Will Smith

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See also William Smith (disambiguation) and Will Smith (disambiguation) for other people with similar names.
W Smith redirects here. For the British retailer see W H Smith
Will Smith
Will Smith at the 2006 Time 100 gala.
Will Smith at the 2006 Time 100 gala.
Background information
Birth name Willard Christopher Smith, Jr.
Also known as The Fresh Prince
Born September 25, 1968 (age 38)
Origin Flag of United States Wynnefield, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Genre(s) East coast hip hop
Pop rap
Urban
Occupation(s) Hip-Hop rapper
actor
Years active 1987 – present
Label(s) Jive 1987-1992,
Columbia 1998-2005,
Interscope 2005-present
Associated
acts		 DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
DJ Jazzy Jeff
Ready Rock C
Website WillSmith.com.

Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. (September 25, 1968) is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe-nominated American actor, and a multiple Grammy-winning hip hop artist. He is one of a small group of people who have enjoyed success in three major entertainment media in the United States: film, television, and the music industry.

Smith's most notable television role was that of William "Will" Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In his film work, his notable roles include Agent J in Men in Black and Men in Black 2, Muhammad Ali in Ali as well as his role in the blockbuster Independence Day and more recently The Pursuit of Happyness with his son Jaden Smith.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Will Smith was born in Philadelphia, PA on September 25, 1968. Smith's charming and sly demeanor in school resulted in the nickname "Prince" which eventually turned into the "Fresh Prince." While still in his teens, Smith began rapping and eventually hooked up with Jeff Townes (aka D.J. Jazzy Jeff) whom he met at a party. He attended Overbrook High School in West Philadelphia. D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince was born with Smith handling the singing and Townes overseeing the mastery of mixing and scratching—the combination were a pop and hip hop hit during the '80s and early '90s.

MIT

While it is widely reported that Smith turned down a scholarship to attend M.I.T., Smith denied [1] this in a Reader's Digest interview stating, "My mother, who worked for the School Board of Philadelphia, had a friend who was the admissions officer at MIT. I had pretty high SAT scores and they needed black kids, so I probably could have gotten in. But I had no intention of going to college." This is corroborated in a Wired interview [2] where he states he never applied to MIT.

Despite the above, when Smith appeared on Inside the Actors Studio, he stated that he was admitted to the "pre-engineering program" at MIT [3].

Career

Smith started as the MC of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, with his childhood friend Jeffrey "DJ Jazzy Jeff" Townes as turntablist and producer as well as Ready Rock C (Clarence Holmes) as the human beat box. The trio was known for performing humorous, radio-friendly songs, most notably "Parents Just Don't Understand" and "Summertime." They gained critical acclaim for winning the first ever Grammy in the Rap category (1988). He had a line in "Voices That Care", a 1991 Gulf War song by a celebrity group.

Smith was nearing bankruptcy when in 1990, the NBC television network signed him to a contract and built a sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, around him. The show was successful and launched his acting career. Although he made a notable dramatic film debut in Six Degrees of Separation (in which he played against type as a gay con man) while still appearing in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Smith's film career took off with his role in the buddy cop action film Bad Boys (1995) along with co-star Martin Lawrence.

Will Smith at 45th Emmy Awards in 1993.
Will Smith at 45th Emmy Awards in 1993.

After The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ended in 1996, Smith began a successful solo music career while simultaneously starring in a series of films. The first two films were hugely successful summer blockbusters: Independence Day (1996), in which he played a fearless and confident fighter pilot, and Men in Black (1997), where he played the comic and confident Agent J against Tommy Lee Jones's deadpan Agent K. Smith's acting in Men in Black won critical praise. He originally rejected the lead role in Men in Black, but wife Jada Pinkett Smith coaxed him into acceptance. The two films established Smith's commercial reputation as a bankable star whose appeal across age, race, and gender lines could "open" a film at the box office. Smith turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix in favor of Wild Wild West. After the failure of Wild Wild West and watching Keanu Reeves' performance, he suggests that he would not have been the appropriate actor for the role at the time, but still considers passing on The Matrix in favor of Wild Wild West as a big mistake.

He then had gained lead roles in several successful films including Enemy of the State, Men in Black II, Bad Boys II, Hitch, and I, Robot. His most recent film is 2006's The Pursuit of Happyness.

Smith is one of only two hip-hop artists to receive an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination in an acting category (Best Actor, Ali, 2001), for his portrayal of the boxer Muhammad Ali, formerly known as Cassius Clay, in the biopic. He was also nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his role in another true-life movie, The Pursuit of Happyness where he played Chris Gardner in his rags to riches story.

Smith appeared as himself in Jersey Girl delivering the Silent Bob speech that appears in nearly all Kevin Smith movies. The lead character's situation is due to the claim, "Will Smith is just a rapper".

Smith also released a string of hit singles, often associated with his most recent film, throughout the late 1990s. The most notable of these were his #1 hit theme song "Men in Black," the #1 hit "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" (which made jiggy a catchphrase for a while in 1998), and a cover of "Just the Two of Us," an affectionate message to his young son. His first two solo albums went platinum, but his third, on Columbia Records, was a sales disappointment compared to his past efforts, and after a quick Greatest Hits release that was almost not advertised at all, he was dropped by the label. He signed a recording contract with Interscope Records and released the successful Lost & Found in 2005. The album was propelled solely on the smash hit single, "Switch", which appealed to the mainstream a la "Summertime". The single stayed atop the charts for months and returned Smith to the forefront of Hip Hop.

Smith appeared at Nickelodeon Kid's Choice awards in 2005 performing "Switch", as well as the Black Entertainment Television awards in 2005. He appeared in the second game of the NBA Finals (San Antonio vs. Detroit) performing "Switch" in 2005. Smith also was a special guest judge in the reality talent contest show "Indian Idol", when he visited India.

Smith was considered for the role of John Smith in the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith; Brad Pitt eventually received the role. He was also considered for the role of Willy Wonka in the remake of the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He is planned to star in a feature film remake of the television series It Takes a Thief.

Smith can be found most recently starring in The Pursuit of Happyness with his son Jaden Smith; he received his second Academy Award nomination for the role for Best Actor but lost to Forest Whitaker.

Personal life

Smith married Sheree Zampino in 1992. They had a son, Willard Christopher III, also known as "Trey", but divorced in 1995. Trey appeared in his father's music video for the 1997 single, "Just The Two Of Us." Smith married actress Jada Pinkett in 1997. Together they have had two children: Jaden Christopher Syre (born 1998), his co-star in The Pursuit of Happyness, and Willow Camille Reign (born 2000). Along with his brother, Harry Smith, he owns Treyball Development Inc., a Beverly Hills-based company named after his first son. He has been consistently listed in Fortune Magazine's "Richest 40" list of the forty wealthiest Americans under the age of 40. Smith and his family reside on Star Island (Florida) in Miami, Florida, and in Philadelphia. He helped the community by giving money to Katrina victims.

On July 2, 2005, Smith served as host for the Live 8 concert in his native Philadelphia in front of an enormous crowd, and later performed a set with DJ Jazzy Jeff.

Smith also produced All of Us, a program loosely based on his love life and family, in 2005.

Smith is an enthusiast for the games of chess, bingo and rummoli. He is also quite fond of video games.

Once every year Will takes his mother to Canyon Ranch spa in Tucson, Arizona for a week.

After teenage rapper Bow Wow called Will Smith a "bubble-gum rapper" due to his softer, more gentle approach to hip hop, Will responded, "I don't have to respond to an immature, spoiled child."[citation needed] As of April 6, 2006, Bow Wow and Will Smith resolved their differences. Smith remains good friends with Tatyana Ali, former co-star on Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Will was the one that mainly convinced her to enter the field of music, due to her singing shown on some episodes of the show.

When he was nominated for Best International Male award for the 1999 Brit Awards, Smith said in a interview that he favored that over the Grammy Award, stating that the latter is more like going to the Oscars and the Brits have a family feel to it.[citation needed]


Discography

With DJ Jazzy Jeff (and The Fresh Prince)

Albums

Singles

See DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince#Singles

Solo

Albums

Singles

Dates relate to UK release dates.

Year Song U.S. Hot 100 CAN UK AUS Album
Aug 1997 Men in Black - 15 1 1 Big Willie Style
Dec 1997 Just Cruisin' 56 83 23 - Big Willie Style
Feb 1998 Gettin' Jiggy Wit It 1 5 3 6 Big Willie Style
Aug 1998 Just the Two of Us 20 3 2 27 Big Willie Style
Dec 1998 Miami 17 3 3 27 Big Willie Style
July 1999 Wild Wild West
(Featuring Dru Hill & Kool Mo Dee)		 1 9 2 8 Willennium
Nov 1999 Will2K
(Featuring K-Ci)		 25 2 2 3 Willennium
Mar 2000 Freakin' It 99 34 15 - Willennium
2000 So Fresh
(Featuring DJ Jazzy Jeff, Biz Markie, & Slick Rick)		 - - - - Willennium
Aug 2002 Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)
(Introducing Tra-Knox)		 77 16 3 18 Born to Reign
April 2005 Switch 7 1 4 1 Lost & Found
Nov 2005 Party Starter 25 45 19 33 Lost & Found

Misc. Performances

The following are several songs that Smith has performed with other artists:

  • "I Sleep Much Better (In Someone Else's Bed)" (1989) (Billy Ocean feat. Mimi & Will Smith) [Credited as The Fresh Prince]
  • "Voices That Care" (1991) by various artists [Credited as The Fresh Prince]
  • "Boy You Knock Me Out" (1998) (Tatyana Ali featuring Will Smith)
  • "Hey Sexy Lady (Remix)" (2003) (Shaggy featuring Brian & Tony Gold, Sean Paul, & Will Smith)
  • "Got To Be Real" (2004) (Mary J. Blige featuring Will Smith)

Filmography

See also

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
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