Will Smith is a celebrity actor and rapper who kickstarted his career in the 90s. Since then he has turned into a Hollywood mega-star with great range to his craft. His body of work has won him 2 Academy Awards, 4 Grammy Awards, and 4 Golden Globe awards.
Will Smith made a name for himself in the late 80s in West Philadelphia as part of the rap duo “DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince.” The group even won the first Grammy award ever presented in the rap category.
However, after refusing to save his money and underpaying taxes in 1988 and 1989, Smith was heavily pursued by the IRS and became dead broke. Luckily right as he was about to go bankrupt, NBC gave him a television deal and built the sitcom “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” around his personality.
Fresh Prince ran for 6 seasons. The massive success of the show led to several movie deals soon after. Smith proved to be a capable actor, starring in both serious dramas like the movie adaptation of “Six Degrees of Separation” and high energy comedies like the science fiction hit “Men in Black.”
Will Smith departed from his standard music formula after becoming a full fledged star. He produced solo albums like 1997’s “Big Willie Style” and 1999’s “Willenium”. Both of the hip hop projects were a massive success and his singles like “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit’ It” became iconic ballads of the decade.
In 1997 Will married Jada Pinkett Smith. Together they have a son, Jaden, and a daughter, Willow, who both became involved in the entertainment business like their parents.
Albums
Big Willie Style – 1997
Willenium – 1999
Born to Reign – 2002
Lost and Found – 2005
Notable Acting Work
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Six Degrees of Separation
Men in Black
Ali
Bad Boys II
I, Robot
Pursuit of Happyness
I am Legend
Photos
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