Coordinates | 13°22′27″N39°56′18″N |
---|---|
name | Will Smith |
birth name | Willard Christopher Smith, Jr. |
birth date | September 25, 1968 |
birth place | Wynnefield, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
other names | The Fresh Prince |
occupation | Actor, rapper, film producer, record producer, television producer |
years active | 1985–present |
spouse | |
children | Trey Smith Jaden SmithWillow Smith |
website | http://www.willsmith.com/ }} |
In the late 1980s, Smith achieved modest fame as a rapper under the name The Fresh Prince. In 1990, his popularity increased dramatically when he starred in the popular television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show ran for nearly six years (1990–1996) on NBC and has been syndicated consistently on various networks since then. In the mid-1990s, Smith moved from television to film, and ultimately starred in numerous blockbuster films. He is the only actor to have eight consecutive films gross over $100 million in the domestic box office and the only one to have eight consecutive films in which he starred open at #1 spot in the domestic box office tally.
Fourteen of the 19 fiction films he has acted in have accumulated worldwide gross earnings of over $100 million, and four took in over $500 million in global box office receipts. As of 2011, his films have grossed $5.7 billion in global box office. His most financially successful films have been Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, Independence Day, Men in Black, Men in Black II, I, Robot, The Pursuit of Happyness, I Am Legend, Hancock, Wild Wild West, Enemy of the State, Shark Tale, Hitch and Seven Pounds. He also earned critical praise for his performances in Six Degrees of Separation, Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness, receiving Best Actor Oscar nominations for the latter two.
It is untrue, though widely reported, that Smith turned down a scholarship to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); he never applied to the school, although he was admitted to a "pre-engineering program" there. According to Smith, "My mother, who worked for the School Board of Philadelphia, had a friend who was the admissions officer at MIT. I had pretty high SAT scores and they needed black kids, so I probably could have gotten in. But I had no intention of going to college."
He has planned to star in a feature film remake of the television series It Takes a Thief.
On December 10, 2007, Smith was recognized at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Smith left an imprint of his hands and feet outside the world renowned theater in front of many fans. Later that month, Smith starred in the film I Am Legend, released December 14, 2007. Despite marginally positive reviews, its opening was the largest ever for a film released in the United States during December. Smith himself has said that he considers the film to be "aggressively unique". A reviewer said that the film's commercial success "cemented [Smith's] standing as the number one box office draw in Hollywood." On December 1, 2008, TV Guide reported that Smith has been selected as one of America’s top ten most fascinating people of 2008 for a Barbara Walters ABC special that aired on December 4, 2008.
Smith is currently developing a film entitled The Last Pharaoh, in which he will star as Taharqa.
President Barack Obama has stated that if a film were to ever be made about his life, he would have Smith play his part, because "he has the ears". Obama stated that the two have discussed a possibility of a film based on the 2008 election, but this may not happen until the end of the Obama presidency.
He is currently filming Men in Black III for a 2012 release playing Agent J one of his more popular earlier roles, making this his first major starring role in four years.
On August 19, 2011, it was announced that Smith had returned to the studio with producer La Mar Edwards to make a new album. Edwards has worked with artists such as T.I., Chris Brown, and Game.
Smith was consistently listed in Fortune Magazine's "Richest 40" list of the forty wealthiest Americans under the age of 40. He donated $4,600 to the presidential campaign of Democrat Barack Obama. December 11, 2009, Smith and his wife hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, when Obama had won the prize.
Smith has said he has studied multiple religions, including Scientology, and he has said many complimentary things about Scientology and other faiths. Despite his praise of Scientology, Smith said "I just think a lot of the ideas in Scientology are brilliant and revolutionary and non-religious" and "Ninety-eight percent of the principles in Scientology are identical to the principles of the Bible.... I don't think that because the word someone uses for spirit is 'thetan' that the definition becomes any different." He has denied having joined the Church of Scientology, saying "I am a Christian. I am a student of all religions, and I respect all people and all paths." Smith gave $1.3 million to charities in 2007, of which $450,000 went to two Christian ministries, and $122,500 went to three Scientology organizations; the remaining beneficiaries included "a Los Angeles mosque, other Christian-based schools and churches, and [...] the Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Center in Israel". Smith and his wife have also founded a private elementary school in Calabasas, California, the New Village Leadership Academy, which has attracted controversy and speculation over its use of Study Technology, a teaching methodology developed by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology.
! Year | ! Film | ! Role | ! Notes |
Saturday Morning Videos | Host | TV | |
ABC Afterschool Special – "The Perfect Date" | Hawker | TV | |
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | TV (1990–1996) | ||
Fresh Prince | TV, Cameo, episode 18 "I'm with the Band" | ||
Where the Day Takes You | Manny | ||
Tea Cake Walters | |||
Paul | |||
1995 | Detective Mike Lowrey | ||
1996 | Captain Steven "Steve" Hiller, USMC | MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss | |
MTV Movie Award for Best FightMTV Movie Award for Best Song From a Movie | |||
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Pinocchio | TV Series;Episode 14 of Season 2 which aired on April 13, 1997.Episode also starred Chris Rock and Della Reese | |
1998 | Robert Clayton Dean | Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | |
Torrance Rises | Cameo | ||
Wild Wild West | Captain James "Jim" West | ||
Welcome to Hollywood | Himself | ||
The Legend of Bagger Vance | Bagger Vance | Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | |
2001 | Muhammad Ali | MTV Movie Award for Best PerformanceNominated—Academy Award for Best ActorNominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture DramaNominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | |
Men in Black II | BET Awards | ||
Girlfriend by [[B2K | Himself | Music video | |
Bad Boys II | Detective Mike Lowrey | Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | |
All of Us | Johnny | TV, 3 episodes (2003–2004); Creator/Executive Producer | |
A Closer Walk | Narrator | Documentary | |
Himself | Uncredited Cameo | ||
American Chopper | Himself | TV, Cameo | |
Detective Del Spooner | ProducerNominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | ||
The Seat Filler | Executive Producer; Independent Film | ||
Shark Tale | Oscar | Voice | |
There's a God on the Mic | Documentary | ||
Alex "Hitch" Hitchens | ProducerNominated—BET Awards | ||
2006 | [[The Pursuit of Happyness | Chris Gardner | |
2007 | Dr. Robert Neville | ||
John Hancock | ProducerNominated – Saturn Award for Best Actor | ||
Lakeview Terrace | Producer | ||
Producer | |||
Seven Pounds | Ben Thomas | Producer | |
2010 | Producer | ||
Post-production | |||
Men in Black III | Filming | ||
2013 | The Last Pharaoh | Taharqa | Pre-production |
! Year | ! Title | ! Budget | ! U.S. gross | ! Worldwide gross |
1992 | Where the Day Takes You | $390,152 | $390,152 | |
$44,942,695 | $104,942,695 | |||
$6,284,090 | $6,284,090 | |||
1995 | $23m | $65,647,413 | $141,247,413 | |
1996 | $75m | $306,169,255 | $817,400,878 | |
1997 | $250,690,539 | $587,790,539 | ||
1998 | $111,549,836 | $250,649,836 | ||
1999 | Wild Wild West | $170m | $113,805,681 | $222,105,681 |
2000 | The Legend of Bagger Vance | $80m | $30,695,227 | $39,235,486 |
2001 | $107m | $58,183,966 | $84,383,966 | |
2002 | Men in Black II | $140m | $190,418,803 | $441,818,803 |
2003 | Bad Boys II | $60m | $138,540,870 | $272,940,870 |
$120m | $144,801,023 | $348,601,023 | ||
Shark Tale | $75m | $161,192,000 | $367,192,000 | |
2005 | $70m | $177,784,257 | $366,784,257 | |
2006 | The Pursuit of Happyness | $55m | $162,586,036 | $306,086,036 |
2007 | $256,393,010 | $585,055,701 | ||
$227,946,274 | $624,346,274 | |||
Seven Pounds | $55m | $69,369,933 | $166,617,328 |
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