Will Smith – biography

Willard Carroll "Will" Smith, Jr. (born September 25,

1968) is an American actor, comedian, producer,
rapper, and songwriter. He has enjoyed success in
television, film, and music. In April 2007, Newsweek
called him "the most powerful actor in Hollywood".
Smith has been nominated for five Golden Globe
Awards, two Academy Awards, and has won four
Grammy Awards.

Smith was born in West Philadelphia. He grew up in

West Philadelphia's Wynnefield neighborhood, and was raised Baptist. He has three
siblings, sister Pamela, who is four years older, and twins Harry and Ellen, who are three
years younger. Smith attended Our Lady of Lourdes, a private Catholic elementary school
in Philadelphia. His parents separated when he was 13.

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 six seasons (1990-96) on
Smith's first major roles were in the drama Six Degrees of Separation (1993) and the
action film Bad Boys (1995) in which he starred opposite Martin Lawrence. NBC and has
been syndicated consistently on various networks since then.

In 2008 Smith was reported to be developing a film entitled The Last Pharaoh, in which
he would be starring as Taharqa. It was in 2008 that Smith starred in the superhero
movie Hancock.

Men in Black III opened on May 25, 2012 with Smith again reprising his role as Agent J.
This was his first major starring role in four years.

Smith married actress Jada Koren Pinkett in 1997. Together they have two children:
Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (born 1998), his co-star in The Pursuit of Happyness and
After Earth, and Willow Camille Reign Smith (born 2000), who appeared as his daughter
in I Am Legend. Smith and his brother Harry own Treyball Development Inc., a Beverly
Hills-based company named after Trey. Smith and his family reside in Los Angeles,
California.

As of November 2015, Smith is set to star in the independent drama Collateral Beauty,
which will be directed by David Frankel. Smith will play a New York advertising executive
who succumbs to a deep depression after a personal tragedy.