Will Smith (American Actor & Rapper) Biography

Will Smith is an extremely popular American actor, who began his career as a rap artist, teaming up with turn tabler DJ Jazzy Jeff and beat boxer Ready Rock C. He was known to be a bright student hailing from the Philadelphia’s ‘Overbrook High School’, who decided against attending college, so that he could pursue a career in music. He was successful as a singer, and is also a ‘Grammy Award’ recipient. At the age of 25, this young man ventured in movies, and debuted with the famous movie ‘Six Degree of Separation’. From then on, there was no looking back for this talented young star. With blockbuster movies like ‘Independence Day’, ‘I, Robot’, ‘I Am Legend,’ ‘Enemy of the State’, ‘The Pursuit of Happyness,’ ‘Ali’, and ‘King Richard,’ Will Smith has won several awards and accolades, including an ‘Academy Award,’ a ‘Critics’ Choice Movie Award,’ a ‘British Academy Film Award,’ a ‘Screen Actors Guild Award,’ four ‘Grammy Awards’ and a ‘Golden Globe Award.’ His power packed performances show versatility and promise that this star is here to stay. In the opinion of many directors, the actor was like a breath of fresh air and essayed emotional roles with as much ease as he would portray an action hero. Amongst his several brilliant films, ‘Men in Black’ a sci-fi comedy, was one movie that became a roaring hit with moviegoers all over the world. The popularity of the first movie inspired the sequels in the ‘Men in Black’ series, which were lauded by fans and critics alike. 

Will Smith Biography

Full Name	Willard Carroll Smith Jr.
Nickname	Fresh Prince, Mr. July
Date of Birth	25 September 1968
School	Catholic Elementary School in Philadelphia
Profession	Actor,  Producer, Songwriter (American, English)

Age	54 Years Old
Birth Place	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Currently Live In	Calabasas, Los Angeles
Profession	Actor, Rapper and Film Producer
Debut	Television Series: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990 – 1996) Music Video: Big Willie Style (1997) Movie:  Where the Day Takes You (1992)
Years Active	1985 – Present
Famous Role	Appearing in the TV Series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990)
Nationality	American
Religion	Christian
Ethnicity	African – American Descent
Hometown	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Zodiac Sign	Libra
School/High School	Masterman School in Philadelphia, United States Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Archbishop John Carroll High School in Radnor, Pennsylvania
College/University	Local College in United States
Education Qualification	Graduate
Instagram	@Will Smith

Physical Appearance

Height in Centimetres	188 cm
Height in Meters	1.88 m
Height in Feet Inches	6 Feet 2 Inches
Weight	82kg
Body Measurement	42-33-16
Chest Size	42 inches
Waist Size	33 inches
Biceps Size	16 inches
Eye Colour	Dark Brown
Hair Colour	Black

Will Smith Educational Qualification

Education Qualification	Pre-Engineering (Drop)
School	Catholic Elementary School in Philadelphia Overbrook High School. Philadelphia
College / University	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Will Smith’s Family

He has three siblings as well. His brother’s name is Harry Smith, and he has two sisters, Ellen Smith and Pam Smith. Will Smith is currently married. In the year 1992, he married Sheree Zampino, but they divorced in the year 1995. He married Jada Pinkett Smith in the year 1997.

Father	Willard Christopher Smith, Sr.
Mother	Caroline Bright
Brothers	Harry Smith
Sisters	Ellen Smith, pam Smith
Marital Status	Married
Wife	Jada Pinkett Smith
Daughters	Willow Smith Christianity
Sons	Jaden Smith Trey Smith
Girlfriends/ Affairs	Jennifer Flavin (m. 1997)

Will Smith Favorite Things

Favorite Colour	Red, Black
Favorite Actor	Not Known
Favorite Actress	Not Known
Favorite Food	Philly Cheese Steak
Hobbies	Listening Music, Playing Chess, Fencing
Favorite Music	Hip Hop
Favorite Brand	Dior Homme
Favorite Sport	Chess, Football, Golf
Favorite Destination	Malmo
Favorite Car Collections	Cadillac Escalade ESV Maybach Exelero Ford Mustang 1965 Ford Taurus Lincoln Navigator Mercedes Benz GL450 Mobile Mansion The Heat
Sexual Orientation	Straight

Will Smith Net Worth

Name	Will Smith
Net Worth (2024)	$350 million
Profession	American actor, rapper, and film producer
Monthly Income And Salary	3 Million US Doller +
Yearly Income And Salary	29 Million US Doller +
Last Updated	2024

Childhood & Early Life

• Willard Christopher Smith, Jr. was born on September 25, 1968, to Willard C. Smith, Sr., the proprietor of a refrigeration company, and Caroline, a member of the ‘School Board of Philadelphia’, in Pennsylvania.
• He was brought up in the neighbourhood of Wynnefield, along with younger siblings Harry and Ellen, as well as an older sister Pamela.
• The young child had a Baptist upbringing at home, but received his elementary education from a Catholic institution named ‘Our Lady of Lourdes’. After his parents parted ways, he was educated at the ‘Overbrook High School’ in Philadelphia.
• On completing high school, Will decided to pursue music as a career, instead of attending college.

Career

• Smith met record producer and musician, Jeffrey Townes, popularly called DJ Jazzy Jeff, at a party, and the two music lovers instantly hit it off. The aspiring rapper called himself “The Fresh Prince”, and formed a group with DJ Jeff, and another friend, beat boxer, Ready Rock C.
• ‘DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince’ became quite popular after producing light-hearted songs ‘Summertime’ and ‘Parents Just Don’t Understand’.
• During 1988-89, the popular singer fell into trouble with the ‘Internal Revenue Service’, after paying less than the stipulated tax. As a result of $2.8 million of unpaid taxes, his possessions were confiscated, and Will almost went bankrupt.
• When the singer was struggling to recover from the financial crisis, he was hired for a sitcom titled ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’, in 1990, by the NBC broadcasting network. With the success of the TV program, which was about himself, Smith gained recognition as an actor.
• In 1993, Will made his debut in feature films with the movie Six Degrees of Separation’, co-starring Stockard Channing and Donald Sutherland. With the success of the movie, he was cast in ‘Bad Boys’, two years later, an action movie that also featured Martin Lawrence.
• By this time, the exceptional actor had already gained immense popularity in Hollywood cinema. In 1996, he played a major role in the movie ‘Independence Day’, directed by German filmmaker, Roland Emmerich. The movie also starred Bill Pullman, and Jeff Goldblum, amongst others, becoming a huge box-office success.
• Next year, in 1997, Smith was chosen by film director Barry Sonnenfeld, to become a part of the cult movie series of ‘Men in Black’. The actor was cast opposite celebrated actor Tommy Lee Jones, and he essayed the legendary role of ‘Agent J’. The following year, he worked in the hit movie ‘Enemy of the State’, alongside veteran Gene Hackman.
• From 1999-2001, the gifted actor starred in movies like ‘Wild Wild West’, ‘The Legend of Bagger Vance’, and ‘Ali’. ‘Ali’ was a movie adapted from boxer Muhammad Ali’s life and career and it earned Will an ‘Academy Award’ nomination for ‘Best Actor’.
• During the next few years, he acted in movies like ‘I, Robot’, ‘Shark Tale’, ‘Hitch’ and ‘Pursuit of Happyness’. The actor won another ‘Oscar’ nomination for his heart-rending performance in ‘Pursuit of Happyness’
• The movies that the accomplished actor has featured in, during the last few years, from 2007-2014, are ‘I Am Legend’, ‘Hancock’, ‘Seven Pounds’, ‘After Earth’, and ‘Winter’s Tale’. All of these movies have seen considerable commercial and critical success.
• In 2015, Will Smith starred in a movie called ‘Focus’, where he played the male lead opposite Australian actress Margot Robbie. The same year he starred in ‘Concussion’, co-starring Alec Baldwin, the film earned positive reviews.
• Some of his other noteworthy works also inlcude  ‘Bad Boys For Life,’ ‘Aladdin,’ ‘Suicide Squad,’ and ‘King Richard.’

Also Read: Trey Smith (Actor) Biography

Career Beginnings as a Rapper

Will Smith started his career as a rapper in the late 1980s. He formed the hip-hop duo, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, with his childhood friend, Jeffrey Townes (DJ Jazzy Jeff). In 1988, they released their debut album, “He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper,” which was a huge success, selling over 2 million copies. The album featured hit singles such as “Parents Just Don’t Understand” and “Brand New Funk.”

Smith continued to release albums with DJ Jazzy Jeff, and in 1991, he released his first solo album, “Big Willie Style.” The album featured hit singles like “Gettin’ Jiggy wit It” and “Miami.” Smith’s success as a rapper was unprecedented, and he became one of the most recognizable faces in the music industry.

Transition to Acting

In 1990, Will Smith was approached to star in the TV show, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which aired for six seasons from 1990 to 1996. The show was a huge success, and Smith’s performance as the main character, Will, was widely acclaimed. The show marked Smith’s transition from music to acting, and it paved the way for his future success in Hollywood.

Smith’s breakthrough role in film came in 1993 with the release of “Six Degrees of Separation,” where he played a gay con artist. He received critical acclaim for his performance, and it marked the beginning of his journey as a Hollywood actor. Smith continued to appear in several successful films, including “Bad Boys,” “Independence Day,” and “Men in Black.”

Hollywood Success

Will Smith’s Hollywood success continued throughout the 2000s and 2010s. He appeared in several box office hits, including “Hitch,” “The Pursuit of Happyness,” and “I Am Legend.” He also continued to produce and star in successful movies, including the “Men in Black” franchise, “I, Robot,” and “Aladdin.”

Smith’s talent and hard work have earned him several awards and recognitions. He has won four Grammy Awards for his music, two Academy Awards nominations for his acting, and four Golden Globe nominations, winning one for his performance in “The Pursuit of Happyness.” Smith has also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, cementing his place as one of the most successful and beloved actors in Hollywood.

Major Works

• This star is known for the ‘Men in Black’ franchise of movies. The science fiction movie features Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith as two agents of an organization who manage alien activity on earth.
• The sensational actor is also known for his overwhelming performance in the ‘Pursuit of Happyness’. The movie was nominated for several honours, and has won the prestigious ‘Capri Award’ in ‘Movie of the Year’ category.

Altercation with comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars 2022

• During the 2022 Oscar presentation, the presenter, Chris Rock, made a joke about Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s, hair loss, which infuriated the King Richard star and he went to the stage and punched the comedian.Smith later took to social media to apologise for the incident. He posted a statement on Instagram saying that his behavior was  “unacceptable and inexcusable” and “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive.” 

Awards & Achievements

Smith received four Grammy nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, and two Academy and Oscar nominations. Following is the list of his honors:

Grammy Awards

Awards	Work/Year
Best Rap Performance	Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It/1999
Best Rap Performance	Men in Black/1998
Best Rap Performance	Summertime/1992
Best Rap Performance	Parents Don’t Just Understand/1988

Golden Globe Awards

Awards	Work/Year
Best Performance	Concussion/2016
Best Performance	The Pursuit of Happyness/2007
Best Performance	Ali/2002
Best Actor	The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air/1994,1993

Academy Awards

Awards	Work/Year
Best Actor	The Pursuit of Happyness/2007
Best Actor	Ali/2002

Personal Life & Legacy

• In 1992, Will Smith got married to Sheree Elizabeth Zampino, an actress. The couple had a son, nicknamed ‘Trey’, but the two separated three years after marriage.
• The popular actor got married in 1997, to colleague Jada Koren Pinkett, who is best known for the ‘Matrix’ movie franchise. The two actors have a son, Jaden Christopher Syre and a daughter, Willow Camille Reign.
• Jaden has appeared in ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’, ‘The Karate Kid’, and more recently, ‘After Earth’, while Willow is known for her role in the movie, ‘I Am Legend’.
• In 2005, Will Smith actor made it to the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’, for having gone to three movie premieres in one day.
• Will claims that though he has had exposure to tenets of Catholicism and Baptism, he does not follow any religion in particular. Though he finds ‘Scientology’ fascinating, which is a spiritual rehabilitation through counselling, the actor is not a member of its organization.
• The brilliant actor is known for his philanthropic contributions, where he has donated large sums of money to Christian ministries, schools and churches, a mosque in Los Angeles, and Scientology organisations.
• He has also established an elementary school, ‘New Village Leadership Academy’, in California, along with his wife, Jada, donating 1.2 million dollars to the educational institution.
• According to ‘Fortune Magazine’, Smith has been one of the wealthiest young Americans. In 2008, presidential campaign of Democrat Barack Obama, Smith donated $4,600. He and his wife also organized the ‘Nobel Peace Prize Concert’, which was held in 2009, in Oslo as a toast to the prize being awarded to Obama.

Religious and political views

Smith was raised in a Baptist household and attended a Roman Catholic school and church. In a 2013 interview, he said he did not identify as religious. In 2015, Smith said in an interview with The Christian Post that his Christian faith, which was instilled in him by his grandmother, helped him to accurately portray Bennet Omalu in Concussion, saying: “She was my spiritual teacher, she was that grandmother at the church, the one having the kids doing the Easter presentations and putting on the Christmas plays and her kids and grandkids had to be first. She was the most spiritually certain person that I had ever met in my entire life. Even to the point that when she was dying she was happy, like she was really excited about going to heaven.” In 2018, Smith performed the Hindu rite of Abhisheka of Lord Shiva at Haridwar, India. He also performed an Aarti of the holy river Ganga. He has said that he feels a deep connection to Hindu spirituality and Indian astrology. Smith and his family also met and spent time with the Indian spiritual leader Sadhguru, stating that he enjoyed the heartfelt conversations between them.

Smith donated $4,600 to the 2008 presidential campaign of Democrat Barack Obama. On December 11, 2009, Smith and his wife hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, to celebrate Obama’s winning of the prize. In 2012, Smith said he supported legalizing same-sex marriage. In 2021, Smith announced that production of his upcoming film, Emancipation, was being pulled from Georgia because of the recent passage of the Election Integrity Act of 2021, which critics viewed as a restrictive voting law, negatively impacting non-white voters. Smith and director Antoine Fuqua released a joint statement: “We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws that are designed to restrict voter access”.

Will Smith movies

• 1990 Saturday Morning Videos
• 1990 ABC Afterschool Special – The Perfect Date The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
• 1992 Blossom
• 1992 Where the Day Takes You
• 1993 Made in America
• 1993 Six Degrees of Separation
• 1995 Bad Boys
• 1996 Independence Day
• 1997 Men in Black
• 1998 Enemy of the State
• 1999 Torrance Rices
• 1999 Wild Wild West
• 2000 Welcome to Hollywood
• 2000 The Legend of Bina Vans
• 2001 Ali
• 2002 Men in Black II
• Girlfriend by 2000 B2K
• 2003 Bad Boys II
• Will Smith Biography

2004

• A Closer Walk
• Jersey Girl
• American Chopper
• Eye, Robot
• Shark Tale
• 2005 Late’s a God on The Mick
• 2005 Hitch
• 2006 The Pursuit of Happiness
• 2007 I Am Legend
• Will Smith Biography

2008

• Hancock
• Lequiu Terras
• The Secret Life of Biz
• Seven Pounds
• Will Smith Biography
• 2010 The Karate Kid

Will Smith Controversies

The popular actor and singer Will has been involved in his fair share of controversy throughout the course of his successful career. Here are some noteworthy examples:

• Smith’s slap on comedian Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards in 2022 may have received widespread media coverage and conflicting views on Smith’s behavior.
• Smith and Margot Robbie faced their love affair scandal, but they denied it every time.
• Fresh Prince and his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, have ties to the Church of Scientology, a contentious religion infamous for its covert operations and famous adherents. Despite Smith’s denials, there are speculations and discussions regarding his beliefs because of his affiliation with the church.
• Jada Pinkett-Smith and Will have come under fire for their parenting style, especially, since they have drawn criticism from the public due to having too much freedom and leading unusual lifestyles for their kids.
• In 2020, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Smith admitted that they had momentarily split up on an episode of Jada’s show, “Red Table Talk,” and that Jada had a romance with musician August Alsina. Jada’s choice of the word “entanglement” to describe the connection led to jokes and memes on social media, and the incident sparked debate over their marriage.
• The Smiths came under fire for their association with the New Village Leadership Academy, a school they co-founded that was suspected of adopting Scientology teaching methods and having ties to the religion of Scientology. After the institution was finally shuttered in 2013, their role came under even more investigation.

Interesting facts

• In the movies The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) and After Earth (2013), Will and his son Jaden have played father and son.
• At the age of 20, he had amassed a million dollars.
• He has mastered the Rubik’s cube. His best time thus far is 55 seconds.
• He purchased a two-story truck with a trailer that is a luxurious mobile home complete with a bathroom and a gym for his trips around the nation.
• The actor is fond of playing chess as a pastime. They claim he plays really well.
• Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist” is Smith’s preferred reading material. “
• During his time in office, Barack Obama once remarked that.