Will Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Will Smith
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Smith in 2019
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Willard Carroll Smith II
September 25, 1968 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Other names | The Fresh Prince |
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| Years active | 1985–present |
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| Children | 3, including Jaden and Willow |
| Awards | Full list |
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| Genres | Pop rap |
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Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), known as Will Smith, is a famous American actor, rapper, and film producer. He has won many important awards, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, and four Grammy Awards. His movies have earned billions of dollars around the world, making him one of the most successful actors in Hollywood.
Will Smith first became known for starring in the TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996). In this show, he played a funnier version of himself. Before acting, he was a successful rapper with his friend DJ Jazzy Jeff. They formed the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. They released popular songs like "Parents Just Don't Understand" and "Summertime". Later, Will Smith also released his own solo music, with hit songs like "Gettin' Jiggy wit It".
He became a huge movie star by acting in action films like Bad Boys (1995) and Men in Black (1997). He also starred in Independence Day (1996). Will Smith has been nominated for an Academy Award multiple times for his acting, including for his roles as Muhammad Ali in Ali (2001) and Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006). In 2021, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for playing Richard Williams in the movie King Richard.
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Early Life and Beginnings
Willard Carroll Smith II was born on September 25, 1968, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His mother, Caroline, worked for a school board, and his father, Willard Sr., was a US Air Force veteran and engineer.
He grew up in West Philadelphia and went to a private Catholic elementary school and then Overbrook High School. His parents separated when he was 13. Will Smith started rapping when he was 12 years old.
Career Highlights
Starting with DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Will Smith began his music career as the MC (rapper) for the hip-hop group DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. His childhood friend, Jeffrey "DJ Jazzy Jeff" Townes, was the DJ and producer. They met by chance in 1985 when Will filled in for a missing hype man at a party where Jeff was performing. They quickly realized they had great chemistry.
Their first single, "Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble," came out in 1986 and became a hit. Their first album, Rock the House, was released in 1987. The group won the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989 for their song "Parents Just Don't Understand". Their most famous song, "Summertime" (1991), won them another Grammy and reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff are still good friends and sometimes work together.
In 1990, Will Smith was offered a contract by the NBC television network. They created a sitcom called The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air around him. This show became very popular and launched his acting career.
Becoming a Movie Star and Solo Music Success
Will Smith's first big movie roles were in the drama Six Degrees of Separation (1993) and the action film Bad Boys (1995), where he starred with Martin Lawrence. Bad Boys was a big success, earning over $141 million worldwide.
In 1996, he starred in the huge blockbuster Independence Day. This movie made him a major box office draw, meaning people would go to see movies just because he was in them.
In 1997, he starred with Tommy Lee Jones in the hit movie Men in Black, playing Agent J. This film was a massive success, earning over $589 million worldwide and becoming one of the highest-grossing films of the year.
Around the same time, Will Smith started his solo music career. He released "Men in Black", the theme song for the movie, which became a number-one hit in many countries. This song was part of his first solo album, Big Willie Style, which sold millions of copies. The song "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" from this album became his first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1998.
Continuing Success and Acclaimed Roles
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In 1998, Will Smith starred in Enemy of the State. His second solo album, Willennium, was released in 1999 and included the hit song "Wild Wild West", which also topped the Billboard Hot 100.
In 2001, Smith played the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali in the movie Ali. His performance earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He returned to music in 2002 with his album Born to Reign, which included the theme song for his movie Men in Black II, called "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)".
He continued to star in successful films like Bad Boys II (2003), I, Robot (2004), and the animated film Shark Tale (2004). His album Lost and Found was released in 2005, featuring the popular song "Switch".
In 2006, Will Smith and his son Jaden starred together in the true-life drama The Pursuit of Happyness. Will Smith played Chris Gardner, a man who overcomes homelessness to become a successful stockbroker. Both the film and Smith's acting received great reviews.
In 2007, he starred in I Am Legend, which was a huge success. This movie further proved his status as a top box office star in Hollywood.
Recent Films and Music
In 2008, Will Smith starred in the superhero movie Hancock, which earned over $624 million worldwide. He returned to his role as Agent J in Men in Black 3, released in 2012. This film was also a big success, earning over $624 million worldwide.
In 2013, he starred again with his son Jaden in After Earth. After this film, Will Smith took a break from acting for a while. He later starred in the drama Concussion, playing Dr. Bennet Omalu, who discovered a serious brain injury in football players.
In 2016, he played Deadshot in the superhero film Suicide Squad. In 2017, his film Bright was released on Netflix. He also started his own YouTube channel, which became very popular.
Will Smith performed the official song "Live It Up" at the closing ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. In 2019, he played The Genie in the live-action movie Aladdin. This film earned over $1 billion worldwide, becoming his highest-grossing movie ever. He also starred in Gemini Man and voiced a character in the animated film Spies in Disguise.
In 2020, he reunited with Martin Lawrence for Bad Boys for Life. In 2021, Will Smith starred as Richard Williams, the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, in the movie King Richard. For this role, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
In 2023, it was announced that Smith would star in Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the fourth movie in the Bad Boys series. He is also set to co-star with Michael B. Jordan in a sequel to his 2007 hit I Am Legend. In 2024, he released new solo music, including "You Can Make It" and "Work of Art". He also announced his fifth studio album, Based on a True Story, set to be released in 2025.
Personal Life
Family and Relationships
Will Smith married Sheree Zampino in 1992. They had a son named Willard Carroll "Trey" Smith III, born in 1992. They divorced in 1995. Trey appeared in his father's music video "Just the Two of Us".
Will Smith married actress Jada Koren Pinkett on December 31, 1997. They met when Jada auditioned for a role in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Together, they have two children: Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (born 1998) and Willow Camille Reign Smith (born 2000). Jaden co-starred with his father in The Pursuit of Happyness and After Earth. Willow appeared as his daughter in I Am Legend.
In 2023, Jada Pinkett Smith shared that she and Will Smith had been separated since 2016, but they do not plan to legally divorce.
Other Ventures
Will Smith and his brother Harry own a company called Treyball Development Inc. In 2018, Will Smith celebrated his 50th birthday by bungee jumping from a helicopter over the Grand Canyon to raise money for charity.
Discography
- Big Willie Style (1997)
- Willennium (1999)
- Born to Reign (2002)
- Lost and Found (2005)
- Based on a True Story (2025)
Filmography
Awards and Nominations
Will Smith has won many awards throughout his career. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams in King Richard (2021). For this same role, he also won a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He was also nominated for Academy Award for Best Picture as a producer for King Richard.
Before this, he was nominated for the Academy Award two other times (for Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness). He has also received multiple nominations for the Golden Globe Award and the Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2005, he received an honorary César Award.
In his music career, Will Smith has won four Grammy Awards. He won for Best Rap Performance ("Parents Just Don't Understand"), Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group ("Summertime"), and two for Best Rap Solo Performance ("Men in Black" and "Gettin' Jiggy wit It"). The first two were with DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.
Will Smith is one of the few black actors to be nominated for all four major entertainment awards in the US: the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.
Will Smith Quotes
- "Smiling is the best way to face every problem, to crush every fear, to hide every pain."
- "Remember, don't try to build the greatest wall that's ever been built. Focus on laying a single, expertly-placed brick. Then keep doing that, every day."
- "The road to success is through commitment."
- "When you look around at the six people that you spend the most time with, that's who you are."
- "There's no reason to have a plan B because it distracts from plan A."
- "10 ways to love: listen, speak, give, pray, answer, share, enjoy, trust, forgive, promise."
See also
In Spanish: Will Smith para niños
