photo:
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Biography
Will Smith was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second of four children in a middle-class family.
Through his cut-up behavior, he had already obtained the nickname "fresh prince" in high school. He is a graduate of Overbrook High School.
He 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. The duo 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).
Smith was a charismatic and energetic performer but he 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 helped revitalize his 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 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. 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. Because his movies usually open during the July 4th weekend, many people have come to call a July 4th weekend in which Will Smith stars in a movie "Big Willie Weekend."
Lead roles in Enemy of the State, Wild Wild West, Ali, Men in Black II Bad Boys II and I, Robot then followed. His most recent film is 2005's Hitch. (Like Smith, Hitch co-star Kevin James starred in a sitcom named for royalty, The King of Queens.)
Smith was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the boxer Muhammad Ali in Ali.
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 "Just the Two of Us," an affecting 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 and Found in 2005. The album was propelled solely on the smash hit single, "Switch," which appealed to the mainstream media ala "Summertime." The single stayed atop the charts for months and returned Smith to the forefront of Hip Hop.
Also, on February 6, 2005 he appeared in Super Bowl XXXIX.
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 married Sharee Zampino in 1992. They had a son, Willard Christopher III, also known as "Trey", but divorced in 1995. Smith married actress Jada Pinkett in 1997. Together they have two children: Jaden Christopher Syre (born 1998) 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.
Will Smith has been criticized for his lip service to his home town of Philadelphia, PA. Several of his songs talk about parts of Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. While he has spoke over the years about how much he loves the city and how much he wants to give back, none of his proposed ventures in the city of Philadelphia have ever been developed. He has proposed opening a restaurant, several upscale bars and a community center in Philadelphia which have never seen development.
It is rumored that production will begin on Men in Black 3 sometime in 2006, with the film set for release in 2007, 10 years after the 1st film: Men in Black.
Will Smith is also planned to star in a feature film remake television series of It Takes a Thief.
Trivia
Will Smith is an enthusiast for the game of chess.
He is a fan of the Swedish melodic death metal band Soilwork, he also currently owns a home in Sweden.
Turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix in favour of "Wild Wild West"
Speaks fluent Spanish
Height: 6'1.5". Has been 6'1.5" since he was 13 years old.
Originally rejected the lead role in Men In Black (1997), but wife Jada Pinkett Smith coaxed him into accepting it
Recently, rapper Bow Wow called Will Smith a "Bubble Gum Rapper" due to his softer, more gentle child-like approach to hip-hop. Will has responded saying " I don't have to respond to an immature child ".
Known for his profanity-free lyrics, Will Smith has only dropped the f-word in one of his songs. That song is "Tell Me Why" off of his latest album Lost and Found.
Goes with his mother once a year every year to Canyon Ranch spa in Tucson, Arizona for a week. He claims it his "mother-son bonding time."
Names Wild Wild West the worst movie he starred in and says it was a big mistake to turn down The Matrix to take the role. He also said he felt bad about how the high marketing and promotion for the movie was tricking people into thinking it was a good movie when it really wasn't.
Regular season ticket holder of the L.A. Lakers.
Was considered for the role of John Smith in the movie "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", but Brad Pitt in the end got the role.
Remains good friends with Tatyana Ali, his co-star on The Fresh Prince.
There is a character in an Australian soap opera, Home and Away, named after him. The actor playing this character is white.
Discography
Albums
With DJ Jazzy Jeff (and The Fresh Prince)
Rock the House (1987) #83 U.S.
He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (1988) #4 U.S.
And in this Corner... (1989) #39 U.S.
Homebase (1991) #12 U.S.
Code Red (1993) #64 U.S.
Greatest Hits (1998)
Solo
Big Willie Style (1997) #8 U.S., #9 UK (U.S. Sales - 9 million)
Willennium (1999) #5 U.S., #10 UK (U.S. Sales - 2 million)
Born to Reign (2002) #13 U.S., #24 UK [Certified Gold]
Greatest Hits (2002)
Lost & Found (2005) #6 U.S., #15 UK [Certified Gold]
Total album sales: 25 million
Filmography
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)
Bad Boys II (2003)
A Closer Walk (2004) (documentary) (narrator)
Jersey Girl (2004) (cameo)
I, Robot (2004)
Shark Tale (2004) (voice)
There's a God on the Mic (2005) (documentary)
Hitch (2005) (also producer)
Pursuit of Happyness (2006) (currently in pre-production) (also producer)
Time Share (2006) (currently announced start of production) (also producer)
Tonight, He Comes (2006) (currently announced start of production)
Salary History
I, Robot (2004) $28,000,000
Bad Boys II (2003) $20,000,000 20% of the gross
Men in Black II (2002) $20,000,000 10% of the gross
Ali (2001) $20,000,000
The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) $10,000,000
Wild Wild West (1999) $7,000,000
Enemy of the State (1998) $14,000,000
Men in Black (1997) $5,000,000
Independence Day (1996) $5,000,000
Bad Boys (1995) $2,000,000
Six Degrees of Separation (1993) $500,000
Made in America (1993) $100,000
Where the Day Takes You (1992) $50,000
Total salary gross: $135,000,000
