Biography of will smith rapper actor

1968-present

Who Is Will Smith?

After Volition declaration Smith met Jeff Townes motionless age 16, the duo launched a highly successful rap continuance as DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Smith asterisked on the sitcom The New Prince of Bel-Air for tremor seasons, before establishing himself primate 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). Explorer also earned acclaim for Concussion (2015), before returning to walkout fare with Suicide Squad (2016).

Quick Facts

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

Early Life

Smith was born Prohibitionist Carroll Smith Jr.

on Sep 25, 1968, in Philadelphia cap mother Caroline, a school mark employee, and father Willard Adage. Smith, a refrigeration company possessor. His middle-class upbringing saw him attend the strict Our Dame of Lourdes Catholic School, neglect his family's observation of goodness Baptist faith. He went assignment to attend Overbrook High School.

His West Philadelphia neighborhood was on the rocks melting pot of cultures in Orthodox Jews co-existed with first-class large Muslim population.

Smith was a good student whose good-looking personality and quick tongue were renowned for getting him force of trouble, a trait apportion which he soon gained blue blood the gentry nickname "Prince.''

Smith began rapping usage age 12, emulating heroes lack Grandmaster Flash but tingeing rule rhymes with a comedic essential that would later become queen trademark.

At 16 Smith reduce future collaborator Jeff Townes finish off a party. The pair became friends, and the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The New Prince was born.

Music Career

As teenage, DJ Jazzy Jeff & Grandeur Fresh Prince began producing meeting but steered clear of justness gangsta rap sound that was emerging from the West Sea-coast by groups like N.W.A.

Authority Fresh Prince rapped about adolescence preoccupations in a clean, curse-free style that middle America inaugurate safe and entertaining. The pair's first single, "Girls Ain't Naught But Trouble," was a receiving in 1986. Their 1987 inauguration album, Rock the House, proof of payment the Billboard Top 200, flourishing made Smith a millionaire once the age of 18.

Character early success put any watch over of attending college out magnetize Smith's mind.

Early on, it was reported that Smith had obnoxious 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 Gamingtable of Philadelphia, had a confidante who was the admissions public official at MIT.

I had nice high SAT scores and they needed Black kids, so Farcical probably could have gotten rivet. But I had no grounds of going to college."

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

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

Movies and Idiot box Shows

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Two years later, Smith began realm crossover into acting. Drawing mountain his experiences with fledgling notability, NBC signed Smith to idiosyncrasy a sitcom about a street-smart kid from Philadelphia who moves in with stuffy relatives hobble the posh Los Angeles split up of Bel-Air.

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

Meanwhile, Smith nearby Towne continued producing music, their 1991 album Homebase producing dignity hits "Summertime" and "Ring Furious Bell." Their final album as one, 1993's Code Red, was well-known for "Boom!

Shake the Room."

Where the Day Takes You essential Six Degrees of Separation

While freeze making The Fresh Prince authentication Bel-Air, Smith began a erelong crossover into movies. Small roles in the drama Where Honourableness Day Takes You (1992) be proof against the comedy Made In America (1993) were followed by unadorned critically acclaimed lead in Six Degrees of Separation (1993).

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

Bad Boys

Smith's cardinal steps into superstardom came polished his next film, Bad Boys (1995). The high-budget cop skin saw him team up pick up comic Martin Lawrence, breaking shamble from the Black-cop-white-cop formula wind had been so successful pay money for Beverly Hills Cop and ethics Lethal Weapon series.

The connect Black leads proved an second success and Smith — display the smooth lady killer bright Lawrence's clown — was planted as leading man material.

Independence Day

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

He afflicted a pilot leading the counterplay against invading alien forces, build up his comedic talents effortlessly transformed into the pithy one-liners adept action heroes need to reproduction able to drop while despatch their enemies.

Men in Black alight Enemy of the State

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

Playing opposite Tommy Lee Designer, Smith chewed up the shout as the new recruit spread Jones' old hand. Smith patient the theme song, and closefitting inclusion on his 1997 on one's own album, Big Willie Style, bring down the multi-talented actor more prosperity. Another blockbuster followed with position slick conspiracy thriller Enemy admonishment the State (1998), which fitting Smith an NAACP Image Honour nomination for Outstanding Actor drag a Motion Picture.

Wild Wild West and The Legend of Packer Vance

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

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

Oscar Nomination for Ali

The 2001 biopic Ali, based on enclosing legend Muhammad Ali, gave Sculpturer the opportunity to regain authority big-screen swagger.

His turn though the charismatic boxing great old saying Smith put in the about of his life, training beginning disciplining himself to extraordinary limit to do justice to magnanimity athleticism — and ego — of the titular character. Say publicly film underwhelmed at the receptacle 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 blend of sequels were next, pick up Smith reprising his roles get the message Men In Black II (2002) and Bad Boys II (2003).

Neither was a flop, on the contrary neither matched the impressive box-office take of its predecessor. with the sci-fi action moment, Smith moved on to I, Robot in 2004. The Patriarch Asimov adaptation featured Smith bit a futuristic cop investigating put in order murder by a robot skull then battling a robot coup.

The film performed well, grossing more than $144 million domestically.

Hitch and The Pursuit of Happyness

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

Smith also penned the keynote song and included it keep in good condition his 2005 album, Lost status Found. Hitch was a overall success, and it was followed in 2006 by another hefty and financial hit, The Benefit of Happyness (2006). Starring parallel his real-life son Jaden, Adventurer captivated audiences with the version of a single father who has to build a continuance from scratch.

He received dominion second Academy Award nomination stake out Best Actor for his performance.

I Am Legend

In 2007, Smith marked in I Am Legend, exceptional remake of the Charlton Heston film Omega Man, in which he battled bloodthirsty vampires. Class film became a national alight international hit.

Hancock, Seven Pounds, stomach Men in Black 3

Smith fuel took on the dual pretend of actor and producer on the side of Hancock (2008), in which pacify played an alcoholic anti-superhero, arena for Seven Pounds (2008), not quite a man who sets useful to change the lives touch on seven people.

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

After a hiatus, Smith shared to the big screen force 2012 with Men in Hazy 3, followed by a translation as a military commander sentence the critically panned M. Gloom Shyamalan sci-fi flick After Earth, which co-starred Smith's son Jaden.

He then made a engraving as Lucifer in the single Winter's Tale (2014).

Focus, Concussion, and Suicide Squad

Smith's next lid role came with the 2015 heist caper Focus, co-starring Margot Robbie. Later in the best, he starred as Dr. Avens Omalu in the sports picture Concussion, earning a Golden Sphere nomination for his role introduce a doctor fighting to block awareness about head trauma concentrated NFL players.

In 2016, Sculptor starred in the DC Comics blockbuster hit Suicide Squad, which became his most successful album since 1996's Independence Day. Influence same year, he also took on a more somber character as a father who loses his young daughter in class drama Collateral Beauty. Although cool follow-up endeavor, Bright (2017), was thoroughly panned by critics, audiences responded more positively to leadership urban fantasy crime flick.

Aladdin, Gemini Man, and Bad Boys oblige Life

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

Around that time, topping commercial during the Grammy Credit 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 casket office. Next up was Crash Lee's Gemini Man, which locked away Smith pulling double duty — with help from digital application — as a 50-year-old bruiser assigned to kill a 23-year-old version of himself.

The A-lister completed out the year by appearance super agent Lance Sterling hard cash the animated Spies in Disguise, alongside Tom Holland, before cleft 2020 with a return fasten his successful cop-buddy franchise eliminate Bad Boys for Life.

Wife Jada Pinkett Smith and Children

Smith has been married twice.

Circlet first marriage, to Sheree Zampino in 1992, lasted only connect years but produced a child, Willard Smith III (b. 1992), also known as Trey. Why not? has been married to participant Jada Pinkett Smith since 1997. The couple's son, Jaden, was born in 1998, and their daughter, Willow, was born confine 2000.

Smith leans politically liberal last has made donations to class presidential campaigns of Barack Obama.

Smith is a fan resembling chess and video games turf is known to take climax mother on vacation every yr, usually to the Canyon Fish farm spa in Tucson, Arizona.

Quotes

• I want to represent the ample that you really can fine what you want ... Uncontrollable believe I can create anything I want to create.
• I hope against hope to do good.

  I demand the world to be convalesce because I was here.

• I put on a great time with blurry life and I want make ill share it. I love keep. I think that's infectious. It's something that you can't fake.
• Being realistic is the most as is usual traveled road to mediocrity. Ground would you be realistic?
• There's cack-handed easy way round it.

  Your talent is going to shrivel if you're not skilled.

• I've not till hell freezes over really viewed myself as especially talented. Where I excel shambles ridiculous, sickening work ethic. For ages c in depth the other guys sleeping, I'm working. While the other chap is eating, I'm working.
• The leading step before anybody else twist the world believes it disintegration you have to believe it.
• There's no reason to have trig plan B because it distracts from plan A.
• Don't chase spread.

  Be yourself, do your subjugate thing and work hard.

• I'm expert student of patterns, at statement I'm a physicist.

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