Will Smith
American actor and rapper
| Date of Birth | : | 25 Oct, 1968 |
| Place of Birth | : | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Profession | : | American Actor, Rapper |
| Nationality | : | American |
| Social Profiles | : |
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Willard Carroll Smith is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. He has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA Award, and four Grammy Awards .As of 2024, his films have grossed $9.3 billion worldwide, making him one of Hollywood's most bankable stars.
Smith began his acting career playing a fictional version of himself in the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996), for which he was nominated for the 1993 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy. and 1994. He first became known as part of a hip hop duo with DJ Jazzy Jeff, with whom he released five studio albums and the US Billboard Hot 100 top 20 singles "Parents Just Don't Understand", "A Nightmare on My Street". , "Summertime", "Ring My Bell", and "Boom! Shake the Room" from 1984 to 1994. He released the solo albums Big Willie Style (1997), Millennium (1999), Born to Rain (2002), and Lost and Found (2005), which included the US number-one single "Gettin' "Ziggy Wit It" and "Wild Wild West". He has received four Grammy Awards for his rap performances.
Smith gained wide acclaim as a leading man for the action film Bad Boys (1995) and the science fiction comedy Men in Black (1997); He later reprized his role in several sequels. After starring in the thrillers Independence Day (1996) and Enemy of the State (1998), he received Academy Awards for Best Actor for his portrayal of Muhammad Ali in Ali (2001) and Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happiness (2006). . ) His other commercially successful films include I, Robot (2004), Shark Tale (2004), Hitch (2005), I Am Legend (2007), Hancock (2008), Seven Pounds (2008), Suicide Squad (2016) and Aladdin (2016) 2019).
Smith won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams in the biographical sports drama King Richard (2021). At the 2022 ceremony, shortly before winning, Smith faced backlash for slapping host Chris Rock after Rock made an off-script joke referring to Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Smith subsequently resigned from the Academy and was banned from attending all their events for ten years.
First half of life
Willard Carroll Smith II was born on September 25, 1968, in Philadelphia, to Carolyn (née Bright), a school board administrator, and Willard Carroll Smith Sr. a US Air Force veteran and refrigeration engineer at Carnegie Mellon. Graduated from university.
He grew up in the Winfield neighborhood of West Philadelphiaand was raised Baptist. He has an older sister named Pamela and two younger brothers, twins Harry and Ellen. He attended Our Lady of Lourdes, a private Catholic elementary school in Philadelphia, and Overbrook High School. His parents separated when he was 13 and divorced around 2000.
Smith started rapping at the age of 12. When his grandmother found a notebook of his songs, which he described as containing "alllittle curse words", she wrote him a note on a page of the book: "Dear Willard, really smart people use words like this to express themselves. Don't have to. Please show the world that you're as smart as we think you are." Smith said this influenced his decision not to use profanity in his music.
Career
1985-1992: DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
Smith began as an emcee for the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, with his childhood friend Jeffrey "DJ Jazzy Jeff" Towns as turntablist and producer. Towns and Smith met each other by chance in 1985, as Towns was performing at a house party just a few doors down from Smith's residence and he was missing his hype man. Smith decided to fill in. They both feel strong chemistry, and Townes is upset when her hype man finally joins the party.
After that the two decided together. Smith enlisted a friend to join as the group's beatboxer, Clarence Holmes aka Ready Rock C, making them a trio. Philadelphia-based Ward Records released their first single in 1986 when A&R man Paul Oakenfold[28] introduced them to Champion Records with their single "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble", a funny adventure story about Smith and his ex-DJ and Land. . Rap partner Mark Forrest (Lord Supreme) is in trouble. The song samples the theme song from "I Dream of Jenny". Smith was capable of light-hearted storytelling raps and profanity-free, "battle" rhymes. The single became a hit a month before Smith graduated from high school.
Based on this success, the duo was brought to the attention of Jive Records and Russell Simmons. The duo's debut album, Rock the House, which was first released in 1986 on Word Up, debuted on Jive in March 1987. The group received their first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989 for "Parents Just Don't Understand" (1988). , although their most successful single was "Summertime" (1991), which won the group their second Grammy and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Smith and Townes are still friends and claim they never broke up, producing songs under Smith's solo performer credit.
Smith spent freely around 1988 and 1989 and underpaid his income taxes. The Internal Revenue Service eventually assessed a $2.8 million tax debt against Smith, seizing many of his properties and garnishing his income. Smith was struggling financially in 1990 when the NBC television network signed him to a contract and created a sitcom around him, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show was a success and her acting career took off. By studying the common characteristics of box office success, Smith set himself the goal of becoming "the biggest movie star in the world". In 1989, Smith was arrested for an alleged assault on his record promoter, William Hendrix; The complaint was later dismissed.
1993-1997: Solo music and film breakthrough
Smith's first major roles were in the drama Six Degrees of Separation (1993) and the action film Bad Boys (1995) opposite Martin Lawrence. The latter film was a commercial success, grossing $141.4 million worldwide. However, critical reception was generally mixed. In 1996, Smith starred as part of an ensemble cast in Roland Emmerich's Independence Day. The film was a huge blockbuster, becoming the second highest-grossing film in history at the time, and established Smith as a major box office draw.
In the summer of 1997, he starred opposite Tommy Lee Jones in the hit Men in Black, playing Agent J. The film was released by Columbia Pictures on July 2 and grossed over $589.3 million worldwide against a $90 million budget, the third highest of the year. -Income Tax film with approximately 54,616,700 tickets sold in the United States. It received positive reviews, with critics praising its humor as well as the performances of Jones and Smith.
During the summer of 1997, Smith also began his solo career with the release of "Men in Black", the film's theme song, which topped the singles charts in various regions around the world, including the UK. "Men in Black" (and second single "Just Cruisin' ") was later included on Smith's debut solo album Big Willy Style, which reached the top ten of the US Billboard 200 and was certified nine times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. (RIAA) The album's third single, "Gettin' Ziggy With It", became Smith's first Billboard Hot 100 number one when it was released in 1998.
1998-2007: Leading Man Status
In 1998, Smith starred in Enemy of the State alongside Gene Hackman. The following year, he turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix in favor of Wild Wild West (1999). Despite the disappointment of Wild Wild West, Smith stated that he had no regrets about his decision, insisting that Keanu Reeves' performance as Neo was superior to what Smith would have achieved himself, although in interviews following the release of Wild Wild West, he stated that He "made a mistake in the Wild Wild West. It could have been better."
Smith's second album was again supported by the release of a movie theme song as the lead single: "Wild Wild West", featuring Drew Hill and Cool Mo D, topped the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold by the RIAA. 41 The album in question, Willenium, peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and was certified double platinum by the RIAA. "Will 2K", the album's second single, peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. Before the end of 1999, a video album was released featuring seven of Smith's music videos to date, which peaked at number 25 on the UK Music Video Chart. The same year, he also appeared on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star Tatyana Ali's single "Boy You Knock Me Out", which reached number three in the UK Singles Chart and topped the UK R&B Singles Chart.
Smith played heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali in the 2001 biopic Ali. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his performance. In 2002, after a four-year musical hiatus, Smith returned with his third album, Born to Rain, which reached number 13 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA. The album's lead single was the theme song from Smith's film Men in Black II, called "Black Suits Comen' (Nod Ya Head)", which reached number three in the UK Singles Chart. Later in the year, Smith's debut compilation album Greatest Hits was released, featuring songs from his three solo albums as well as songs produced with DJ Jazzy Jeff.
Smith returned in 2003 for Bad Boys II, a sequel to the 1995 film Bad Boys; The film follows detectives Barnett and Lorre investigating the flow of ecstasy in Miami. Despite receiving generally negative reviews, the film was a box-office success, grossing $270 million worldwide. The following year, he starred in the science fiction film I, Robot and the animated film Shark Tale; Both films were successful at the box office despite mixed reviews. Smith's last album, Lost and Found, was released in 2005, which peaked at number six on the Billboard 200. Lead single "Switch" reached the top ten of both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. In 2005, Smith entered the Guinness Book of World Records for attending three premieres in a 24-hour period. Smith and his son Jaden played father and son in the 2006 biographical drama The Pursuit of Happiness. In the film, Smith plays Chris Gardner. Smith first became interested in making a film after seeing Gardner on 20/20 and joining him during production. Smith's performance as well as the film received praise.
On December 10, 2007, Smith was honored at Grauman's Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard. Smith left his hand and foot prints in front of many fans outside the theater. Later that month, Smith starred in the film I Am Legend, released on December 14, 2007. Despite modestly positive reviews, its opening was the largest ever for a film released in the US in December. Smith himself said that he found the film "aggressively unique". One critic stated that the film's commercial success "cemented [Smith's] standing as Hollywood's number one box office draw." 2008 for a Barbara Walters ABC special that aired on December 4, 2008.
2008-2019: Blockbusters and critical disappointments
In 2008, Smith was reported to be producing a film titled The Last Pharaoh, in which he would star. Smith later starred in the superhero movie Hancock,[59] which grossed $227,946,274 in the US and Canada and a worldwide total of $624,386,746. On August 19, 2011, it was announced that Smith had returned to the studio with producer LaMar Edwards to work on his fifth studio album.
Smith reprized his role as Agent J in Men in Black 3, which opened on May 25, 2012, his first lead role in four years. After the film's release, Smith was satisfied with his work with the franchise, saying, "I think three is enough for me. Three of anything is enough for me. We'll look at it and we'll consider it, but it's time to let somebody else do it." Looks like it can." Unadjusted for inflation, it is the highest-grossing film in the series.
In 2013, Smith starred in After Earth with his son Jaden. The film was a disappointment at the domestic box office and was panned critically. Calling the film "the most painful failure of my career", Smith took a break for a year and a half as a result.
Smith and Suicide Squad co-star Margot Robbie in 2016
Smith starred opposite Margot Robbie in the romance drama Focus, released on February 27, 2015. He played Nicky Spurgeon, a veteran con artist who takes a young, attractive woman under his wing. Smith was set to star in the sci-fi thriller Brilliance, an adaptation of the Marcus Saki novel of the same name written by Jurassic Park author David Koepp, but he left the project to work on the Ridley Scott-produced sports drama Concussion.
In Concussion, Smith played Dr. Bennett Omalu of the Brain Injury Research Institute, who first discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Smith stated that he had doubts early in the making of the film, saying, "Some of my happiest memories are of my son catching and throwing a football. I didn't want to be the guy who made a movie about football being dangerous." He met Omalu, whose words of American ideals resonated with Smith. Smith's performance was praised for being "sensational understated".
In 2016, Smith played Deadshot in the supervillain team-up action film Suicide Squad. Smith's involvement in the film meant it was chosen for a role in Independence Day: Resurrection, which he said was "clinging and clawing its way back". , the film received negative reviews from critics. Christopher Orr, film critic for The Atlantic, wrote that "the latest offering in the DC Comics superhero universe may be the most disastrous yet" Later that year, Smith starred in director David Frankel's drama Collateral Beauty, playing a New York advertising executive who Suffers a deep depression after a personal tragedy. A few weeks after signing Smith to the film, his father was diagnosed with cancer, from which he died in 2016. As part of her role, she was required to read about religion and the afterlife, bringing her closer to the elder Smith, calling the experience "a beautiful way to prepare for a film and a more glorious way to say goodbye to my father". The film marked the lowest box office opening of Will Smith's career. The film also received generally negative reviews from critics. The Hollywood Reporter critic David Rooney criticized the writing of Smith's performance as "the least interesting element in a maddeningly overqualified cast".
His film Bright was distributed by Netflix on December 22, 2017. An urban fantasy, it was Netflix's most expensive film ever. Smith collaborated with her director from Suicide Squad, David Ayer. It would also be another critical disappointment for Smith, with critics panning the movie. Richard Roeper of The Chicago Sun-Times criticized the writing of the film and Smith's performance, saying, "In time Will Smith will bark [the line, "Dude, you can't get through Elf Town!" with 100 percent urgency and earnestness. The mess that is "brilliant," it's clear that we're looking at a truly terrible, mountainous pile of genre-blended garbage."
Also in 2017, Smith released the song "Get Lit", a collaboration between him and his former bandmate Jazzy Jeff and launched his own YouTube channel, which as of July 2019 has over 6 million subscribers and a total of 294 Million Views
Smith performed "Live It Up", the official song of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Smith performed the official song "Live It Up" at the closing ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Moscow, Russia, along with American singer Nicky Jam and Kosovar singer Ira Istrefi.[90] That September, Smith appeared, along with Bad Bunny, on Marc Anthony's song "Está Rico". in
Smith played The Genie (originally voiced by Robin Williams) in Disney's live-action adaptation of Aladdin directed by Guy Ritchie. He contributed to the soundtrack by recording singles: "Arabian Nights (2019)", "Friend Like Me" and "Prince Ali". The film was released on May 24, 2019.[93] Aladdin surpassed Independence Day to become Smith's highest-grossing film. To become $1 billion worldwide. Smith was also featured on rapper Logic's song "Don't Be Afraid to Be Different" (2019), from his fifth studio album Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.
Smith appeared in Ang Lee's Gemini Man, released on October 11, 2019, as an assassin who faces off against a younger clone of himself. The film was a box office bomb and received negative reviews from critics. Peter DeBruge of Variety called the film "a high-concept blunder" and wrote: "Traditionally, it's a nearly impossible project to make, passing through the hands of countless actors and failing multiple times because the technology wasn't there yet. At least, that's the excuse, Judging by the finished product though, it was the script that didn't live up to the promise of its premise."
Later that year, Smith had her second role in an animated film, Spies in Disguise, opposite Tom Holland. Smith voices Lance Sterling, a spy who teams up with the nerdy inventor who creates his gadgets (Holland). In 2020, he reteamed with Martin Lawrence for the third film in their franchise, Bad Boys for Life. In 2019, Smith invested $46 million with Smith's Dreamers Fund in the esports company Gen.G, which he co-founded with Keisuke Honda.[99] In June 2020, it was announced that Smith was in Emancipation, directed by Antoine Fuqua. will star, in which he portrays Peter, a runaway slave who outwits hunters and the Louisiana swamps as he travels to the Union Army.
Personal life
Relationships and family
Smith married Sherry Zampino in 1992. Their son Willard Carroll "Trey" Smith III was born on November 11, 1992. The two divorced in 1995. Trey appeared in the music video for his father's 1998 single "Just the Two of Us". He starred in two episodes of the sitcom All of Us and appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and David Blaine: Real or Magic TV specials.
In the late 1980s, Smith confirmed that he briefly dated Sandra Denton, known as Peppa, of the hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa.
Smith married actress Jada Koren Pinkett on December 31, 1997. They met when Pinkett auditioned for the role of Smith's character's girlfriend on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The duo produced the film through their joint production company Overbrook Entertainment and Westbrook Inc. They have two children together: Jaden Christopher Sawyer Smith (born 1998), her co-star in The Pursuit of Happiness and After Earth; and Willow Camille Raine Smith (b. 2000), who appeared as his daughter in I Am Legend.
Smith and his wife, Jada, revealed their unconventional wedding habits, jokingly calling their vows a "bad marriage for life." Both he and Pinkett Smith have admitted to extramarital affairs and believe in the freedom to pursue them. Smith said he wanted a polyamorous relationship with actress Halle Berry and ballerina Misty Copeland but eventually abandoned the idea after therapy.
In October 2023, Pinkett Smith stated that she and Smith had been separated since 2016, although they had no intention of legally divorcing.
Business
Smith and his brother Harry own Treble Development Inc., a Beverly Hills-based company named after Trey Smith, and his family lives in Los Angeles, California. In 2018, Smith celebrated his 50th birthday by bungee jumping from a helicopter into the Grand Canyon. Smith was insured for $200 million by Lloyds of London, which raised money for the charity Global Citizen.
Religious and political views
Smith grew up in a Baptist family and attended a Baptist church and Catholic school. In a 2013 interview, he said he did not identify as religious. In 2015, Smith said in an interview with The Christian Post that her Christian faith, instilled in her by her grandmother, helped her accurately portray Bennett Omalu in Concussion, saying: "She was my spiritual teacher, she was that grandmother. The church. . In 2018, Smith performed Shiva's Hindu Abhishek in Haridwar, India. He also performs aarti of the holy river Ganges. He says he feels a deep connection with Hindu spirituality and Indian astrology. Smith and his family also met and spent time with Indian spiritual leader Sadhguru, noting that he enjoyed the heartfelt conversations between them.
Smith donated $4,600 to Democrat Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. On December 11, 2009, Smith and his wife hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway to celebrate Obama's award. In 2012, Smith said he supported legalizing same-sex marriage. In 2021, Smith announced that production of his upcoming film, Emancipation, was being pulled due to the recent passage of the 2021 Election Integrity Act from the US state of Georgia, which critics saw as a restrictive voting law that negatively impacted non-whites. . . Voter Smith and director Antoine Fuqua released a joint statement: “We cannot in good conscience provide financial support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws designed to restrict voter access.
Awards and nominations
Smith has received multiple awards throughout his career, including the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams, champion tennis player Venus and Serena Williams' trainer and coach in the biopic King Richard (2021). He won a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award in the same category; He also received a producer nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Prior to this award, he was nominated multiple times for an Academy Award (2; Ali and the Pursuit of Happiness), a Golden Globe Award (5; for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Ali, the Pursuit of Happiness and Concussion), and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Guild Award (once for The Pursuit of Happiness). In 2005, he received an honorary César Award; That same year, he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Musical for Fella!; And in 2021, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series as a producer on Cobra Kai.
In addition to on-screen and stage acting and behind-the-scenes work, Smith has ventured into hip hop by releasing several songs, four of which won him Grammy Awards – one for Best Rap Performance ("Parents Just Don't Understand"), a duo or for Best Rap Performance by a Group (for "Summertime"), and two for Best Rap Solo Performance ("Men in Black" and "Gettin' Ziggy With It"); The former two of which he won as a member of the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince.
His Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award nominations make him one of the few black actors nominated for four major US entertainment awards.
