Born Willard Christopher Smith, Jr. / Will Smith
September 25, 1968 (age 42)
Wynnefield, West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Other names The Fresh Prince
Occupation Actor, rapper, film producer, record producer, television producer
Years active 1985 present
Spouse Sheree Zampino (m. 1992 1995)
Jada Pinkett Smith (m. 1997 present)
Willard Christopher Will Smith, Jr. (born September 25, 1968)[1] is an American actor, film producer and pop rapper. He has enjoyed success in music, television and film. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor on the planet. Smith has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards, and has won multiple Grammy Awards.
In the late 1980s, Smith achieved modest fame as a rapper under the name The Fresh Prince. In 1990, his popularity increased dramatically when he starred in the popular television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show ran for nearly six years (1990–1996) on NBC and has been syndicated consistently on various networks since then. In the mid-1990s, Smith transitioned from television to film, and ultimately starred in numerous blockbuster films that received broad box office success. In fact, he is the only actor in history to have eight consecutive films gross over $100 million in the domestic box office as well as being the only actor to have eight consecutive films in which he starred open at the #1 spot in the domestic box office tally.
Fourteen of the 19 fiction films he has acted in have accumulated worldwide gross earnings of over $100 million, and 4 of them took in over $500 million in global box office receipts. His most financially successful films have been Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, Independence Day, Men in Black, Men in Black II, I, Robot, The Pursuit of Happyness, I Am Legend, Hancock, Wild Wild West, Enemy of the State, Shark Tale, Hitch and Seven Pounds. He also earned critical praise for his performances in Six Degrees of Separation, Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness, receiving Best Actor Oscar nominations for the latter two.
Family and early life
West Philadelphia born and raised, Smith also spent time in Germantown in Northwest Philadelphia. His mother, Caroline (née Bright), was a school administrator who worked for the Philadelphia school board, and his father, Willard Christopher Smith, Sr., was a refrigeration engineer. He was raised Baptist. His parents separated when he was 13, and did not actually divorce until Smith was around 30.
While it is widely reported that Smith turned down a scholarship to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he never applied to MIT, although he was admitted to a "pre-engineering program" there. According to Smith, "My mother, who worked for the School Board of Philadelphia, had a friend who was the admissions officer at MIT. I had pretty high SAT scores and they needed black kids, so I probably could have gotten in. But I had no intention of going to college.
Personal life
Smith was raised by his parents in West Philadelphia. Smith credits his father's dedication when discussing his own involvement in the lives of his three children: "I look at my father and how he was able to keep four kids fed and clothed and still managed to find time to spend with us. Smith married Sheree Zampino in 1992. They had a son, Willard Christopher Smith III, also known as "Trey", but divorced in 1995. Trey appeared in his father's music video for the 1998 single "Just The Two Of Us". Smith married actress Jada Pinkett in 1997. Together they have had two children: Jaden Christopher Syre (born 1998), his co-star in The Pursuit of Happyness, and Willow Camille Reign (born 2000), who appeared as his daughter in "I Am Legend". Along with his brother, Harry Smith, he owns Treyball Development Inc., a Beverly Hills-based company named after his first son.
Smith was consistently listed in Fortune Magazine's "Richest 40" list of the forty wealthiest Americans under the age of 40. Smith and his family reside on Star Island in Miami Beach, Florida and in Los Angeles, Stockholm, Sweden and Philadelphia. Smith donated $4,600 to the presidential campaign of Democrat Barack Obama.
Smith has said he has studied multiple religions, including Scientology, and he has said many complimentary things about Scientology and other faiths. Despite his praise of Scientology, Smith said "I just think a lot of the ideas in Scientology are brilliant and revolutionary and non-religious"[27][28] and "Ninety-eight percent of the principles in Scientology are identical to the principles of the Bible.... I don't think that because the word someone uses for spirit is 'thetan' that the definition becomes any different."[29] He has denied having joined the Church of Scientology, saying "I am a Christian. I am a student of all religions, and I respect all people and all paths." Smith gave $1.3 million to charities in 2007, of which $450,000 went to two Christian ministries, and $122,500 went to three Scientology organizations; the remaining beneficiaries included "a Los Angeles mosque, other Christian-based schools and churches, and [...] the Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Center in Israel". Smith and his wife have also founded a private elementary school in Calabasas, California, the New Village Leadership Academy, which has attracted controversy and speculation over its use of Study Technology, a teaching methodology developed by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology.
Discography
Main article: Will Smith discography
Big Willie Style (1997)
Willennium (1999)
Born to Reign (2002)
Lost and Found (2005)
Filmography
Year Film Role Notes
1990 Saturday Morning Videos Host TV
ABC Afterschool Special – "The Perfect Date" Hawker TV
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air William "Will" Smith TV (1990–1996)
1992 Blossom Fresh Prince TV, Cameo, episode 18 "I'm with the Band"
Where the Day Takes You Manny
1993 Made in America Tea Cake Walters
Six Degrees of Separation Paul
1995 Bad Boys Detective Mike Lowrey
1996 Independence Day Captain Steven "Steve" Hiller, USMC MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss
1997 Men in Black James Darrell Edwards / Agent J MTV Movie Award for Best Fight
MTV Movie Award for Best Song From a Movie
1998 Enemy of the State Robert Clayton Dean Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
1999 Torrance Rises Cameo
Wild Wild West Captain James "Jim" West
2000 Welcome to Hollywood Himself
The Legend of Bagger Vance Bagger Vance Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
2001 Ali Muhammad Ali MTV Movie Award for Best Performance
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
2002 Men in Black II James Darrell Edwards / Agent J BET Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Black Reel Award for Best Actor
Girlfriend by B2K Himself Music video
2003 Bad Boys II Detective Mike Lowrey Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
All of Us Johnny TV, 3 episodes (2003–2004);Creator/Executive Producer
2004 A Closer Walk Narrator Documentary
Jersey Girl Himself Uncredited Cameo
American Chopper Himself TV, Cameo
I, Robot Detective Del Spooner Producer
Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
The Seat Filler Executive Producer;Independent Film
Shark Tale Oscar Voice
2005 There's a God on the Mic Documentary
Hitch Alex "Hitch" Hitchens Producer
Nominated—BET Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Black Movie Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Black Reel Award for Best Actor
Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
2006 The Pursuit of Happyness Chris Gardner Producer
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Black Reel Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
2007 I Am Legend Dr. Robert Neville Producer
MTV Movie Award for Best Performance
Saturn Award for Best Actor
Nominated—BET Award for Best Actor
Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
2008 Hancock John Hancock Producer
Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Actor
Lakeview Terrace Producer
The Secret Life of Bees Producer
Seven Pounds Ben Thomas Producer
2010 The Karate Kid Producer
Unfinished Business TBA TV Movie
2012 Men in Black III James Darrell Edwards / Agent J Pre-production
2012 Bad Boys 3 Detective Mike Lowrey Pre-production
September 25, 1968 (age 42)
Wynnefield, West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Other names The Fresh Prince
Occupation Actor, rapper, film producer, record producer, television producer
Years active 1985 present
Spouse Sheree Zampino (m. 1992 1995)
Jada Pinkett Smith (m. 1997 present)
Willard Christopher Will Smith, Jr. (born September 25, 1968)[1] is an American actor, film producer and pop rapper. He has enjoyed success in music, television and film. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor on the planet. Smith has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards, and has won multiple Grammy Awards.
In the late 1980s, Smith achieved modest fame as a rapper under the name The Fresh Prince. In 1990, his popularity increased dramatically when he starred in the popular television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show ran for nearly six years (1990–1996) on NBC and has been syndicated consistently on various networks since then. In the mid-1990s, Smith transitioned from television to film, and ultimately starred in numerous blockbuster films that received broad box office success. In fact, he is the only actor in history to have eight consecutive films gross over $100 million in the domestic box office as well as being the only actor to have eight consecutive films in which he starred open at the #1 spot in the domestic box office tally.
Fourteen of the 19 fiction films he has acted in have accumulated worldwide gross earnings of over $100 million, and 4 of them took in over $500 million in global box office receipts. His most financially successful films have been Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, Independence Day, Men in Black, Men in Black II, I, Robot, The Pursuit of Happyness, I Am Legend, Hancock, Wild Wild West, Enemy of the State, Shark Tale, Hitch and Seven Pounds. He also earned critical praise for his performances in Six Degrees of Separation, Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness, receiving Best Actor Oscar nominations for the latter two.
Family and early life
West Philadelphia born and raised, Smith also spent time in Germantown in Northwest Philadelphia. His mother, Caroline (née Bright), was a school administrator who worked for the Philadelphia school board, and his father, Willard Christopher Smith, Sr., was a refrigeration engineer. He was raised Baptist. His parents separated when he was 13, and did not actually divorce until Smith was around 30.
While it is widely reported that Smith turned down a scholarship to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he never applied to MIT, although he was admitted to a "pre-engineering program" there. According to Smith, "My mother, who worked for the School Board of Philadelphia, had a friend who was the admissions officer at MIT. I had pretty high SAT scores and they needed black kids, so I probably could have gotten in. But I had no intention of going to college.
Personal life
Smith was raised by his parents in West Philadelphia. Smith credits his father's dedication when discussing his own involvement in the lives of his three children: "I look at my father and how he was able to keep four kids fed and clothed and still managed to find time to spend with us. Smith married Sheree Zampino in 1992. They had a son, Willard Christopher Smith III, also known as "Trey", but divorced in 1995. Trey appeared in his father's music video for the 1998 single "Just The Two Of Us". Smith married actress Jada Pinkett in 1997. Together they have had two children: Jaden Christopher Syre (born 1998), his co-star in The Pursuit of Happyness, and Willow Camille Reign (born 2000), who appeared as his daughter in "I Am Legend". Along with his brother, Harry Smith, he owns Treyball Development Inc., a Beverly Hills-based company named after his first son.
Smith was consistently listed in Fortune Magazine's "Richest 40" list of the forty wealthiest Americans under the age of 40. Smith and his family reside on Star Island in Miami Beach, Florida and in Los Angeles, Stockholm, Sweden and Philadelphia. Smith donated $4,600 to the presidential campaign of Democrat Barack Obama.
Smith has said he has studied multiple religions, including Scientology, and he has said many complimentary things about Scientology and other faiths. Despite his praise of Scientology, Smith said "I just think a lot of the ideas in Scientology are brilliant and revolutionary and non-religious"[27][28] and "Ninety-eight percent of the principles in Scientology are identical to the principles of the Bible.... I don't think that because the word someone uses for spirit is 'thetan' that the definition becomes any different."[29] He has denied having joined the Church of Scientology, saying "I am a Christian. I am a student of all religions, and I respect all people and all paths." Smith gave $1.3 million to charities in 2007, of which $450,000 went to two Christian ministries, and $122,500 went to three Scientology organizations; the remaining beneficiaries included "a Los Angeles mosque, other Christian-based schools and churches, and [...] the Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Center in Israel". Smith and his wife have also founded a private elementary school in Calabasas, California, the New Village Leadership Academy, which has attracted controversy and speculation over its use of Study Technology, a teaching methodology developed by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology.
Discography
Main article: Will Smith discography
Big Willie Style (1997)
Willennium (1999)
Born to Reign (2002)
Lost and Found (2005)
Filmography
Year Film Role Notes
1990 Saturday Morning Videos Host TV
ABC Afterschool Special – "The Perfect Date" Hawker TV
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air William "Will" Smith TV (1990–1996)
1992 Blossom Fresh Prince TV, Cameo, episode 18 "I'm with the Band"
Where the Day Takes You Manny
1993 Made in America Tea Cake Walters
Six Degrees of Separation Paul
1995 Bad Boys Detective Mike Lowrey
1996 Independence Day Captain Steven "Steve" Hiller, USMC MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss
1997 Men in Black James Darrell Edwards / Agent J MTV Movie Award for Best Fight
MTV Movie Award for Best Song From a Movie
1998 Enemy of the State Robert Clayton Dean Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
1999 Torrance Rises Cameo
Wild Wild West Captain James "Jim" West
2000 Welcome to Hollywood Himself
The Legend of Bagger Vance Bagger Vance Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
2001 Ali Muhammad Ali MTV Movie Award for Best Performance
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
2002 Men in Black II James Darrell Edwards / Agent J BET Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Black Reel Award for Best Actor
Girlfriend by B2K Himself Music video
2003 Bad Boys II Detective Mike Lowrey Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
All of Us Johnny TV, 3 episodes (2003–2004);Creator/Executive Producer
2004 A Closer Walk Narrator Documentary
Jersey Girl Himself Uncredited Cameo
American Chopper Himself TV, Cameo
I, Robot Detective Del Spooner Producer
Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
The Seat Filler Executive Producer;Independent Film
Shark Tale Oscar Voice
2005 There's a God on the Mic Documentary
Hitch Alex "Hitch" Hitchens Producer
Nominated—BET Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Black Movie Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Black Reel Award for Best Actor
Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
2006 The Pursuit of Happyness Chris Gardner Producer
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Black Reel Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
2007 I Am Legend Dr. Robert Neville Producer
MTV Movie Award for Best Performance
Saturn Award for Best Actor
Nominated—BET Award for Best Actor
Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
2008 Hancock John Hancock Producer
Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Actor
Lakeview Terrace Producer
The Secret Life of Bees Producer
Seven Pounds Ben Thomas Producer
2010 The Karate Kid Producer
Unfinished Business TBA TV Movie
2012 Men in Black III James Darrell Edwards / Agent J Pre-production
2012 Bad Boys 3 Detective Mike Lowrey Pre-production
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