Ice-T
A streetwise storyteller from Los Angeles who pioneered gangsta rap and then crafted a second life as a durable, beloved television cop.
Born 1958 (age 68)·American rapper and actor·Birthday: February 16·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ice-T, born Tracy Marrow, forged his persona in the crucible of Los Angeles' shifting streets. After a stint in the army, he began rhyming, drawing directly from the realities around him. His 1987 album 'Rhyme Pays' was groundbreaking, not just for its content but for being the first rap album to carry an explicit content sticker. He refined his vision with 'O.G. Original Gangster,' a raw, cinematic record that codified the genre's aesthetic and introduced his heavy metal band, Body Count. The band's controversial song 'Cop Killer' sparked a national firestorm in 1992, placing Ice-T at the center of a debate about art and censorship. With characteristic savvy, he pivoted, landing the role of Detective Odafin Tutuola on 'Law & Order: SVU,' a part he has inhabited for over two decades, making him a familiar face in American living rooms.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ice-T was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ice-T Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Ice-T's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Released the seminal album 'O.G. Original Gangster' (1991), a landmark record in the gangsta rap genre.
- Founded the heavy metal band Body Count, whose 1992 self-titled album ignited national controversy with the track 'Cop Killer'.
- Has played Detective Fin Tutuola on NBC's 'Law & Order: SVU' for more than 20 seasons, one of the longest-running character roles on television.
- His debut album 'Rhyme Pays' (1987) was the first rap album to receive an explicit content warning label.
- Won a Grammy Award in 1991 for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for 'Back on the Block'.
Did You Know?
His stage name was inspired by the pimp writer Iceberg Slim, whose books he admired.
He served in the U.S. Army for four years, stationed in Hawaii.
Ice-T made his film debut in the breakdancing cult classic 'Breakin'' (1984) as a club DJ.
He is married to model and businesswoman Coco Austin, and they have one daughter together.
He voiced the character Madd Dogg in the video game 'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'.
“Don't hate the player, hate the game.”
