive footage) · (4 episodes)
2004
Twenty to Life: The Life & Times of John Sinclair
Self (archive footage)
2004
Inside John Lennon - Unauthorized
Self (archive footage)
2003
The Beatles: Around the World
Self (archive footage)
2003
Imagine Imagine
Self
2003
Beatles: The Journey
Self (archive footage)
2003
Naqoyqatsi
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2002
Hanratty: The Whole Truth
Self (archive footage)
2002
Beatles: Big Beat Box
Self (archive footage)
2001
The Real John Lennon
Self (archive footage)
2000
John & Yoko's Year of Peace
Self (archive footage)
2000
Television: The First Fifty Years
Self – The Beatles (archive footage)
1999
Behind the Music
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
1997
Classic Albums
Self · (1 episode)
1997
The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
Self - Lead Vocals
1996
The Beatles Story
Self (archive footage)
1996
The Beatles Anthology
Self (archive footage) · (3 episodes)
1995
The Beatles In Australia: 30th Anniversary
Self (archive footage)
1994
Rolling Stone 25: The MTV Special
Self
1992
The John Lennon Video Collection
1992
The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit
Self (archive footage)
1991
Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol: Friendships & Intersections
Self (archive footage)
1990
Ken Russell's ABC of British Music
Self (archive)
1988
The John Lennon Sketchbook
Self
1986
Vain Glory
John Lennon
1986
British Rock: The First Wave
Self (archive footage)
1985
The Compleat Beatles
Self (archive footage)
1982
Timewatch
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
1982
The Killing of America
Self (archive footage)
1981
Chelsea Girls with Andy Warhol
1976
A Salute to Sir Lew Grade
Self
1975
Braverman's Condensed Cream of the Beatles
Self (archive footage)
1974
The One to One Concert
Self
1972
Ten for Two: The John Sinclair Freedom Rally
1971
The Old Grey Whistle Test
(1 episode)
1971
Up Your Legs Forever
1971
Frank Zappa, John Lennon & Yoko Ono: At Fillmore East
1971
Breathing Together: Revolution of the Electric Family
Self
1971
Muhammad Ali, the Greatest
Self
1969
The Beatles - Abbey Road
Self - Vocals, Guitar
1969
Self-Portrait
Self
1969
Bed Peace
Self
1969
The Beatles - The Get Back Chronicles 1969 Volume Two
Self (archive footage)
1969
The Beatles - The Get Back Chronicles 1969 Volume Three
Self (archive footage)
1969
The Beatles - The Get Back Chronicles 1969 Volume One
Self (archive footage)
1969
The Beatles Mod Odyssey
Self
1968
Film No. 5
Self
1968
Hawaii Five-O
Huffman · (1 episode)
1968
The Beatles: Hey Jude
Self
1968
Yellow Submarine
John (uncredited)
1968
Two Virgins
1968
The Dick Cavett Show
Self - Guest · (3 episodes)
1968
Omnibus
Self · (1 episode)
1967
All You Need Is Love
Self
1967
Monument
Self (archive footage)
1967
The Beatles: Live at Circus-Krone-Bau, Munich, Germany
Self - The Beatles
1966
Reflections on Love
Self (archive footage)
1966
The Beatles: Live in Paris
Self
1965
The Beatles
Self (vocals musical segments) (uncredited) · (52 episodes)
1965
Doctor Who: The Chase
Self (archive footage)
1965
Pop Gear
Self
1965
Not Only... But Also
Self · (1 episode)
1964
What's Happening! The Beatles in the USA
Self - The Beatles Member
1964
The Beatles: Live in The Netherlands
Self
1964
The Beatles Sing for Shell
Self
1964
The Beatles in Australia
Self
1964
Around the Beatles
Self
1964
Top of the Pops
(2 episodes)
1964
Top of the Pops
Self · (2 episodes)
1964
The Mersey Sound
Self
1963
The Merv Griffin Show
Self · (1 episode)
1962
Morecambe & Wise
Self · (1 episode)
1961
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self · (1 episode)
1948