Will Smith Biography - Will Smith Childhood, Will Smith Profile & Timeline

Will Smith is a highly successful actor in Hollywood. Not just an American actor, he is a successful rapper as well. He has been nominated for a Golden Globe once and twice for the prestigious Oscar Awards. Besides, he has also won a number of Grammy’s. He is also listed in the ’50 Smartest People’ in Hollywood and is known for his immense interest in math. Will Smith is an all rounder and can perform a serious role, animation or even comedy with élan. He is one of the three actors who have had seven consecutive US$100 million blockbusters. The other two actors are Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise.

Childhood

Will Smith was born Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. on September 25^th, 1968 in West Philadelphia. His father, Willard Christopher Smith Sr. was a refrigeration engineer and his mother Caroline worked as a school administrator with the Philadelphia School Board. When he was 13, his parents divorced. Will’s sly and charming demeanor earned him the nickname of “Prince”. In his early teens, he began rapping and mastered this art. He collaborated with Jeff Townes to form a new genre of mixing and scratching – it was a combination of pop and hip-hop which was huge success during 1980s and early 1990s.

Career

His career started off as an MC with DJ Jazzy Jeff and they began to be known as the hip-hop duo, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. They were known for belting out radio-friendly songs that were quite popular like “Parents Just Don't Understand” and “Summertime”. They even won the first ever Grammy in the rap category in 1988. In 1990, NBC television signed him for a sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. This show was highly successful and launched his career. He then made a thumping debut with Six Degrees of Separation and the cop movie with Martin Lawrence ‘Bad Boys’ made sure his career got a flying launch. Then followed a number of hit movies like Independence Day, Men in Black, I Robot, Hitch, Ali, etc. He got nominated for Academy Award for his performance in Ali and The Pursuit of Happiness.

Will Smith Timeline

1968: Born on September 25^th in Philadelphia
1981: Earned the nickname of Prince. Started writing lyrics with his friend DJ Jazzy Jeff when he felt that he could rap efficiently
1988: Second album, “He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper” hit No. 4 with popular singles like “Parents Just Don't Understand”
1990: Starred in the hit NBC sitcom, “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”, which revolved around him
1991: Was awarded the Grammy for Best Rap Performance for “Summertime”
1992: Got married to Sheree Zampino and later had their son Trey
1993: Debuted wonderfully with the movie ‘Six Degrees of Separation’ that earned him rave critic reviews
1995: Divorced Sheree Zampino and started to date Jada Pinkett. His movie with Martin Lawrence “Bad Boys” was a box office smash hit
1996: Got the lead role in the movie “Independence Day”, which proved to be one of the most popular movies of all times
1997: Got married to Jada Pinkett and starred with Tommy Lee Jones in “Men in Black”
1998: His son Jaden Christopher Syre is born. “Getting Jiggy With It” was released which became a very popular phrase and also received NAACP Entertainer of the Year Award
1999: Delivers his first dud, Wild Wild West
2000: His daughter Willow Camille Reign is born and he plays the role of a mystical caddy in the Robert Redford film, 'The Legend of Bagger Vance’
2001: Earned his first Oscar nomination for his portrayal of famous boxer Muhammad Ali in the movie ‘Ali’
2004: Got lead role in the sci-fi movie ‘I-Robot’
2005: Delivered another box office hit with the romantic comedy ‘Hitch’
2006: Got nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in the movie ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’
2007: Got an Academy Award nomination for ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’

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