Will Smith Biography

Will Smith was the "Fresh Prince" part of the 1980s musical pop duo D.J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, and by 1990 his charisma and infectious enthusiasm had landed him the lead in a TV sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. His television success led to film roles, and in the late 1990s he won big at the box office with Bad Boys (1995, with Martin Lawrence), Independence Day (1996, with Jeff Goldblum) and Men in Black (1997, with Tommy Lee Jones). He also continued his music career, releasing the albums Big Willie Style (1997) and Willennium (1999), but eventually it took a back seat to his A-list Hollywood movie career. Smith is primarily known for his action/comic roles, but he's proven himself in dramas -- nominated for an Oscar twice, as boxer Muhammad Ali in 2001's Ali, and as a down-on-his-luck dad in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006). His other films include Enemy of the State (1998, with Gene Hackman), I, Robot (2004, based on the novel by Isaac Asimov), Hitch (2005) and I Am Legend (2007).