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Willard Christopher Smith, Jr. (born
September 25, 1968) is an Academy Award nominated American actor and a
multiple Grammy winning hip hop artist. He is one of few people who have
enjoyed huge success in the three major entertainment media in the
United States: film, television, and the music industry.
****
Biography
Will Smith was born and raised in Philadelphia.
Through his cut-up behavior, he had already obtained the nickname "fresh prince"
in high school. He is a graduate of Overbrook High School. Despite good SAT
scores, Smith says his grades weren't good enough to get him into MIT, where
he'd planned to study computer engineering, but his mother got him accepted in a
preparatory program instead. He instead decided to skip college to pursue a
career as an MC.
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). During this period, his hair was cut into a fade.
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 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.
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. 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 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 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 at Super Bowl
XXXIX most likely to root on his hometown team, the Philadelphia Eagles.
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.
On June 28, 2005, he and his wife (Jada
Pinkett-Smith) hosted the BET Awards '05 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, CA
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 spoken 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 adopted. He has
proposed opening a restaurant, several upscale bars, and a community center in
Philadelphia which have never seen development.
It was rumored that production on Men in Black 3
would begin sometime in 2006, with the film set for release in 2007, a decade
after the first film, Men in Black. However, in a recent edition of Variety,
Smith denied these claims[citation needed].
Will Smith is also planned to star in a feature
film remake television series of It Takes a Thief.
He recently bought a vacation home in Stockholm,
Sweden.
It is stated that Will Smith will star in the
sequel to Enemy of the State
He had to learn how to solve a Rubik's Cube in
Pursuit of Happyness, and was taught by cube champions Tyson Mao and his brother
Toby.
Trivia
Will Smith is an enthusiast for the game of chess.
He says he has a very healthy relationship with
God, due to a Christian upbringing, and has always lived a very moral life. He
is strongly opposed to the beliefs of fundamentalist Christians; for example, he
criticises them in the track "Ms. Holy Roller." He also draws attention to the
similarities between extremist Christians and the Islamic terrorists who
committed 9/11.
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 favor
of Wild Wild West, then after watching Keanu Reeves' performance, didn't think
he would've been smart enough as an actor to have played the role at the time.
Considers Wild Wild West the worst movie he starred
in and admits passing on The Matrix to be a big mistake.
Will Smith is one of only two hip-hop artists to
receive an Academy Award nomination in an acting category (Best Actor, Ali,
2001). [The other is Queen Latifah (Best Supporting Actress, Chicago, 2002)]
Speaks fluent Spanish
Height: 6'2"(187cm) He has been this tall since he
was the age of 13.
Had a line in Voices That Care, a 1991 Gulf War
song by a supergroup of other popular celebrities, where he rapped a few lines.
Originally rejected the lead role in Men in Black
(1997), but wife Jada Pinkett Smith coaxed him into accepting it
After rapper Bow Wow called Will Smith a bubble gum
rapper due to his softer, more gentle approach to hip-hop, Will responded saying
"I don't have to respond to an immature, spoiled child." As of April 6, 2006,
Bow Wow and Will Smith sat down and talked out their differences. Bow Wow and
Smith have officially placed the feud in the past.
Known for his profanity-free lyrics, Will Smith has
dropped "f***" (although it was bleeped out) in only one of his songs, "Tell Me
Why" (From his album Lost & Found). He also used "bitch" in "You Saw My Blinker"
off his album Homebase during his Fresh Prince years. He also used the swear
"pissed" in 'Wave Em Off' on his album Lost and Found
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."
Favorite NBA team is the LA Lakers and holds a
regular season ticket.
Was considered for the role of John Smith in the
movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith; Brad Pitt eventually received the role.
Remains good friends with Tatyana Ali, his former
co-star on "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air".
There is a character in an Australian soap opera,
Home and Away, named after him. The actor playing this character is white.
Went on a strict workout routine to gain weight for
his role in Ali.
Names Harrison Ford his inspiration for getting
into acting. Also names Star Wars his favorite film of all time.
His catch phrase is "Awww, hell no." Most of his
films have that line somewhere in the story.
Was considered for the role of Willy Wonka in the
remake of the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
He presented the "best actress" trophy to Bollywood
actress Rani Mukerji at the 51st Filmfare Awards, when he went to visit India.
Smith and his family reside in Star Island in
Miami, Florida.
Like Smith, Hitch co-star Kevin James starred in a
sitcom named for royalty, The King of Queens. Smith is also a big fan of The
King of Queens, and he selected James for the role of Albert in Hitch.
Will's favorite comic book hero is Spider-Man
Will is also an admirer of fictional action hero
John Shaft.This was also referenced in The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.
Appears as himself in Kevin Smith's Jersey Girl
delivering the Silent Bob speech that appears in nearly all Kevin Smith movies.
Ironically, the lead character in the movie is only in the position he is in
because he said "Will Smith is just a rapper".
Smith refused to kiss a male in the movie "Six
Degrees of Separation". It only appears that they kissed with the use of a
sliding camera trick along with sound effects.
Discography
Albums
With DJ Jazzy Jeff (and The Fresh Prince)
Rock the House (1987) #83 U.S. Certified Gold
560,000 Copies
He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (1988) #4 U.S. 3X
Platinum
And in this Corner... (1989) #39 U.S. [Certified
Gold]
Homebase (1991) #12 U.S. [Certified Platinum]
Code Red (1993) #64 U.S. [Certified Gold]
Greatest Hits (1998) (uncertified) (230,000 Copies)
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) (uncertified 350,000 copies)
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)
I am Legend (2007) (Recently Announced)
Salary
History
Where the Day Takes You (1992) $50,000
Made in America (1993) $100,000
Six Degrees of Separation (1993) $500,000
Bad Boys (1995) $2,000,000
Independence Day (1996) $5,000,000
Men in Black (1997) $5,000,000
Enemy of the State (1998) $14,000,000
Wild Wild West (1999) $7,000,000
The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) $10,000,000
Ali (2001) $20,000,000
Men in Black II (2002) $20,000,000 + 10% of the
gross
Bad Boys II (2003) $20,000,000 + 20% of the gross
I, Robot (2004) $28,000,000 + 10 - 20% of the gross
Shark Tale (2004) $15,000,000
Hitch (2005) $20,000,000
Total salary gross of listed films: $170,000,000
Total Salary from Music Career: $35,000,000 Total Movie Salary: $234,000,000
* * * *
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URL of Original Article:
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Date Article Copied:
July 12, 2005
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