Will Smith

Who is Will Smith?

Will Smith is an extremely popular American actor, who began his career as a rap artist, teaming up with turntabler DJ Jazzy Jeff and beat boxer Ready Rock C. He was known to be a bright student hailing from the Philadelphia's 'Overbrook High School', who decided against attending college, so that he could pursue a career in music. He was successful as a singer, and is also a 'Grammy Award' recipient. At the age of 25, this young man ventured in movies, and debuted with the famous movie 'Six Degree of Separation'. From then on, there was no looking back for this talented young star. Appearing in movies like 'Independence Day', 'I, Robot', 'Enemy of the State', and 'Ali', he proved his mettle to the entire world. His power packed performances showed versatility and promise that this star was here to stay. In the opinion of many directors, the actor was like a breath of fresh air and essayed emotional roles with as much ease as he would portray an action hero. Amongst his several brilliant films, ‘Men in Black’ a sci-fi comedy, was one movie that became a roaring hit with moviegoers all over the world. The popularity of the first movie inspired the sequels in the ‘Men in Black’ series, which were lauded by fans and critics alike.

Career

Smith met record producer and musician, Jeffrey Townes, popularly called DJ Jazzy Jeff, at a party, and the two music lovers instantly hit it off. The aspiring rapper called himself "The Fresh Prince", and formed a group with DJ Jeff, and another friend, beat boxer, Ready Rock C.

'DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince' became quite popular after producing light-hearted songs 'Summertime' and 'Parents Just Don't Understand'.

During 1988-89, the popular singer fell into trouble with the 'Internal Revenue Service', after paying less than the stipulated tax. As a result of $2.8 million of unpaid taxes, his possessions were confiscated, and Will almost went bankrupt.

When the singer was struggling to recover from the financial crisis, he was hired for a sitcom titled 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air', in 1990, by the NBC broadcasting network. With the success of the TV program, which was about himself, Smith gained recognition as an actor.

In 1993, Will made his debut in feature films with the movie Six Degrees of Separation', co-starring Stockard Channing and Donald Sutherland. With the success of the movie, he was cast in 'Bad Boys', two years later, an action movie that also featured Martin Lawrence.

By this time, the exceptional actor had already gained immense popularity in Hollywood cinema. In 1996, he played a major role in the movie 'Independence Day', directed by German filmmaker, Roland Emmerich. The movie also starred Bill Pullman, and Jeff Goldblum, amongst others, becoming a huge box-office success.

Next year, in 1997, Smith was chosen by film director Barry Sonnenfeld, to become a part of the cult movie series of 'Men in Black'. The actor was cast opposite celebrated actor Tommy Lee Jones, and he essayed the legendary role of 'Agent J'. The following year, he worked in the hit movie 'Enemy of the State', alongside veteran Gene Hackman.

From 1999-2001, the gifted actor starred in movies like 'Wild Wild West', 'The Legend of Bagger Vance', and 'Ali'. ‘Ali’ was a movie adapted from boxer Muhammad Ali's life and career and it earned Will an 'Academy Award' nomination for 'Best Actor'.

During the next few years, he acted in movies like 'I, Robot', 'Shark Tale', 'Hitch' and 'Pursuit of Happyness'. The actor won another 'Oscar' nomination for his heart-rending performance in 'Pursuit of Happyness'

The movies that the accomplished actor has featured in, during the last few years, from 2007-2014, are 'I Am Legend', 'Hancock', 'Seven Pounds', 'After Earth', and 'Winter's Tale'. All of these movies have seen considerable commercial and critical success.

Recently, in February, 2015, Smith has starred in a movie called 'Focus', where he plays the male lead opposite Australian actress Margot Robbie. Another film, 'Concussion', co-starring Alec Baldwin, has been slated for release later this year.