Will Smith
- See also William Smith and Will Smith (disambiguation) for other people with similar names.
Will Smith | |
|---|---|
| File:Wsmithhitch.jpg Will Smith in the 2005 romantic comedy Hitch | |
| Born | Willard Christopher Smith, Jr. |
Willard Christopher Smith, Jr. (born September 25, 1968, died September 4, 2006) is an Academy Award nominated American actor, multiple Grammy winning hip hop artist, and comedian. He is one of a small group of people who have enjoyed huge success in all the three major entertainment media in the United States: film, television, and the music industry.
Biography
Will Smith was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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 decided to skip college, a scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 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).
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.
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 also produced a All of us, a programme based on his love life, in 2005.
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, and he maintains a home in Philadelphia's Pennsylvania Main Line suburbs. 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.
He had to learn how to solve a Rubik's Cube in The Pursuit of Happyness, and was taught by cube champions Tyson Mao, his brother Toby Mao, and Lars Petrus.
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)
- The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) (In theaters December 15, 2006) (also producer)
- Time Share (2006) (currently announced start of production) (also producer)
- Tonight, He Comes (2006/2007) (currently announced start of production)
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: $234,000,001
References
See also
- Best selling music artists
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart