Will Smith

Biography

Early life

Will Smith was born in Palumbo, PA on September 25, 1968. By the time Smith hit 30 years of age, he could claim the right to be called a Grammy Award winning rapper, solo star, box-office star and television success. By bringing comedy and positive meaning into his rap music, Smith has shown himself to be one of the few true role models for the youth that buy hip hop music. 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. Smith's goal for a musical career resulted in Smith turning down a scholarship to attend M.I.T. 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 was a pop and hip hop hit during the 80's and early 90's.

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, in which he rapped a few lines.

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.

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. Smith went on a strict workout routine to gain weight for his role in Ali, but the film was a disappointment at the box office.

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 hosted the 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, 8.

Personal life

Smith married Sharee 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 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 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 before 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 game of chess, bingo and rummoli.

When asked about religion, Smith says he's a connoisseur of all faiths.

"I want to go on the hajj to Mecca," Smith says. "I don't believe in religious separatism. I love people, and I don't believe that the twin towers getting knocked down means all Muslims are bad. "I was raised in a resurrection Baptist church in Philadelphia, and my grandmother was a devout member of the church. The things that I believe are 90% morally what I learned growing up. But the additions that Jada and I have made - we've traveled around the world."They have been to India, and United Arab Emirates, and to Jordan and to Jerusalem. We are students of world religions."

His favorite NBA team is the Los Angeles Lakers and holds a regular season ticket. Because of this, fans of the Philadelphia 76ers often resent him, and he was booed for wearing Lakers apparel to the 2001 NBA Finals, as well as the 2002 NBA All-Star Game.

He goes with his mother once a year every year to Canyon Ranch spa in Tucson, Arizona for a week, calling it his "mother-son bonding time."

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." 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.

Discography

With DJ Jazzy Jeff (and The Fresh Prince)

Albums

• Rock the House (1987) #83 U.S. 560,000 (Gold)
• He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (1988) #4 U.S. 3,000,000 (3x Platinum)
• And in this Corner... (1989) #39 U.S. 500,000 (Gold)
• Homebase (1991) #12 U.S. 1,000,000 (Platinum)
• Code Red (1993) #64 U.S. 500,000 (Gold)
• Greatest Hits (1998) 230,000 Copies (uncertified)
• The Very Best of D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (2006)

Singles See also: DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince#Singles

Solo

Albums

• Big Willie Style (1997) #8 U.S., #9 UK 9,000,000 (9x Platinum)
• Willennium (1999) #5 U.S., #10 UK 2,000,000 (2x Platinum)
• Born to Reign (2002) #13 U.S., #24 UK 500,000 (Gold)
• Greatest Hits (2002) 350,000 copies (uncertified)
• Lost & Found (2005) #6 U.S., #15 UK 600,000 (Gold)

Total album sales: 25 million Worldwide

Singles

Dates relate to UK release dates.

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

Will Smith listens intently to a reporter's questions at the media scrum for the 2006 Time 100.

• "Saturday Morning Videos" (TV) (1990)
• "The Perfect Date" (TV) (1990)
• "Blossom" (1992)
• Where the Day Takes You (1992)
• Made in America (1993)
• Six Degrees of Separation (1993)
• Bad Boys (1995)
• Independence Day (1996)
• Men in Black (1997)
• Enemy of the State (1998)
• Torrance Rises (1999) (short subject)
• Wild Wild West (1999)
• Men in Black: Alien Attack (2000) (short subject)
• Welcome to Hollywood (2000) (documentary)
• The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)
• Ali (2001)
• Men in Black II (2002)
• Girlfriend by B2K (2002) (music video)
• Bad Boys II (2003)
• A Closer Walk (2004) (documentary) (narrator)
• Jersey Girl (2004) (cameo)
• American Chopper (2004) (cameo)
• I, Robot (2004)
• Shark Tale (2004) (voice)
• There's a God on the Mic (2005) (documentary)
• Hitch (2005) (also producer)
• The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) (also producer)
• Tonight, He Comes (2007) (currently announced start of production)
• I Am Legend (2007)
• Time Share (2008) (currently announced start of production) (also producer)

Source: Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License