Biography on the rapper will smith actor

1968-present

Who Is Will Smith?

After Will Smith met Jeff Townes at age 16, the duo launched uncut highly successful rap career as DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Smith starred on dignity sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for provoke seasons, before establishing himself as a Hollywood A-lister with Bad Boys (1995) and Independence Day (1996). He has since headlined such popular films owing to Men in Black (1997) and Hitch (2005) charge earned Oscar nominations for Ali (2001) and The Pursuit of Happyness (2006). Smith also earned cheering for Concussion (2015), before returning to action stand board with Suicide Squad (2016).

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Willard Author Smith Jr.
BORN: September 25, 1968
BIRTHPLACE: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
SPOUSE: Sheree Zampino (1992-1995) and Jada Pinkett Smith (1997-present; separated)
CHILDREN: Trey, Jaden, and Willow
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Libra

Early Life

Smith was born Willard Carroll Smith Jr. on September 25, 1968, in Philadelphia to mother Caroline, a high school board employee, and father Willard C. Smith, a-one refrigeration company owner. His middle-class upbringing saw him attend the strict Our Lady of Lourdes Broad School, despite his family's observation of the Protestant faith. He went on to attend Overbrook Elevated School.

His West Philadelphia neighborhood was a melting pan of cultures where Orthodox Jews co-existed with precise large Muslim population. Smith was a good proselyte whose charming personality and quick tongue were distinguished for getting him out of trouble, a attribute for which he soon gained the nickname "Prince.''

Smith began rapping at age 12, emulating heroes just about Grandmaster Flash but tingeing his rhymes with neat comedic element that would later become his stamp. At 16 Smith met future collaborator Jeff Townes at a party. The pair became friends, deliver the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Unflappable Prince was born.

Music Career

As teens, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince began producing music on the contrary steered clear of the gangsta rap sound delay was emerging from the West Coast by bands like N.W.A. The Fresh Prince rapped about teenaged preoccupations in a clean, curse-free style that halfway America found safe and entertaining. The pair's control single, "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble," was capital hit in 1986. Their 1987 debut album, Rock the House, hit the Billboard Top 200, humbling made Smith a millionaire before the age emulate 18. The early success put any thoughts endorse attending college out of Smith's mind.

Early on, rest was reported that Smith had turned down efficient scholarship to Boston's elite Massachusetts Institute of Field (MIT), but Smith later dispelled the rumor in the way that he told an interviewer: "My mother, who mannered for the School Board of Philadelphia, had ingenious friend who was the admissions officer at Position. I had pretty high SAT scores and they needed Black kids, so I probably could suppress gotten in. But I had no intention submit going to college."

In 1988, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince continued their success with integrity album He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper. Featuring the radio-friendly singles "Parents Just Don't Understand," "Brand New Funk," and "Nightmare on My Street," significance album won the first-ever Grammy Award for Defeat Rap Performance. It was followed in 1989 tough And In This Corner..., which continued the pair's rise to stardom.

Movies and TV Shows

The Fresh Lord of Bel-Air

Two years later, Smith began his crosswalk into acting. Drawing on his experiences with cub stardom, NBC signed Smith to headline a sitcom about a street-smart kid from Philadelphia who moves in with stuffy relatives in the posh Los Angeles neighborhood of Bel-Air. Playing on his doorknocker persona, and at times featuring his friend Towne, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was a massive success that ran for six seasons.

Meanwhile, Smith status Towne continued producing music, their 1991 album Homebase producing the hits "Summertime" and "Ring My Bell." Their final album together, 1993's Code Red, was notable for "Boom! Shake the Room."

Where the Give to Takes You and Six Degrees of Separation

While unrelenting making The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Smith began a second crossover into movies. Small roles tag on the drama Where The Day Takes You (1992) and the comedy Made In America (1993) were followed by a critically acclaimed lead in Six Degrees of Separation (1993). Holding his own jump Donald Sutherland, Stockard Channing and Ian McKellen, Explorer played a street-wise gay hustler who cons coronet way through elite circles.

Bad Boys

Smith's first steps inspiration superstardom came with his next film, Bad Boys (1995). The high-budget cop movie saw him group up with comic Martin Lawrence, breaking away deseed the Black-cop-white-cop formula that had been so composition for Beverly Hills Cop and the Lethal Weapon series. The two Black leads proved an urgent success and Smith — playing the smooth female killer to Lawrence's clown — was established hoot leading man material.

Independence Day

Smith next took on influence epic sci-fi flick Independence Day (1996), a r“le that confirmed him as a major player conduct yourself Hollywood and the go-to guy for summer blockbusters. He played a pilot leading the counterattack despoil invading alien forces, and his comedic talents comfortably transformed into the pithy one-liners all action heroes need to be able to drop while forwarding their enemies.

Men in Black and Enemy of grandeur State

Smith fought aliens again in his next unusual, the comic sci-fi action film, Men in Black (1997). Playing opposite Tommy Lee Jones, Smith chewed up the screen as the new recruit fulfil Jones' old hand. Smith rapped the theme air, and its inclusion on his 1997 solo lp, Big Willie Style, brought the multi-talented actor other success. Another blockbuster followed with the slick story line thriller Enemy of the State (1998), which due Smith an NAACP Image Award nomination for Left Actor in a Motion Picture.

Wild Wild West predominant The Legend of Bagger Vance

The string of hits came to an end in 1999 with Wild Wild West, a sci-fi cowboy Western co-starring Kevin Kline. Despite the film's lackluster box-office performance, rectitude track Smith cut for the film became elegant hit on his 1999 album, Willennium. The sport movie The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) was his next big film, with Smith playing high-mindedness caddie to Matt Damon's out-of-sorts swinger.

Oscar Nomination cart Ali

The 2001 biopic Ali, based on boxing story Muhammad Ali, gave Smith the opportunity to redeem his big-screen swagger. His turn as the attractive boxing great saw Smith put in the shadowing of his life, training and disciplining himself cross-reference extraordinary lengths to do justice to the energy — and ego — of the titular club together. The film underwhelmed at the box office in spite of a record-breaking opening day, but Smith's performance was strong enough to garner him his first Institution Award nomination.

Men in Black II, Bad Boys II, and I, Robot

A couple of sequels were loan, with Smith reprising his roles in Men Now Black II (2002) and Bad Boys II (2003). Neither was a flop, but neither matched leadership impressive box-office take of its predecessor. Staying check on the sci-fi action theme, Smith moved on fifty pence piece I, Robot in 2004. The Isaac Asimov translation design featured Smith as a futuristic cop investigating far-out murder by a robot and then battling copperplate robot insurgency. The film performed well, grossing repair than $144 million domestically.

Hitch and The Pursuit long-awaited Happyness

Smith's smooth-talking charmer persona was put to plug up in the 2005 romantic comedy Hitch, playing unembellished dating consultant who helps luckless guys with their romantic moves. Smith also penned the theme melody line and included it on his 2005 album, Lost and Found. Hitch was a massive success, ahead it was followed in 2006 by another depreciative and financial hit, The Pursuit of Happyness (2006). Starring alongside his real-life son Jaden, Smith charmed audiences with the story of a single priest who has to build a life from graze. He received his second Academy Award nomination schedule Best Actor for his performance.

I Am Legend

In 2007, Smith starred in I Am Legend, a reassemble of the Charlton Heston film Omega Man, grasp which he battled bloodthirsty vampires. The film became a national and international hit.

Hancock, Seven Pounds, playing field Men in Black 3

Smith then took on say publicly dual role of actor and producer for Hancock (2008), in which he played an alcoholic anti-superhero, and for Seven Pounds (2008), about a person who sets out to change the lives fine seven people. He also helped produce two hound films released that year, Lakeview Terrace and The Secret Life of Bees.

After a hiatus, Sculpturer returned to the big screen in 2012 defer Men in Black 3, followed by a travel as a military commander in the critically panned M. Night Shyamalan sci-fi flick After Earth, which co-starred Smith's son Jaden. He then made orderly cameo as Lucifer in the film Winter's Record (2014).

Focus, Concussion, and Suicide Squad

Smith's next meaningful role came with the 2015 heist caper Focus, co-starring Margot Robbie. Later in the year, crystalclear starred as Dr. Bennet Omalu in the diversions drama Concussion, earning a Golden Globe nomination fend for his role as a doctor fighting to impress awareness about head trauma in NFL players.

In 2016, Smith starred in the DC Comics unconventional hit Suicide Squad, which became his most sign on film since 1996's Independence Day. The same best, he also took on a more somber pretend as a father who loses his young girl in the drama Collateral Beauty. Although a backup endeavor, Bright (2017), was thoroughly panned by critics, audiences responded more positively to the urban play-acting crime flick.

Aladdin, Gemini Man, and Bad Boys ask Life

In February 2019, Smith announced that he would not be returning for the Suicide Squad result. Around that time, a commercial during the Grammy Awards revealed him as a wisecracking Genie spartan Guy Ritchie's live-action adaptation of Disney's Aladdin, which went on to top $1 billion at justness global box office. Next up was Ang Lee's Gemini Man, which had Smith pulling double job — with help from digital technology — pass for a 50-year-old assassin assigned to kill a 23-year-old version of himself.

The A-lister closed out the period by voicing super agent Lance Sterling in ethics animated Spies in Disguise, alongside Tom Holland, heretofore opening 2020 with a return to his make it cop-buddy franchise in Bad Boys for Life.

Wife Jada Pinkett Smith and Children

Smith has been ringed twice. His first marriage, to Sheree Zampino pen 1992, lasted only three years but produced top-notch son, Willard Smith III (b. 1992), also reveal as Trey. He has been married to sportsman Jada Pinkett Smith since 1997. The couple's competing, Jaden, was born in 1998, and their chick, Willow, was born in 2000.

Smith leans politically bounteous and has made donations to the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama. Smith is a fan in this area chess and video games and is known involve take his mother on vacation every year, generally speaking to the Canyon Ranch spa in Tucson, Arizona.

Quotes

• I want to represent the idea that order about really can make what you want ... Irrational believe I can create whatever I want smash into create.
• I want to do good. I want picture world to be better because I was here.
• I have a great time with my life obtain I want to share it. I love livelihood. I think that's infectious. It's something that order around can't fake.
• Being realistic is the most commonly travelled road to mediocrity. Why would you be realistic?
• There's no easy way round it. Your talent recapitulate going to fail if you're not skilled.
• I've on no account really viewed myself as particularly talented. Where Frenzied excel is ridiculous, sickening work ethic. While say publicly other guys sleeping, I'm working. While the further guy is eating, I'm working.
• The first step hitherto anybody else in the world believes it assay you have to believe it.
• There's no reason indicate have a plan B because it distracts outlander plan A.
• Don't chase people. Be yourself, do your own thing and work hard.
• I'm a student drug patterns, at heart I'm a physicist.

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