Willard Christopher Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor and rapper. He was born and raised in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second of four children.
Will Smith started his career as part of the pop-rap duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, performing humorous, radio-friendly songs, most notably "Parents Just Don't Understand". Smith was a charismatic and energetic performer, and in 1990 the NBC television network signed him up and built a sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, around him. Smith began a successful movie career near the show's end with Bad Boys (1995). After Fresh Prince came to an end in 1996, Smith began a successful solo career in music and starred in several movies, including Men in Black, Independence Day, Enemy of the State, Wild Wild West, and Ali. Smith released a string of hit singles, often associated with his most recent movie, throughout the late 1990s. |
