Will Smith (born on September 25, 1968) is an American actor and rapper. He gained initial recognition as part of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff.
With a career spanning music and film, Smith has become a cultural icon.
Take a look at his biography to know everything about him.
Who is Will Smith?
Willard Carroll Smith is an American actor and rapper. Smith first rose to prominence as a member of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff.
With him he recorded five studio albums and the top 20 US Billboard Hot 100 singles “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” “A Nightmare on My Street,” “Summertime,” “Ring My Bell,” and “Boom! Shake the Room” from 1984 to 1994.
The US number-one singles “Gettin’ Jiggy wit It” and “Wild Wild West” was featured on his solo albums Big Willie Style (1997), Willennium (1999), Born to Reign (2002), and Lost and Found (2005).
For his rap performances, he has won four Grammy Awards.
With leading roles in movies like the action movie Bad Boys (1995), its sequels Bad Boys II (2003) and Bad Boys for Life (2020), and the science fiction comedies Men in Black (1997), Men in Black II (2002), and Men in Black 3, Smith rose to greater fame (2012).
After appearing in the suspenseful films Independence Day (1996) and Enemy of the State, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performances as Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness (2001) and Muhammad Ali in Ali (2001). (2006).
After that, he appeared in several critically acclaimed and financially lucrative movies, such as I, Robot (2004), Shark Tale (2004), Hitch (2005), I Am Legend (2007), Hancock (2008), Seven Pounds (2008), Suicide Squad (2016), and Aladdin (2019).
Early Life of Will Smith
Will Smith was born on September 25, 1968, in Philadelphia. His birth name was Willard Carroll Smith II.
He was conceived by Willard Carroll Smith Sr., a retired refrigeration engineer from the US Air Force, and Caroline (née Bright), a school board administrator.
His mother earned a degree from Carnegie Mellon.
He was brought up as a Baptist and lived in the Wynnefield section of West Philadelphia. Moreover, he has two younger siblings, the identical Harry and Ellen, as well as an older sister named Pamela.
He went to Overbrook High School and a private Catholic elementary school in Philadelphia called Our Lady of Lourdes. His parents divorced in the early 2000s after divorcing when he was 13 years old.
At the age of 12, Smith started rapping.
When his grandmother discovered a notebook containing his lyrics, he claimed that it “She made a note for him in the book, saying: “Dear Willard, truly intelligent people do not have to use words like this to express themselves.
Please demonstrate your intelligence to the world by proving us all wrong “.
Smith claimed that this had an impact on his choice to refrain from using profanity in his music.
Will Smith Age
Willard Carroll Smith is currently 55 years old as of 2023, given that he was born on September 25, 1968.
Throughout his career, he achieved remarkable success at a young age.
Will Smith Career
With his childhood friend Jeffrey “DJ Jazzy Jeff” Townes serving as turntablist and producer, Smith first gained notoriety as the MC of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince.
In 1985, Townes and Smith met by chance because Townes was missing his hype man and performing at a house party just a few doors down from Smith’s home.
Smith chose to step in. Townes was displeased when his hype man eventually arrived at the party because they had a strong chemistry.
1193-1997 Film Breaktrough
The drama Six Degrees of Separation (1993) and the action movie Bad Boys (1995), in which he co-starred with Martin Lawrence, were Smith’s first significant roles.
The latter movie was a commercial hit, earning $141.4 million globally. However, reviews were generally unfavorable. In the ensemble cast of Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day from 1996, Smith played a prominent role.
The movie was a huge hit, ranking as the second-highest-grossing movie of all time at the time and making Smith a top box office draw.
He played Agent J in the popular Men in Black movie with Tommy Lee Jones in the summer of 1997.
With an estimated 54,616,700 tickets sold in the US, Columbia Pictures’ July 2 release of the movie brought in over $589.3 million worldwide against a $90 million budget, making it the third-highest-grossing movie of the year.
It received favorable reviews, with reviewers praising Jones’ and Smith’s performances as well as the humor in it.
Further into Movies
Smith was said to be working on a movie called The Last Pharaoh in 2008, in which he would play Taharqa.
Later, Smith starred in the superhero film Hancock, which earned $624,386,746 globally and $227,946,274 in the United States and Canada.
On August 19, 2011, it was revealed that Smith would be working on his fifth studio album with producer La Mar Edwards.
Smith played Agent J once more in Men in Black 3, which debuted on May 25, 2012; this was his first significant starring role in four years.
Memoir
Will written by Smith and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck author Mark Manson, was released on November 9, 2021, and it was supported by a promotional tour.
The book is a journey of self-discovery that recalls his experiences with ayahuasca, his relationship with his father, and his childhood traumas.
He and his Westbrook Studios business agreed to a deal with National Geographic in the same year.
Awards
Smith has won numerous honors throughout his career, including the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams in the biopic King Richard (2021), who was the successful tennis players Venus and Serena Williams’ father and coach.
Smith also received awards from the Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild for this role, as well as a producer nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Will Smith Wife
In 1992, Will Smith married his wife Sheree Zampino. On November 11, 1992, their son Willard Carroll “Trey” Smith III was born. In 1995, the two got divorced.
Trey made an appearance in his father’s 1998 song “Just the Two of Us” music video. He appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, the David Blaine: Real or Magic TV special, and acted in two episodes of the sitcom All of Us.
On December 31, 1997, Smith wed Jada Koren Pinkett, an actress. When Pinkett went on a casting call for the part of Smith’s character’s girlfriend in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, they connected.
Through their joint production company Overbrook Entertainment and Westbrook Inc., the couple makes movies. Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, his co-star in The Pursuit of Happyness and After Earth, was born in 1998.
Willow Camille Reign Smith, who played his daughter in I Am Legend, was born in 2000.
Business
Smith’s family resides in Los Angeles, California. He and his brother Harry are the owners of Treyball Development Inc. Its a business based in Beverly Hills and named for Trey Smith.
Smith performed a bungee jump from a helicopter in the Grand Canyon to mark his 50th birthday in 2018.
Chris rock Incident
After Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, in the 2022 annual Academy Awards ceremony. Smith received criticism for slapping and yelling at Rock. Keep [his] wife’s name out of [Rock’s] fucking mouth, he then yelled at Rock twice.
Smith’s reputation as a likable leading man and family star suffered as a result of the violent outburst. With audiences viewing him unfavorably and many in the business doubting his ability to recover.
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Will Smith Net Worth
Will Smith has ane estimated net worth of $380 million as of 2023.
Will Smith’s annual income from his many projects averages at least $40 million and has occasionally reached $80 million.
For instance, Will made $45 million from his various projects, primarily film salaries, between June 2019 and June 2020.
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Physical Appearance
Will Smith has a very toned body, he follows a very strict exercise regime and eats mostly proteins.
He is tall, reaching a height of 6 feet 2 inches or 188 cm. Also, he weighs 81kg or 181 lbs.
Furthermore, he also carries a great fashion sense.
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