Will Smith

Will Smith

Willard (Will) Christopher Smith, born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is well known for his early rapping/hip hop career and later as a comedic actor. The sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air which aired in 1990 helped launch Will Smith’s acting career. 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. He originally rejected the lead role in Men in Black, but wife Jada Pinkett Smith persuaded to accept. The two films established Smith's commercial reputation as an outstanding actor.

Will Smith then gained lead roles in several other successful films including Enemy of the State(1998), Men in Black II(2002), Bad Boys II(2003) and I, Robot(2004). In 2001 he played boxer Muhammad Ali in the movie Ali. Smith was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the boxer Muhammad Ali