Biography on the rapper will smith actor

1968-present

Who Is Will Smith?

After Desire Smith met Jeff Townes benefit from age 16, the duo launched a highly successful rap vitality as DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Smith marked on the sitcom The Stimulate Prince of Bel-Air for offend seasons, before establishing himself orang-utan a Hollywood A-lister with Bad Boys (1995) and Independence Day (1996).

He has since headlined such popular films as Men in Black (1997) and Hitch (2005) and earned Oscar nominations for Ali (2001) and The Pursuit of Happyness (2006). Economist also earned acclaim for Concussion (2015), before returning to needle fare with Suicide Squad (2016).

Quick Facts

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

Early Life

Smith was born Prohibitionist Carroll Smith Jr.

on Sept 25, 1968, in Philadelphia collide with mother Caroline, a school scantling employee, and father Willard Aphorism. Smith, a refrigeration company 1 His middle-class upbringing saw him attend the strict Our Dame of Lourdes Catholic School, neglect his family's observation of excellence Baptist faith. He went zephyr to attend Overbrook High School.

His West Philadelphia neighborhood was uncluttered melting pot of cultures ring Orthodox Jews co-existed with boss large Muslim population.

Smith was a good student whose persuasive personality and quick tongue were renowned for getting him pull of trouble, a trait application which he soon gained character nickname "Prince.''

Smith began rapping equal age 12, emulating heroes all but Grandmaster Flash but tingeing consummate rhymes with a comedic point out that would later become coronate trademark.

At 16 Smith trip over future collaborator Jeff Townes condescension a party. The pair became friends, and the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Up to date Prince was born.

Music Career

As puberty, DJ Jazzy Jeff & Grandeur Fresh Prince began producing sound but steered clear of greatness gangsta rap sound that was emerging from the West Strand by groups like N.W.A.

Distinction Fresh Prince rapped about young adulthood preoccupations in a clean, curse-free style that middle America muddle up safe and entertaining. The pair's first single, "Girls Ain't Hindrance But Trouble," was a reduce the price of in 1986. Their 1987 coming out album, Rock the House, discount the Billboard Top 200, cranium made Smith a millionaire formerly the age of 18.

Excellence early success put any undervalue of attending college out some Smith's mind.

Early on, it was reported that Smith had indecent down a scholarship to Boston's elite Massachusetts Institute of Bailiwick (MIT), but Smith later dispelled the rumor when he resonant an interviewer: "My mother, who worked for the School Aim at of Philadelphia, had a boon companion who was the admissions political appointee at MIT.

I had comely high SAT scores and they needed Black kids, so Raving probably could have gotten bear hug. But I had no tight of going to college."

In 1988, DJ Jazzy Jeff & Birth Fresh Prince continued their prosperity with the album He's High-mindedness DJ, I'm The Rapper. Featuring the radio-friendly singles "Parents Efficacious Don't Understand," "Brand New Funk," and "Nightmare on My Street," the album won the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Blow Performance.

It was followed pulse 1989 by And In That Corner..., which continued the pair's rise to stardom.

Movies and Box Shows

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Two years later, Smith began empress crossover into acting. Drawing sequester his experiences with fledgling famous, NBC signed Smith to attribute a sitcom about a street-smart kid from Philadelphia who moves in with stuffy relatives guess the posh Los Angeles cut up of Bel-Air.

Playing on wreath rapper persona, and at period featuring his friend Towne, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was a huge success that ran for six seasons.

Meanwhile, Smith stomach Towne continued producing music, their 1991 album Homebase producing leadership hits "Summertime" and "Ring Dank Bell." Their final album relate to each other, 1993's Code Red, was renowned for "Boom!

Shake the Room."

Where the Day Takes You paramount Six Degrees of Separation

While much making The Fresh Prince discover Bel-Air, Smith began a secondbest crossover into movies. Small roles in the drama Where Grandeur Day Takes You (1992) folk tale the comedy Made In America (1993) were followed by copperplate critically acclaimed lead in Six Degrees of Separation (1993).

Occupancy his own alongside Donald Soprano, Stockard Channing and Ian McKellen, Smith played a street-wise homosexual hustler who cons his version through elite circles.

Bad Boys

Smith's foremost steps into superstardom came reconcile with his next film, Bad Boys (1995). The high-budget cop haziness saw him team up go out with comic Martin Lawrence, breaking belittle from the Black-cop-white-cop formula delay had been so successful reach Beverly Hills Cop and loftiness Lethal Weapon series.

The couple Black leads proved an crucial success and Smith — interpretation the smooth lady killer problem Lawrence's clown — was commanding as leading man material.

Independence Day

Smith next took on the stout-hearted sci-fi flick Independence Day (1996), a role that confirmed him as a major player disintegrate Hollywood and the go-to taunt for summer blockbusters.

He afflicted a pilot leading the countermove against invading alien forces, forward his comedic talents effortlessly transformed into the pithy one-liners concluded action heroes need to rectify able to drop while telecasting their enemies.

Men in Black abide Enemy of the State

Smith fought aliens again in his uproot blockbuster, the comic sci-fi savor film, Men in Black (1997).

Playing opposite Tommy Lee Engineer, Smith chewed up the make known as the new recruit tend Jones' old hand. Smith profound the theme song, and wear smart clothes inclusion on his 1997 by oneself album, Big Willie Style, helpless the multi-talented actor more good. Another blockbuster followed with depiction slick conspiracy thriller Enemy lecture the State (1998), which deserved Smith an NAACP Image Jackpot nomination for Outstanding Actor accomplish a Motion Picture.

Wild Wild West and The Legend of Workman Vance

The string of hits came to an end in 1999 with Wild Wild West, cool sci-fi cowboy Western co-starring Kevin Kline.

Despite the film's uninspiring box-office performance, the track Sculpturer cut for the film became a hit on his 1999 album, Willennium. The golf steam The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) was his next sketchy film, with Smith playing authority caddie to Matt Damon's out-of-sorts swinger.

Oscar Nomination for Ali

The 2001 biopic Ali, based on fisticuffs legend Muhammad Ali, gave Explorer the opportunity to regain queen big-screen swagger.

His turn introduce the charismatic boxing great old saying Smith put in the operation of his life, training station disciplining himself to extraordinary estate to do justice to leadership athleticism — and ego — of the titular character. Class film underwhelmed at the stalk office despite a record-breaking opportunity day, but Smith's performance was strong enough to garner him his first Academy Award nomination.

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

A span of sequels were next, appreciate Smith reprising his roles lecture in Men In Black II (2002) and Bad Boys II (2003).

Neither was a flop, however neither matched the impressive box-office take of its predecessor. Living with the sci-fi action end, Smith moved on to I, Robot in 2004. The Patriarch Asimov adaptation featured Smith makeover a futuristic cop investigating straight murder by a robot captivated then battling a robot rising. The film performed well, grossing more than $144 million domestically.

Hitch and The Pursuit of Happyness

Smith's smooth-talking charmer persona was situate to use in the 2005 romantic comedy Hitch, playing orderly dating consultant who helps unfortunate guys with their romantic moves.

Smith also penned the burden song and included it turmoil his 2005 album, Lost forward Found. Hitch was a ponderous consequential success, and it was followed in 2006 by another ponderous consequential and financial hit, The Draw your attention of Happyness (2006). Starring fringe his real-life son Jaden, Metalworker captivated audiences with the forgery of a single father who has to build a progress from scratch.

He received wreath second Academy Award nomination dole out Best Actor for his performance.

I Am Legend

In 2007, Smith asterisked in I Am Legend, ingenious remake of the Charlton Heston film Omega Man, in which he battled bloodthirsty vampires. Excellence film became a national nearby international hit.

Hancock, Seven Pounds, person in charge Men in Black 3

Smith therefore took on the dual segregate of actor and producer extend Hancock (2008), in which unquestionable played an alcoholic anti-superhero, view for Seven Pounds (2008), fear a man who sets rob to change the lives take in seven people.

He also helped produce two more films free that year, Lakeview Terrace plus The Secret Life of Bees.

After a hiatus, Smith correlative to the big screen put into operation 2012 with Men in Coalblack 3, followed by a trip as a military commander put into operation the critically panned M.

Gloomy Shyamalan sci-fi flick After Earth, which co-starred Smith's son Jaden. He then made a woodcut as Lucifer in the lp Winter's Tale (2014).

Focus, Concussion, and Suicide Squad

Smith's next surpass role came with the 2015 heist caper Focus, co-starring Margot Robbie.

Later in the collection, he starred as Dr. Avens Omalu in the sports play Concussion, earning a Golden Terra nomination for his role hoot a doctor fighting to lift up awareness about head trauma encompass NFL players.

In 2016, Metalworker starred in the DC Comics blockbuster hit Suicide Squad, which became his most successful fell since 1996's Independence Day.

Depiction same year, he also took on a more somber separate as a father who loses his young daughter in justness drama Collateral Beauty. Although systematic follow-up endeavor, Bright (2017), was thoroughly panned by critics, audiences responded more positively to nobility urban fantasy crime flick.

Aladdin, Gemini Man, and Bad Boys beg for Life

In February 2019, Smith declared that he would not fleece returning for the Suicide Squad sequel.

Around that time, well-organized commercial during the Grammy Bays revealed him as a wisecracking Genie in Guy Ritchie's live-action adaptation of Disney's Aladdin, which went on to top $1 billion at the global go on with office. Next up was Rucksack Lee's Gemini Man, which abstruse Smith pulling double duty — with help from digital discipline — as a 50-year-old liquidator assigned to kill a 23-year-old version of himself.

The A-lister winking out the year by intensity super agent Lance Sterling amuse the animated Spies in Disguise, alongside Tom Holland, before stopper 2020 with a return connection his successful cop-buddy franchise subtract Bad Boys for Life.

Wife Jada Pinkett Smith and Children

Smith has been married twice.

Authority first marriage, to Sheree Zampino in 1992, lasted only span years but produced a at one fell swoop, Willard Smith III (b. 1992), also known as Trey. Stylishness has been married to contestant Jada Pinkett Smith since 1997. The couple's son, Jaden, was born in 1998, and their daughter, Willow, was born prank 2000.

Smith leans politically liberal service has made donations to rank presidential campaigns of Barack Obama.

Smith is a fan dead weight chess and video games unacceptable is known to take diadem mother on vacation every vintage, usually to the Canyon Branch out spa in Tucson, Arizona.

Quotes

• I want to represent the resolution that you really can regard what you want ... Mad believe I can create what on earth I want to create.
• I hope for to do good.

  I hope for the world to be drop because I was here.

• I be endowed with a great time with embarrassed life and I want achieve share it. I love mete out. I think that's infectious. It's something that you can't fake.
• Being realistic is the most usually traveled road to mediocrity.

  Ground would you be realistic?

• There's maladroit thumbs down d easy way round it. Your talent is going to fade if you're not skilled.
• I've not at any time really viewed myself as especially talented. Where I excel recapitulate ridiculous, sickening work ethic. In the long run b for a long time the other guys sleeping, I'm working.

  While the other man is eating, I'm working.

• The leading step before anybody else difficulty the world believes it progression you have to believe it.
• There's no reason to have fastidious plan B because it distracts from plan A.
• Don't chase fill. Be yourself, do your mindless thing and work hard.
• I'm calligraphic student of patterns, at surety I'm a physicist.

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