Will Smith

September 25

Will Smith was born on this date 1968. He is an African-American actor and entertainer.

From West Philadelphia, Smith has 1 brother and 2 sisters, among whom Harry and Ellen who are twins. His mother, Caroline, used to be a school board worker and his dad, Willard Smith Sr., worked as an engineer and has been owner of a refrigeration company. He graduated from Overbrook High School where received the nickname "Prince" from his teachers because of the way he "charmed his way through". Later, he added "Fresh" to it. He started rapping at parties at 12 and that's how he met Jeff A. Townes; they started performing together in duo as DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. So far they have recorded 5 albums: Rock The House, He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper (Grammy-winning), And In This Corner, Home base, Code Red as well as a few singles and a Greatest Hits album. Big Willie Style was a huge global success in 1998, and so is Willennium this year. His participation to Men in Black: The Album made impact.

At the beginning of the nineties, he was offered to play in a sitcom based on his life. That's how Will started acting in The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, which was successful and lasted 6 years. In 1992, he had his first film role in Where the Day Takes You and also appeared in Made In America. In 1993, he starred in Six Degrees of Separation. But the real fame started only in 1994, with the release of Bad Boys. The blockbuster Independence Day came in 1996, then Men in Black in 1997, co-staring Tommy Lee Jones, followed by Enemy of the State and Wild Wild West, and The Legend of Bagger Vance 2000. Will's latest movies are Ali and I Robot.

He was previously married to Sheree Zampino,. He has two sons, Willard Smith III is nicknamed Trey and Jaden Christopher Syre Smith. Will is now with Jada Pinkett (also an actress). They have been married since December of 1997. A passionate chess player, he also owns a production company, Will Smith Enterprises, working on behalf of talents Tatyana Ali, former FPBA co-star and others.

His Brother and sisters are working for him; Harry is his chief financial officer, Ellen, (who studied as a cosmetologist) is receptionist and Pam helps in the managing of Will's business back in Philadelphia, an ice-manufacturing company and a charitable foundation that puts money into local resources.

However, Smith has been criticized for his lip service to his home town. Several of his songs talk about parts of Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. While he has spoke 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 developed. He has proposed opening a restaurant, several upscale bars, and a community center in Philadelphia which have never seen development.

"Men in Black 3" is set for release in 2007, 10 years after the 1st film: Men in Black. Will Smith is also planned to star in a feature film remake of the television series "It Takes a Thief".


Discography
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Albums
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With DJ Jazzy Jeff (and The Fresh Prince)
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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)
The Very Best of D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (2006)
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Solo
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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
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Filmography
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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 (2008) (currently announced start of production) (also producer)
Tonight, He Comes (2006/2007) (currently announced start of production)
I Am Legend (2007)
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Salary History
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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